The Headache & Pain Center, PA

I was referred to Headache and Pain Center for assessment of neck pain and possible surgery. Unfortunately the surgery never took place due to the incompetence of staff. From the beginning, an appointment was changed without me being informed and the only way I discovered this was when I called to confirm. I was told that my appointment was not as I was originally told at 12:00 but was scheduled for 8:00am. I explained that I had an appointment card made out by their employee which indicated a 12:00pm appointment and was told that this was a mistake as this was the doctors lunch time. I had to cancel as I could not meet the 8am meeting. After eventually meeting with the surgeon, it was indicated that surgery was necessary. I indicated that I was at a turning point in my insurance and that if we did it, it was important that the date fall this month due to the insurance and the new insurance showed the company as out of network which would have been a financial obligation I was unable to meet at that time. I was assured that this was not a problem and later that week was given a surgery time that fell completely within the parameters of the insurance requirements. Twice I received calls from the surgery center to inform me of my date, time and expectations, I made significant adjustments to work, family, and personal obligations, scheduled off of work for several weeks and had my wife take off time as well. All was in place except that orders from the doctor to have necessary lab and EKG were never forwarded to the indicated hospital for the procedures. Two days prior to the scheduled surgery, being concerned, I contacted the surgery center and explained the concern that the hospital never received the doctor?s orders and that he indicated the need for these tests to be done prior to surgery. I was told by the receptionist that she will email that department and that I would be contacted in 48 hours. I explained that 48 working hours was the day of my surgery. She stated that this was the ""canned speech? she was told to provide when contacted with complaints. I explained that I needed to speak with a supervisor to have this taken care of so as not to miss my surgery. Four hours later and having to follow up myself with the lab several times, they finally received the orders where I had to make a special trip to give blood. The EKG orders were never sent so unfortunately, I was unable to have that done. The worst part of this was that my surgery was canceled the night before the surgery was to take place with the explanation that the insurance company had not returned the preauthorization yet, even though the preauthorization had been requested two weeks prior to the surgery. I contacted the insurance company who explained that the surgery center could have requested the preauthorization to be expedited, which would have taken 72 hours. I explained this to Christina who said ?I did not know that you can expedite the preauthorization?. I am surprised that someone that deals with insurance on a daily basis was unaware of this. She told me that she would try in the morning as she was going home at that time. The next day she stated that it was too late to expedite the preauthorization and that she would to wait for an answer for that day. That night she contacted me to say that it was probably not going to happen and that the Headache and Pain center could work out a payment plan with me. I went back to work and put my life back on track but received a call Thursday stating that she got the preapproval and if I could run over to have the surgery that day. This is major surgery not a tire rotation and all my preparation had been undone. I will now have to get the surgery at a later date but will not do business with the Headache and Pain center as the staff is incompetent and as major surgery goes, this seems to be in the top 10% of riskiest procedures and I am unwilling to allow that office any more of my business. more

I called to make an appointment and the rudest lady answered the phone. I asked her if I needed a referral for an appointment and she acted like I was stupid. She also said I needed a diagnosis and when I told her I was unsure why I was having so much back pain, she responded ""well that's your diagnosis, you go to the doctor to figure it out"". She is probably losing so many patients due to her horrible attitude. I won't be making an appointment there. more

I can't thank this place enough for what they have done for me and my back pain. Slowly but surely, I am feeling a difference. My doctor is so kind, and he seems to really know his stuff about spinal problems and hip problems. I can sympathize with the comment penny1952 made about the pain being so awful you just want to crawl in a hole and die. Chronic pain is a HORRIBLE thing to suffer from. I thought I would NEVER get relief, but Dr.J is an amazing doctor. I am now able to shower everyday, and that is HUGE for me. Chronic pain can literally ruin your life and relationships because you can't join your family in activities, it can be extremely depressing. I am far from 100% but I am making progress, and I feel like Dr. J is just an angel. Showering everyday may not seem like that big of a deal, but for me, it is a huge deal. I still suffer from terrible pain everyday, but my Dr. is making life better each time I see him. The epidural injections hurt like hell, but they have helped. And my Dr. can tell just by the way I react to the needle in my tailbone. Trust me people, these people can work miracles. more

I would never go there again. Not that I could. I have been banned from there for threatening a DR Greenfield. He is a QUACK!!! more

.All the test they ran were helpful in diagnosis of problem's I was having and the pain I was experiencing . I would give my Dr . a 10 on a scale of 1 to 10 he is very professional and caring ! He gives honest answers when you ask him something .He is usually prompt to see you after you are called back by the medical assistant to have your vitals taken .He is in to see you within 5 to 10 minutes after that which I feel is very is good compared to most Dr. visits I've experienced . more

I went there knowing what part of my problems were. They are very good I am having the side effects ut doing tests on you, but very unorganized. The Dr that I go to, his last name starts with a F, I don't feel right saying his name...but he is very ditzy! He never remembers what I am there for, he tells me there is no way I am having the side effects that I am having, and discourages me from reducing the dose, even after knowing that I am scared of becoming an addict! I hadn't fully explained my pain before he put me on Oxycontin, 20mg every 12 hours, and oxycodone 15mg every 4 to six hours as needed. For all of you that don't know this...it's great for certain pain, but that tiny pill ruins lives, and relationships with family, friends...basically EVERYONE!!! I am so glad that they help me but I definitely feel like they PUSH the drugs, and try to get money from your insurance ANY way that they can. Oh and they also love to try and talk you into surgeries, and ""procedures"" more

I LOVE my doctor, Dr. Pinkerton!y only complaint are the wait times for my appointments and one of the receptionist Condy! She is lazy, incompetent and disrespectful! She does the bare minimum to keep her job and will NEVER go out of her way to help a patient in need. I'm posting this here and making a formal complaint with Dr. Pinkerton. Also the review about cluster headaches is I'm sure true however I see Dr Pinkerton for chronic migraines and he is very knowledgable about migraines and cluster headaches. I have never met Dr Judilla but I know the Dr Garcia doesn't know anything about them either. If that's your problem demand Dr Pinkerton more

Just had THE WORSE doctor visit imaginable! Went to The Headache and Pain Center in Overland Park, KS for treatment of my Cluster Headaches. When I made the appointment I specifically asked them if their doctors treat Cluster Headaches and prescribed the medicines that I am currently prescribed. They told me that they did. Appointment was with Dr. Frank Judilla. After a lengthy new patient interview with the assistant, supplying MRIs and CT Scans and all current meds, Dr. Judilla came in the room and asked if it was my back that hurt. I was kinda surprised and told him that I have already been tested, etc. and diagnosed with Chronic Cluster Headaches. I asked him if he was knowledgable on the subject and he said yes. I told him the meds and dosages I take and he said he does not use those. He asked if I've tried Tylonol to treat the pain! Are you kidding me? I am on schedule 3 narcotics. I asked him again if he knew about Cluster Headaches and he admitted that he didn't know ANYTHING a more

I have been using the Headache and Pain Center for almost 2 years now. My only complaint is the wait for the clinic. They do overbook , but so do most of the doctor's out there. There staff have always been nothing but nice and compassionate. What a lot of people don't realize is that this is the only other place beside's Truman Hospital in KC,MO that accept Medicaid so they are swamped constantly. I had Dr. Lowry perform a disectomy on my back and I wish all doctors had half of the patience and compassion that this man has. I would recommend this facility. more

HPC Is quite the place. I have medicaid so my co pays are small and have never had financial issues wth them. They are swamped with patients everyday, they don't have enough staff from having receptionst check you in the nurse taking you back to seeing the doctors and that is why everyone has to wait so long, ive been going for bout 3months once they called me back in 35mins and it was amazingly fast(or them) all other visits(10+) Ive waited from the time i wallked in to when i walked out anywhere from 2 hrs toover 5 hours. I do beileve that they try to do as many procedures(shots, epidurals, lysis, etc) as they can even to the pont where i think they are milking medcaid but most tests procedures ive had were neccisary to help find the source of my pain and what to do about it. My doctor now that we know each other does care and is keeping me comfortable with pain meds. he understands years of pain have a pychological effect on people, it wears you down, takes away your happiness, you more

I have horrible daily headaches that do not respond to normal preventative and treatment medications. My primary care doctor and my neurologist refused to prescribe pain medication so I was forced to apply for FMLA after I used all my paid leave at my state job. I was extremely frustrated and in pain 24/7. Asking for a referral to a pain management specialist was the best decision I've made. Dr. Judilla didn't treat me with the suspicion I sometimes felt with my other doctors, like I was a drug seeking addict. I have never been addicted to any substance before. He seemed to genuinely want to help me. I left with an order to get an MRI/MRA, which I took to my local hospital (definitely in my insurance network) and a prescription for pain killers. I can now function normally every day! more

I have had lower back pain and knee problems for 6 years or longer ,it had gotten to where i couldnt take the pain any longer. I seen the add on tv and said i would give it a try ,they kept working with me until they found the problem and when they did help i was not completely pain free but close enough ,what they do help's and i do have to go back from time to time but they do help they are not miricle workers it helps but it can never be fixed it has been broken you can't be fully fixed by anyone.it dosen't take long for an appointment and if it is an emergency they will get you in right then. For the person that says they take your money don't you have to pay when you go out for dinner and after dinner they ask you if there can be anything elese desert maybe, they want your money it is going to cost money anywhere you go.I have been going to the headache and pain center for a while now sometimes with pain so bad i wish i would just die but just for that time they give me without pain i will go back for as long and as many times it takes my doctor is wonderful he makes me smile everytime i see him ,the staff are always curtious never have been treated harsh in anyway. i would like to say my doctor's name but i am not sure if i can ,i don't know the privacy policy . I will give the headache and pain center 5 stars and a thumbs up .Thank you for the help you give me to make my life a little easier. Pros: everyone is polite and listens to what you say Cons: i have not seen any brawbacks more

When I had a sudden onset of pain and wasn't able to work nor get into another doctor for 2 months I went to HAP. The same thing happened to me as everyone else. I got the shake down with all the tests, tons of follow-ups, and hit with all sorts of fees that insurance doesn't cover. They deserve every bad review they're getting. The doctor I saw there actually left and opened his own practice. Generally I think doctors are prima donnas, what other profession gets away with the crap they do? more

Overall I had an excellent experience with the Headache and Pain Center. I was having constant migranes and after seeing the doctor and running some tests, they recommended a course of treatment that was reasonable and very simple to follow. I did not have the experience of getting ripped off like the complainers. It was excellent medical treatment for the cost that I wanted, and could afford, to pay. \r \r I recommend it to anyone and everyone!\r Pros: Friendly staff, nice doctors, very comprehensive Cons: Wait time more

I'm sorry all of you have had such a bad experience with The Headache and Pain Center in Leawood. As a final ditch effort with all the pain in my lower back, I resorted to HPC, I cannot remember of Dr,'s name right now, but he was excellent. I had an epidural twice a month and they worked great. I was treated with respect and he was not in a hurry to just get me out the door. I could feel the relief after the shot immediately. I felt like I could actually jump up and touch my toes. It was amazing.\r \r Another thing I liked about this Dr. was that he put me through a complete physical. (a couple I probably didn't need) before determining what his treatment would be. He took the time to show me the x-rays of my back and explained what was going on. I knew he was telling me the truth because other physicians had told me the same thing, - even Cleveland Chriopractic. \r \r Now, in the middle of my getting treatment, he noticed there was a lump he could feel in my neck. He decided righ more

I hate the Headache and Pain Center. I called to make a appointment, asked if they were in net-work with my insurance. The scheduler called me back the next day to tell me yes they were in-net and set my appointment. After I about three visits - I started getting bills from them stating that I owed them 1,000s of dollars. They were so rude and disrespectful to me concerning this account. I would never go there again. more

I went there for an intense lower back pain, received every test imaginable (not because I asked for them), and left with a shot, which did in fact reduce the pain. On the way out the door I got a copy of the bill , which was over $9,000. I was not too worried about it, even though I believed they had done unnecessary testing, I had chosen the place because they were on both my primary insurance and my secondary insurance. \r \r Fooled me, turns out HPC is on my primary, but NONE of their docs are. I was told they had left the plan because it had not allowed them to charge enough. Fair enough, a painful lesson for me to learn, that just because a facility is on my plan, does not mean the docs are.\r \r But they WERE on my secondary, so I figured I would still be okay. Then they called me and said they choose not to honor contracts when a carrier is secondary, so they would not be taking the write-offs that my secondary was saying they were required to take. Nine months later, after several more

I went to the Headache and Pain Center after a car accident.\r \r I had been there before from a prior injury, and know other people who have gone there. It seems no matter who you are, you don?t get out without an expensive MRI and an steroidal injection.\r \r The ?facility fee? is essentially for a bed on which you lay for 30 minutes after your shot.\r \r The doctors want you to keep coming back and back. Also, it turned out that my doctor was out-of-network from my Blue Cross plan, so I had to pay a bunch of money. Some doctors are in network, some are out. Also, the doctor you see may not be the doctor that bills you. I was seen by ?Dr. X? and Dr. X ordered and MRI, but the $2500 charge for the MRI came from Dr. Z, who I never saw.\r \r Wherever you go, make sure that your insurance plan covers everything.\r I thought the Headache and Pain Center was very deceptive and misleading on the out-of-pocket expense you need to pay. \r \r More importantly, their ?shots? are not for everyone. more

The staff will tell you that the doctors are covered by your insurance, but you will be seperately billed a "facility charge" of several hundreds of dollars that you will have to pay out of pocket for. They promise to help you, but after several expensive injections, MRI and needle tests, you will be faced with a large bill and worsening of your health. You will find that your wallet hurts after being treated at the Headache and Pain Center. I would not send my worst enemy to that horrible place. more

I have not been satisfied with my experiences at the Headache & Pain Center. Although their advertisements say "your not just a number, your a name" I have never really found this to be the case. The experience is as sterile as you can get. I think the majority of this is caused by many of the practices the doctors at the center have to abide by from the management. They effectively cut-off any human-to-human feeling that you find in other practices with a series of "guidelines and policies" that are for the "patients protection". I would recommend the practice only as a last resort when all else has failed. more