F.A.Q.

Does Dr. Prystowsky accept Insurance?

Patients with Private Insurance: Dr. Prystowsky does not participate in any insurance plans. Payment for services is expected at the time of visit. You will receive a bill that you may submit to your insurance for reimbursement or request that Dr. Prystowsky's billing staff submit to your insurance. If the office receives your reimbursement check, Dr. Prystowsky will send you the refund.

Medicare beneficiaries: As of July 1st 2003, Dr. Prystowsky opted out of Medicare. This applies to all existing patients and any new patients. New and existing Medicare patients are welcome to see Dr. Prystowsky but their claims will not be submitted to Medicare. Payment to Dr. Prystowsky is expected at the time of service and will be completely outside of the Medicare program. If you have additional private insurance that is not a Medigap policy, the billing staff will assist you in submitting your claim. If Medicare is your secondary carrier, your claim will not be forwarded to Medicare after your private insurance processes the claim.

Note: it is important to be aware that private insurers do not cover all aspects of dermatological services. You also may be subject to a deductible when seeing providers outside of your network. Also, the definition of a "reasonable and customary" fee by your insurance carrier may be lower than Dr. Prystowsky's fee schedule. While billing staff will help you with inappropriately rejected claims, no guarantees can be made to the extent of reimbursement that you will receive from a particular insurance company for any given service. To assist you in getting the highest level of reimbursement from your insurance company it is helpful to bring in your Explanation of Benefits form for processed claims so that the billing staff can determine if your claim was processed properly for the services provided.

What is the fee for an initial office visit?

An initial office visit usually is $650 and includes a detailed history and physical exam. Any surgical procedures (e.g. biopsies, destructions, or tests) will carry additional charges.

What is Dr. Prystowsky's special expertise?

Dr. Prystowsky's primary interest is the surgical treatment of skin disease. Skin cancer detection and treatment is an area that she is highly committed to; she is one of few dermatologists trained in Mohs Micrographic Surgery to treat skin cancer, usually the basal cell and squamous cell carcinoma types. She also has a large practice of patients with a history of melanoma and follows patients at risk of melanoma using total body photography to detect changes in moles and direct biopsy decisions.

Cosmetic dermatology has been an area of focus for Dr. Prystowsky. Getting rid of unsightly blood vessels, moles, bumps, cysts, keratoses, and skin tags may greatly improve your appearance without invasive surgery. Chemical peels are helpful in rejuvenating the skin and in removing precancerous skin cells. She has extensive experience in prescribing topical creams used to rejuvenate the skin.

Dr. Prystowsky holds her Ph.D. degree in vitamin A research. Many vitamin A compounds (retinoids) such as Accutane, Renova, Retin-A, Tazorac, Differin, etc., are used to treat skin conditions ranging from acne, photoaging, and skin cancer, to psoriasis treatment. She has a large experience with Accutane for teenage and adult acne. She conducted dermatologic research on vitamin A drugs for 10 years both in the basic research laboratory and the clinic. Dr. Prystowsky is widely published in basic and clinical research and has served in consultative roles for the National Institutes of Health as well as many pharmaceutical and skin care product companies.

Her surgical interests and previous work with vascular surgeons have led to specialized expertise in wound healing. She has studied and published experience on using artificial skin to close chronic wounds and skin cancer excisions. She is very experienced in treating skin cancers on the lower legs, an area where skin grafting is often necessary and where varicose veins may complicate management. Finally, she is active in treating spider and varicose veins of the lower extremities with sclerotherapy or laser either for cosmetic reasons or to prevent vein rupture and hemorrhage.

For your safety, in the event of an emergency, Dr. Prystowsky and her staff are currently trained in advanced cardiac life support and/or basic cardiac life support. Her office is minutes away from Cornell's New York Presbyterian Hospital and Lenox Hill Hospital.

Does Dr. Prystowsky limit her practice to adults?

No, Dr. Prystowsky sees a number of children in her practice. She is happy to evaluate childhood skin problems. For very unusual, inherited skin disorders, however, she recommends that you seek a pediatric dermatologist.

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