Aayu Clinics - Lakeview Immediate Care

What a SCAM! This place is a total RIPOFF! AVOID!!! THEY WILL NOT SEE PATIENTS UNLESS THEY TEST THERE FOR COVID, RSV, AND FLU WHICH WILL COST AN IMMEDIATE $200 (BILLED TO YOU OR YOUR INSURANCE -- HENCE THE SCAM). Even if you have proof of negative tests, they will not see you. They will offer a different swab ($150) and telehealth appointment for even more money. THIS IS A SCAM!

There are many good, qualified urgent care centers all over Chicago. Avoid this scam place! The moment I saw their focus on "weight loss" I was like um....oh. Uh oh. I should have walked out then!

Now for the back story. So years ago, pre-pandemic we woke up all with the flu on Christmas morning! This place literally saved Christmas!

Now to today. We went to Disney Whirrled last week and starting with my kiddo one by one we got sick. She and I went to the doctor down there a few times and were extensively tested for COVID-19, RSV, and flu. We are fully vaccinated and our symptoms were just awful and odd. Our trip was basically ruined. They thought it was walking pneumonia most likely and gave her and I a zpack. Now I'm by nature sickly. Every Disney trip I fall ill right after. I have asthma and I get sick if someone twelve blocks away sneezes. My auto-immune system is busy eating my thyroid and SI joints so I get sick if the room is a touch chilly and yes, I take many precautions. Like a pandemic for ME? Peh. A regular day. I already flew with masks, wipes, lotions, notions, and potions. I already vaccinated myself and everyone around me for my own dang "health." ( BTW it was awesome not getting sick because of isolation.)

But my kiddo? She's super resilient. If she gets sick it's something major (like Kawasaki's disease. Seriously. Ask about that saga sometime. Oof).

And my husband? We own a collectible toy store. People pull their sick kids outta school and bring them by the store for a toy! His immune system is basically Teflon at this point. Nothing really sticks. Unless it is something major. And she was sick and then he fell ill. The husband finally popped a fever with the same symptoms and went to the doctor Friday. They tested him seven ways from Sunday and when all the tests were negative gave him a different antibiotic but seemed to be thinking along the same lines.

So Monday hits and it is like 4 am and I'm kinda up but mostly asleep and coughing (because these days coughing is what I do. I'm gonna come out of this with some seriously ripped abs!). The husband is so alarmed by the sound of my cough he wakes up freaking out worried and that is when it hits me what this IS. It sounds like Pertussis. I sound like I have whooping cough. Which makes our symptoms make sense (fevers, all of us have middle ear infections and walk around yelling "What!?" at each other, we have tight, sore throats, wet icky coughing, and eye infection/irritations). So I'm like omg DUDE! We need to be seen. Well, my doctor can't see me for days, and my husband's is the same. I need my lungs listened to because this could be a very different kind of pneumonia and we all need to be seen and tested. SO hey let's go to that Aayu place. They were great years ago.

Emphasis on WERE. Because they irrationally insisted we ALL take COVID, RSV, and flu tests before seeing anyone or talking with a doctor. When I explained that we did all that, I wrote it on the extensive intake sheets when I made the appointments, and nowhere was this mentioned. They asked if I had proof.

Yes. Yes, actually I do. It will take me 3 minutes of searching on my phone but I do keep records and I can give you proof.

Look, I get that after a literal pandemic, no one wants to see sick patients or put themselves at risk. But I typed up all our information including past history and test results. If this was a problem, it should have stated on their website THAT THEY WILL NOT SEE ANYONE UNLESS YOU TAKE $200 IN USELESS (for us) TESTS. I even told them my insurance would FREAK OUT at most useless testing.

So at that point, they gave us this option: They could give us a swab test for $150 which also scans for whooping cough, and then do telehealth appointments. Well, that does not work! This is not good health care for patients. I explained I want and need my daughter's lungs and mine actually listened to by an actual doctor to make sure we don't actually have pneumonia. We might need x-rays, breathing treatments, antibiotics, etc, but no. The doctor (or actually triage nurse) will NOT see you now.

So we left. I used Amazon One Medical and after chatting with their nurse in the car before we even left the garage? She said after she heard me cough (I couldn't help it) that it sounded bad, and possibly like pertussis and we needed in-person appointments. Then she helped me make the appointments for first thing in the morning.

OMG! Would you look at that? Actual health CARE!

Look, the bottom line? Darling, you and your health deserve better than being treated like this, ok?

I had a telehealth appointment with Dr. Christine and she was so empathetic, kind, thorough, patient, and warm. I decided to make her my primary care physician! I had to go back for a follow-up, and did not realize I had to ask for her, and they set me up with Dr. Ross, and he rushed me through the appointment even though the waiting room was empty. I had questions for him, but he just did not seem to care too much, just wanted the appointment to be over. He had a cold and sterile attitude. On the other hand, the nurses were so lovely and caring, assuring me not to worry and setting my mind at ease before my blood draw. The phlebotomist had a great sense of humor and was so kind to me. If you book an appointment here, ask for "CK", Christine! She is absolutely wonderful!!!

**AVOID AAYU CLINIC AT ALL COSTS!! FRAUD!!**

I do not usually write reviews, but I have the need to share this experience (on behalf of my dad) so hopefully other people will not be targeted to health insurance fraud.

In April 2022, my parents and I went to Aayu Clinic for Covid testing before our Spain trip. My dad has been billed for a November 2023 visit and he only went to the clinic once in 2022 for a Covid test. My dad has never been seen by an Aayu medical provider. Christine Kathure NP falsified my dad's medical progress notes. This clinic is charging my dad for a medical visit he has not been to..

Also my friend was a former employee at this clinic and has said Abhijit Shinde MD (owner) is SO shady.. I would give this clinc 0 stars.. beware.. medical fraud..

Update: 1 month later, I have emailed back and forth with billing department, as well as some phone calls. Someone from billing called me 4 business days ago, did not say anything, then hung up. Still have not received a call back from them, received a clear answer, or a bill. Do not go here. All this headache for a Covid test 4 months ago.

FRAUD!!! DO NOT COME TO AAYU CLINICS!!!

I had a rapid covid test done at a testing facility. I had no idea it was run by Aayu Clinics, since there was nothing on the branding to indicate as such. Regardless, months later, I received an email stating that my insurance company had designated Aayu Clinics as my new primary care provider. THIS WAS PART OF A TARGETED AND DECEITFUL EMAIL CAMPAIGN BY AAYU CLINICS!

I reached out to Aayu for an explanation. They told me that they get a list of people that have not gotten yearly checkups from insurance companies, and then reach out to them. Never in my many years on this earth have I ever heard of this or ever had it happen before. It's also clearly a violation of HIPPA laws...if it is true. I strongly suspect that it is not, and they're just farming their list of email contact to send confusing and/or outright lies to drum up business.

DO NOT GO TO ANY PLACE AFFILIATED WITH AAYU CLINICS. They will send you misleading information and spam you with it. This issue has been referred to the Illinois Department of Public Health and Illinois Department of Insurance for investigation.

Took my sick kid to get a Covid test on 8/26. Set up an appointment online for 11am. Showed up 5 min before. Waited for 50 minutes before they finally were able to see us. The tech said that there were a lot of patients and there was only one of them, but in the 50 minutes we were waiting, I didn't see anyone come out and 2 people in the waiting room that had appointments after us were seen before us. We were about to walk out, and I let them know it, and then magically they were able to see us. Very disappointed as this was our go-to spot for tests because they were normally very quick. What's the point of scheduling an appointment if you're not going to honor it.

These people are incompetent and trying to rob you.

I recently went in after 4 days of severe diarrhea asking to have a stool sample tested. Was told 1-2 days, two days later, I found out my results were back because I called -- over a week later the results aren't uploaded in the patient portal. They told me all results were negative then called back a couple hours later telling me the labs I *had asked for in the first place* (to test for a parasite) had not been run after all.

Was promised the labs would be run asap, a day or two at most. No communication 5 days later. Called this morning was put on hold for 15 minutes and then told that no one knew anything but they'd call asap. No communication hours later.

I'm on day 11 of shitting my brains out and have received neither a diagnosis nor mediation.

Separately, Christine Kathure saw me for treatment for an STI earlier this year and didn't prescribe me the full course of mediation, trying to make me come back in with no apparent reason and holding the second half of the prescription hostage until I did so. The clinic said "you can wait a few days" when the second course of mediation was supposed to start that day. Refusing treatment in a timely manner and then downplaying it is appalling.

This is also simply milking the patient for money and feels dangerously close to malpractice. I also suspect there was homophobia involved. Avoid Christine at all costs, frankly.

They have other policies that rob patients such as making patients with ADHD have monthly appointments in order to refill prescriptions. Every reputable psychiatrist in the city requires patients to check in every 3 months. This means patients with ADHD will pay triple for basic treatment at Aayu.

I came back a couple times because of ease of access, but the care is simply abysmal, they're clearly profit centered and trying to milk money from patients, and the homophobia about STI treatment was the icing on the cake.

Avoid at all costs.

I recently visited this location for a free Covid test. I did rapid but they also offer antigen tests. (I was exposure and symptom-free and needed a fast result. I was headed to visit aging, immune-compromised family and tested as a precaution.) Online appointment, confirmation/communication via text, and the video pre-screening were just as easy as the on-site test.

Testing occurs in a parking structure - enclosed but cold, so dress warmly.

Highly recommended! Thank you Aayu staff, for putting my mind/my family's minds at ease!

I was sick of being up sold on little things that I didn't need, bad communication and lack of understanding from doctors. After finding second opinions I realized this office did nothing for me and prescribed me medications and appointments I didn't need.

The office looks professional, but they run their business like a snake oil salesman's. If they offer you a weird procedure you didn't come in for, (like going in for anxiety and ending up getting your whole body checked for cancerous moles under the guise of 'holistic' care??) it may be that they're trying to scare you into an upsell and makes everybody look like a quack. Embarrassed I went here for too many years.

Their automated system also sucks and they will always tell you that you owe them money when you come for a follow up, even if you don't. If you ask why, sometimes they'll mysteriously say it was a 'mistake' and not make you pay it. I wonder how much money they make from lying to people who just give up the cash.

Don't go here.

TL;DR: This clinic is a scam.

This clinic was assigned to me by my HMO insurance for establishing care. I had been asking for 4.5 months about certain charges on my account because the charges were inconsistent with the levels/types of care of care. For example, the same appointment level of care and CPT codes, but I was charged differently each time. Also, they claimed my insurance actually charged $50 copay, although my card says $30, leaving a $20 balance each visit with no record of this from my insurance. I first emailed in December 2022, following up in January and February, finally a response in April 2023.

The billing department consistently did not/has not answered my requests for fee schedules or more reasonable explanations of charges beyond "charges are determined by level and complexity of service". But, they refuse to explain what these levels are. They withdrew all charges, which is concerning that someone would have paid those charges for no reason if the practice could just remove them (but, doctor offices do similarly all the time). I even mentioned my legal rights per (410 ILCS 50/3) Medical Patient Rights Act Chapter 111 1/2, paragraph 5403, Section 3 (b), and I still had to fish for acknowledgement. I have not had actual explanations.

The practice management has also not responded to 4 requests for copies of all documents I've signed since establishing care.

I could go on.