Milwaukee Pain Treatment Center reviews and complaints

Hard to know where to begin, as its my assessment that this is the one of the most egregiously destructive Dr's to practice in this state. I initially had an appt with this Dr.in Sept 2015, shortly after my Dr passed away. I showed up and the receptionist/wife of dr was indescribably rude-interrogating me on why I had another appointment scheduled in the following weeks with another Pain Doctor (advanced pain Management) Firstly, I can't tell you how they could know this, and it's a breach of more rights than I can count for them to have known that but I digress... I told them I did have one, as I had been calling/scheduling appts with ANY Facility I could that could get me in quickest, I couldn't be picky. They then told me I needed to have a diff. insurance anyway and to leave. I did.
Fast forward years later (MAY 2018) and similar circumstances forced me back. At the time of my first appt, this time having insurance, they had my fill out paperwork which would actively contradict the following appts paperwork (largely about urine drug screen billing and location) Most of this paperwork contained threats about retribution for bringing recording devices into appts. (which ISNT illegal in WI) howeve, r this paranoia was an immediate red flag.
As I entered the patient room, I was told to take off all clothes and change to a gown. (hard to decline at a Dr. s office, despite it not making sense) When Dr. Stein came in, he informed me this was done to ensure there were no devices on me to which he could be recorded. aka: Ensure I wasn't wearing a wire?! He had me literally bend over in front of him, nude. Mortifying, as he is a creepy old man. I felt violated. As he said himself that it wasnt for medical reasons. And being a young woman, I can't say for sure whether the DEA paranoia was even the reason.
Anyway; The conversation was so 'out there', his paranoia about me being in the DEA came up throughout literally t he whole thing, something which was clearly erroding his though processing. He didn't tell me what he was going to prescribe me or when, I just got handed prescriptions on my way out at the front desk (which didn't reflect anything we talked about!) He did say, "if I made more money"or "had a diff insurance" he'd give me a higher dose. I'm still not sure what that meant. At this same time, the desk gave me instructions to drive somewhere off site to give a urine test-something I no longer had time to do (it was 30 mins or more away from the clinic & had not previously been mentioned to me. A strange ask to begin with, one I'd never seen or heard of.)
At my next appt, I wanted my male fiance to come in with me. When they called my name, & he was walking back with me Dr. Stein began literally yelling "You can't come back here with her, it's against federal law & I'm not in the business of breaking any federal laws..." Which is ironic, because it is a law that he CAN come with me given my consent. NOT his. But, frightened, he didn't. Man it was hard to bite my tongue. Example number one of deliberate manipulation and deception. Heck, he's making up his own laws to better use intimidation 1 on 1 or on a woman.
Once in the room alone, he began to irrationally scream at me. SCREAM. I didn't interrupt or speak bc it he was clearly manic and unstable. Accusing me of all sorts of weird stuff, because I didn't go for the urine drug screen (I think?); something I literally couldn't that same day. (& the paperwork said I had to within 72 hrs or not at all;*also, I never wanted to go back, so at the time didn't matter for that reason and many more) I wasn't permitted to respond, he told me I had to go get one immed or I'd be discharged & either way, now must come in every 2 weeks vs 4 because of my "transgression". AKA: billing me $200 2x a month vs 1. Honestly, it was disgraceful. If I were able to have gotten in with another Dr. sooner or at all, I would NEVER have gone back; but I was under duress, which he knew, and took advantage of it.
I'm not sure if I mentioned but initially he told me they didn't take my insurance, and I was paying $200 for the visit.in between my first visit and 2nd, his office called and told me my insurance doesn't cover urine tests and would need to pay for them from then on.. I asked for the cost, they couldn't tell me. Later I came to find, or was told, that the $200 was to pay for that urine test. My signed paperwork from both dates contradict the other, and both gave different locations to go to for this urine test.
So, 2 weeks later there I was back in his office but with a recording device. At this point, it was for my own safety. To which I recorded QUITE the interesting little interaction. At which time he told me the odds I were now with the DEA were "low" and he could talk to me more bluntly. He said its the "dea [censored]s" fault that he is now in fear of prescribing bc they are "out to get him". I asked him, "wouldn't it be a good thing if I were in the DEA, as you aren't doing anything 'wrong' are you?" He said, well they can find something wrong with anything, as they could say you don't have a medical necessity for opiods — wait, you said you had back surgery? So, that may not be true. But most of the time, it is."etc etc. Not sure if I had surgery? He went on to say that they have in the past set him up with undercover agents who gave him false scans and when he didn't notice the name on the scan didn't match the individual, tried to get him in trouble. I'm not sure which parts, if any, in this story were true. He As he has NO regard for the law or others rights-both legally and ethically.
He went on to say that all of his patients are being forced below 90 mme, as that is the"magical number' for being found guilty for "overprescribing." He asked me if I was familiar with Dr's in the News in WI (dr Charles Syzman is who he was referring)... I said yes, & asked him if he was aware not a single doctor in the state of WI has EVER been found "guilty" in court, let alone lost their license for his feared "overprescribing."? (including Syzman, who took his own life shortly after) He responded with "That's not what he's concerned with, it's the cost to his practice." And not the reputational cost. FINANCIAL. He claimed the legal fees are astronomical. Clearly speaking from experience. I ended up just booking it out and never going back. His staff called me LITERALLY 2x daily for 2 months trying to bully me into going back. It was relentless.

I was bounced around from doctor to doctor until I finally wound up in Dr. David Stein's office at Milwaukee Pain. He is the doctor that ordered an emg test to find out that I had Peripherial Neuropathy disease. I was grateful so much that I put up with abuse for months after my spinal cord stimulator sugery that he ordered for me also. The abuse started after the first sugery that I had. I was locked in to one doctor that could write perscriptions for me and that was him. If he went out of town or there was a mistake on the insurance's end or their neglegant mistakes then I would have to suffer for several days, or even up to a month with little or no pain pills after I had just had surgery. I was devastated and they told me there was nothing that they could do for me about it until my next appointment. I had to scramble to find ways to keep my pain managed, and to keep from going through withdrawls. I suffered a great deal. I had to have the surgery over again a few months later because I was ordered to be on bed rest, and soon after, I became homeless, and had to move. I couldn't follow the strict instructions for the whole six weeks because I had to get myself, and my wife, and my 2 and a half year old daughter out of our place within 5 days. So, after the second spinal cord sugery was redone, I thought this neglegent problem would be fixed, and that we had an understanding now, that I'm a human being, and that is horrible to have a patient cut wide open, with 28 staples the first time, and 32 the second time, and make them suffer more then 3 different months worth, on different occassions, after 2 major surgeries. Every time that I addressed this issue to the nurse or staff, I was treated like dirt. There are many more details to this story that I don't have the time, or patience for expressing, but I want to look into a lawsuit against this place for the way they treat people. I didn't even mention what they did to my wife. She was a patient there also, and she had fibromyalgia. Dr. Stein put her on Savella and she had horrible side effects from it. She felt like she was going blind, fainted several times, had panic attacks, and headaches etc. etc. so the staff said, to stop taking it when she called and said this to them. The next time that she came in, she discussed this issue with Dr. Stein, and he told her that she can try either a lower dose of it, or another drug like it. She said to him, " Can't you put me on something a little more natural? I have an allergy to that kind of medication." He then said, " If your not going to agree to take the drugs that I offer to you then there's nothing that I can do for you. " He then said to the nurse, " Sharon, please discharge this patient!" My wife went home in tears because she could not help her allergies to the new medications for that type of illness. There has to be some type of law against this type of treatment with patients.

I went to the Milwaukee Pain Treatment Center to seek chronic pain care for a neck injury. After a pleasant reception, Dr Stein ordered an MRI test -- He also ordered an EMG test but never mentioned it during our interview. I was concerned about the test and was assured it was a "pin ###" type of test - when the test was administered it turned out the "pin" was 3" long and had to be inserted in my neck - the pain was excruciating. Dr Misra talked with someone on his cell phone while wiggling the needle in my neck, causing me extreme pain as a current was being passed through it - he also claimed there was no voltage applied "only milliamps", a current requires both voltage and amperage – I am an engineer and know this, Dr. Misra did not appear to...About 12 days later I received the first bill, for 516.90$ for a drug screening - the total cost was 900$ - plus 385$ for the office call, my insurance paid only part of it I was told this drug test would be part of each visit, and not to worry, insurance would cover it. The statement claimed the 517$ amount was 30 days past due - less than 2 weeks after the test was given. When I called to discuss the excessive bill, the billing person "Bridget" became nasty, mentioned going to court, accused me of calling her a lair on the phone and hung up. After spending two weeks with tests and abuse, I was forced to abandon the center and seek care elsewhere - they never did anything to address my pain - but made it much worse for days after the EMG test. They also charged excessive fees and performed unneeded tests - and charged me for them, doing nothing helpful, claiming I was late in paying them and draining my bank account. I am very dissatisfied with them, and caution anyone looking for reasonably priced care - they seem to cater to insurance claims.