Knoxville Dermatology Group - Knoxville

Private Equity Firms have ruined this place. I’ve been a patient of Dr. Kimberly Vincent for several years, and until recently I’ve had nothing but positive experiences with her and this practice. I’ve personally referred at least 10 people here over the year because I believed in the quality of care I received. That’s why I was extremely disappointed when I called to schedule and was told by the scheduling receptionist, that the next available appointment wasn’t for six months or more even when I asked if it was possible to see Dr. Vincent sooner at another location. I was told repeatedly that this is typical and nothing can be done. Donna was my receptionist. I told her I felt bad for her having to be be the face of the business and tell people they are six months out for the next available appointment. The scheduling desk will speak to you as if they are reading from a script. There is no empathy in telling someone the next appointment is six months out. Call up and give it a try and you will see it is just standard business practice. In any other service industry, telling a customer to wait half a year for needed service would be considered unacceptable. Yet here we are in healthcare, and existing patients are being told to wait six months or more for an appointment with their own doctor. What is unfortunate is that what existing and potential patients don’t easily see is that Knoxville Dermatology Group has been part of larger dermatology platforms backed by private equity investment. I am very much pro business and building a business that can be sold is an incredible accomplishment. Many are not aware that Knoxville Dermatology was acquired by Anne Arundel Dermatology, which itself is a portfolio company of Ridgemont Equity Partners who is yet another private equity group. This isn’t just about delays it’s about what priorities are driving the scheduling and administrative decisions. As much as you may love your doctor it’s important to understand they may have little to no options in assisting you outside of what the corporate structure tells them they can do. When private equity is involved, there often comes pressure to optimize for growth and revenue, not necessarily patient access or continuity of care. That reality seems evident here, and it begs the question of where the accountability really lies. On the operations side of things: It is disappointing that the practice manager and other leadership of this practice are allowing scheduling practices that force patients to wait half a year for care. If the practice is truly concerned about patients’ needs, why are existing patients being told to wait six months while the practice continues to accept new patients? To be clear: this review is not about Dr. Vincent’s clinical care which has always been excellent but about the operation decisions and level of service that long-time patients are expected to accept. It’s sad to see a practice with a long history of great care reach a point where patients are left without reasonable access to the care they need. Medical care especially dermatologic care should be accessible and timely, not something you have to wait half a year for.

Ashley Pierson is a wonderful provider! Her exams are extremely thorough and any questions are clearly addressed. Ashley’s professionalism coupled with her engaging personality is a rare find.

My son had to go in, he was anxious and became tearful. Michael and his assistant cheered him up and made him feel more comfortable! It was a great experience from check in to check out. I got there early because I figured there would be lots of paper work and they were able to get me back a lot sooner than anticipated.

Terrible phone service. Unable to get a reasonable appt time for an issue. Wont schedule with a provider that has sooner appt. Unwilling to help. Ask to speak to office manager. Shes sick. Ask to speak to a manager. Shes sick. No one to run this place needs some management and different schedulers with compassion. If i didnt love my dr so much id be changing asap.

The nurse practitioner I visited did not even care to see my skin problem with a magnifying glass or touch it. After trying to describe the symptoms myself, they did touch my face to see it around without wearing hand gloves. Very unprofessional and 'don't care' attitude. Then they said they do not know the cause and there is no cure. Really? I would have known much more than this just by a few google searches.