Dr. Halpern will overcharge you; you may get into an argument with his billing manager; and there are better practices and doctors out there.
I should have listened to the other negative reviews and saved myself the trouble of dealing with him, his staff, and the time I am now putting into writing this. Save yourself the headache and avoid Dr. Halpern's practice. If a doctor does not surround himself with professional and caring staff, do not trust him to have the ability to have your best interests at heart.
I ended up choosing another surgeon and am more than happy with the results. Furthermore, the doctor I chose didn't try to charge me more than 3x medicare's rate. I would also like to say I noticed a big difference between the doctor I went with and Dr. Halpern. I never had any doubt about professionalism, skill, and my well-being with the doctor I chose. However with Dr. Halpern, I felt like I was just another number to be processed to make the sale. Everything seemed overly fake and rushed. For whatever reason you decide to see a plastic surgeon, you should always feel that they have your best interest at heart. You should never feel like you are not important or just another sale.
If you do decide to "pay" him a visit, then I hope you are a smart and skeptical enough consumer to (1) ask tough questions, (2) do as much research as possible, and (3) be objective. If you have a funny feeling in your gut like I did after my visit, then find another doctor. Remember you want to trust the person who will be operating on you has your best interests at heart.
Also, judge a doctor based on the number of times they've performed a specific surgery, overall reviews, and pictures of his/her work. If the doctor has too many credentials, then they might be too spread thin and not specialized enough for your particular needs.
There are good surgeons running good practices out there. Based on my experience, Dr. Halpern is not one of them.
I hope this helps someone avoid the headache I went through.
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