This guy creeped me out with the way he acted towards my teenaged daughter. He got really close to her and was invading her personal space while asking her non-medical personal questions that had nothing to do with health or allergies. Ewwww.

Submitted Sept. 3, 2020

Awesome clinic and friendly staff. They truly care.

Submitted March 10, 2019

Stung By Asthma & Allergy Associates Bill
Dr. Daniel F. Soteres, MD

I went to see Dr Soteres on the recommendation of my chiropractor, Dr. John Davis (who is great, by the way) but the allergy appointment turned out to be a big mistake. Dr. Soteres seems very knowledgeable and congenial, but implied that an in-office test would be simple and easy and strongly recommended I undergo the test while I was in his office. I've had enough medical bills to know that even "simple and easy" is still hundreds of dollars, but the total bill for the 15-minute consultation and a "basic" allergy panel was a whopping $1367 -- about the amount of our mortgage payment!

It took quite a few attempts to speak with Asthma & Allergy Associates' billing department, as they only seem to return calls on occasion. When I did speak with someone, I was told "it is the patient's responsibility to know the charges in advance," and I think that attitude (assuming they really believe that) reflects a problem with some of today's conventional healthcare establishment.

First, how was I supposed to know the charges in advance for a test the doctor was encouraging me to get on the spot? Second, reputable providers, even in the medical field (outside of hospitals) generally provide pricing up front. Even in fields known for corruption, such as the automotive repair industry, service providers are usually very careful to ask the customer to greenlight a service after the full price is presented -- you pay a moderate fee for, say, an engine check and then the mechanic calls you back after an inspection with the full price to get authorization to proceed.

When I pointed this out, the clerk's apparently scripted response was to blame insurance. Insurance hadn't even come up, but she suggested that opaque verbiage and frequent policy changes would be confusing for anyone to sort through. But I wasn't confused by my insurance company. It was the doctor's soft-pedaling that failed to align with this mammoth bill. And her quick finger-pointing to insurance implies their pricing is not based on market forces, but on some backroom arrangement, as if doctor and patient are supposed to wink at each other while insurance picks up whatever the tab happens to be.

According to the clerk, the doctor was also too busy to give me any idea of the price when he made his recommendation and also too busy to speak with me by phone--ever. What I should have known to do, according to this unspoken patient code, was to have left the examination room, grilled the billing department until I had obtained the secret knowledge, returned to the examination room, eventually flagged down the (busy) doctor and then let him know whether I thought it made sense to pay the equivalent of a tuition payment to take this test.

No, I don't think even they really believed what they were telling me. They had even required a $200 up-font payment when I booked the appointment. I guess that should have been a warning sign.

In fact, although Asthma & Allergy Associates' bills and statements turn out to be, of course, inscrutable, the clerk did admit to some agreement with my insurance carrier to deduct $300 from the bill's top line. This isn't technically "coverage," because the doctor never sees this money, and the billing department never could give me a clear answer on why and how the insurance company was able to apply such pressure. I can only assume that insurance companies consider their bills to be significantly above market rates. I was supposed to be feel bad, though, that they weren't able to get all $1400 that they wanted.

And what did my discounted $1400 test show? It was inconclusive--I possibly have an allergy to dust mites, but dust mites don't cause any of the symptoms I relayed, and I might not be allergic to them in either case. Dr. Sotores ended this costly visit with a recommendation: take Claritin and come back and let him know how that goes. In fact, they automatically booked the follow-up appointment for me in their system for who knows how much without even asking!

At the visit, my wife noticed that the facility was in need of some minor repairs and initially took that as a good sign that we wouldn't be paying fifth-avenue prices. The fact that we ended up, in fact, paying the high fees anyway makes us wonder where the money goes. It doesn't seem to be invested back into the facility, and not into the billing system, and not into customer service. Let's also hope it doesn't go into marketing either. It doesn't seem like Asthma & Allergy Associates has time for more patients.

Submitted Sept. 20, 2015

Dr Soteres was very professional and personable. I was referred to him by a very satisfied patient of mine. (I am a dentist) Everyone in the office was helpful and efficient. It was all done in one visit and I walked out with all the information necessary and everything explained perfectly. My wife will be coming in soon. It is the little things. Such as, sending a map along with the paperwork and doing a courtesey call before my appointment to remind me. You feel comfortable in the office. And the ladies are wonderful. A+ Andrew Miller

Submitted March 28, 2011