Dr. Michael John Austen, MD

Doctor Austen is the epitome of MONEY GRAB. I came to him looking for a new primary doctor after relocating to Florida for two priorities, yearly physical and medication renewal for Valacyclovir which I've taken daily for suppression for nearly 15 years. My previous Doctor in Mississippi of 4 years no problem prescribing this medication to me. My Doctor prior in Ohio of 30 years, no problem prescribing this medication. However Doctor Austen will only provide a 60 day supply with no refills and require bloodwork and an office visit every time to the tune of $300 out of pocket to renew. MONEY GRAB!!! Doctor Austen pulled the same money grab with my yearly physical (covered fully by insurance) by suggesting I was pre-diabetic and should have more bloodwork and further follow up visits (not covered by my insurance and all out of pocket). Which I did so he would renew my prescription only to find out he was wrong. NOTHING diabetic about me. More out of pocket useless office visits. AVOID… THIS MONEY GRAB!!!!! In conclusion, I discovered in Florida I may order this medication online with NO doctor visit, NO telehealth, and nearly half the price Walgreens had been charging me. DR AUSTEN....YOU'RE FIRED!

I would not even rate Dr Austin 1 star. The former physician at this clinic was never like this. Please do not attempt to visit Dr Austin at the Rye Rd location. Please read to understand my reasoning. I am completely uncomfortable with a physician assuming he knows me and my health concerns without ever having a conversation with me. Please have your physician ask YOU about YOU. Making assumptions about any diagnosis should be discouraged by any medical provider. It can lead to improper treatment and medications that are not necessary. The long term affects of many unneeded medications are unknown -please use wise judgement prior to selecting to visit with this physician. In addition, he never introduced himself when entering the exam room and started insinuating a medical diagnosis WITHOUT DOING ANYTHING. To be more specific, I never ever stated I had this specific diagnosis and he immediately discussed medication for an issue I wasn’t nor was I going to be treated for, never… even attempted to do an exam of any sorts. This is in my opinion is a direct violation in his medical profession. I do think he needs to be reported to a medical board as this is completely inappropriate and unacceptable. If a physician immediately suggests medication for someone who does not need it, I would think, but correct me if I’m wrong here, that this is absolutely illegal and ridiculous. I am a happy vibrant woman who needed a new primary care physician as my former physician left the area. I have learned my lesson as I did not research this doctor prior to my initial first visit. If we all walk into a clinic and are told we were going to be given medication for a diagnosis that we don’t have, well that’s very scary. My fear is that what if it was a child or elderly parent who was treated this way? They might not be able to make sound judgement on things such as this and that is where our healthcare system is flawed, creating money for big pharmaceutical companies which makes their paycheck but could potentially destroy your life. Be wise and stay away from this physician. I hope this will help someone to not be treated in this way.