David H. Garelick, MD

I have known Dr. Garelick for several years as a patient who treated my shoulder. What people don’t realize is that doctors are human beings too. Not all are in practice to make huge amounts of money. Dr. Garelick and his staff do everything possible to take great care of patients. However, when the bill comes, all of the sudden, he gets ripped apart by people like the reviews you see below. If you notice, they mostly complain about the bill and so because they don’t understand insurance coding a patient may think he is being taken advantage of. Being medical coder myself, the American Medical Guidelines of Insurance are very specific. If you are treated for a «fracture» a specific code is used so you are billed one time and then the next 90 days you are in a global period for 90 days where you are NOT charged. You can see the physician at no charge «AS MANY TIMES AS YOU SEE FIT» at no charge for 90 days. If you do not wish to return that is totally up to the patient. This is a big misunderstanding between patient and how insurance coding works. Also, if you look at the date these Unilocal comments are from 2012. If you want a knowledgeable physician, have had a nagging pain in your shoulder or knee… make an appointment, he will take great care in getting you back to normal or at least manage the injury until you feel better. I was told I had a tear in my shoulder that needed surgery, but Dr. Garelick told me to try physical therapy and took a conservative approach. The imaging showed I had a tear, but dr told me «I don’t operate on pictures I operated on people» Saved me the trouble of going through a surgery I did not need. Today my shoulder is fine. Thank heaven I went to a doctor that wasn’t concerned how much money he would make on me if he did do a unecessary surgery, which is hard to find.

I fractured my fibula in a sports injury and had x-​rays performed at a local emergency room to verify. I was given crutches and advised to follow up with an orthpedic doctor. Dr. Garelick was found through a Google search as an orthapedic doctor in the Chicago land area. Emergency room X-​rays showed a hair line crack in the fibula which he confirmed by viewing my X-​rays. It seemed like a simple office visit as I hobbled my way in and out of his office and was given no advice other than to stay off the foot for 2 – 3 months. Something the hospital already told me.
I was shocked when I got the office visit bill of over $ 1000! As I’m from San Francisco, I visited a local ortho dr. in SF as a follow up a week after my visit with Dr. Garelick. I was only charged the $ 25 co-​pay with similar advice. No four figure follow up office charge.
When I called Dr. Garelicks office to find out why I was charged so much the receptionist said that they were allowed to code the visit as a trauma visit even though it was a conventional office visit. I was in no trauma. I could walk on my leg with some pain. It was a technicality they were allowed to charge the insurance company a trauma visit to maximize their profits.
I cannot recommend Dr. Garelick as his billing practices border on un-​ethical.
Buyer beware.