SamaraCare

“I have been a client since about 2007? Before Dr Makender worked there. While Dr Makender is absolutely excellent, the office staff is and has always has been horrible overall. I can not say this about any staff at Duly, Northwestern, Loyola, Wheaton Eye Clinic, or anywhere else I have ever been. Sadly, I did not think it could get worse, but it has with the new corporate ownership. The website has a button that says Contact Us. Using that will always be followed by a phone call telling you not to use Contact Us. So, if they are not answering your calls, which often happens, use CONTACT US and you will surely get a call back! They have an obscure patient portal (not Mychart, unfortunately) but it is not obvious nor easily accessible. They demand you use it no matter how poor their website is at directing you to where they want you to go. Using a reputable known portal would a solve this ridiculous problem. MyChart comes to mind. Or design a website that puts your portal front and center so you no longer need to scold patients for pushing CONTACT US-- i.e., following the actual instructions on the website. If you ask them if they participate in a specific BCBS plan, the office staff will give you their medical group site # and tell you that is the only insurance policy they accept. The problem is, their medical group # is NOT an insurance policy *anyone* can select, purchase, use, join. It is not an insurance policy at all. When you explain this to staff, they tell you they know more about insurance than you do. Sigh. It never ends. It seems that is not the case but it should be. I've had them bill me incorrectly, forget to bill my insurance, I've had rude behavior upon entering office, I've had phone calls instructing me I cannot use the CONTACT US button on their website, I've had phone messages go unanswered, I've had an Rx sent to a pharmacy I have never used and the office staff refuse to send Rx to my pharmacy, etc. There is no longer any excuse for defending the office staff in Wheaton or wherever they are now housed. They are almost always not nice, not helpful, and make the situation much harder than necessary. This is a customer service position. Clients are treated like the enemy. Again, no other medical office staff has ever been so poor anywhere ever.”

“Had good experiences here with my therapist back when it was summit clinical. Now all they care about is their billing practices. While I do have a payment plan for a balance I’m working on they insist I’m not paying enough to the point where I had to cancel my upcoming appointments and am having to stop seeing my therapist altogether as I can no longer afford it. I’m still seeing my psychiatrist as I need medication. Typically psychiatrists can prescribe medication for a few months in between visits(at least that’s been my experience for years) however after canceling my upcoming appointment due to cost until I can catch up on my balance they said my psychiatrist can’t fill my prescriptions to my pharmacy since I haven’t seen her recently even though I had only seen her three weeks ago as of the time of requesting the refills. I’m sure this is not based on the wishes of my psychiatrist but of their ruthless office staff. If you didn’t need psychiatric help before you’ll definitely need it after dealing with one of them.”

“I strongly recommend the doctors and therapists at this office to my family and friends, great team that truly cares.”

“I've been seeing Dr. Durkin at Summit Clinical Services for over a year and a half and I could not be happier with my experience. She truly cares, takes the time to listen, and offers hope when it feels like you're out of options. I've never had a psychiatrist take the time to truly help me like she has. I was so used to being brushed off by psychiatrists in the past and I used to think that was just as good as it got but not when you have an amazing psychiatrist who cares! My mental health has improved so dramatically and it's all thanks to her.”