Terrible Billing Practices & Poor Customer Care Children First Pediatrics has technology issues with their portal but force you to use it. Very unhelpful front-desk support, and a recurring habit of tacking on unnecessary billing charges for services that should be covered by insurance. Getting basic administrative requests or billing issues addressed is nearly impossible. The negative reviews online calling out their atrocious billing and front desk operations are spot-on. Save yourself the stress and look elsewhere. read more

The Dr. is good but the office manager discharged my kids and did not tell me. I do not recommend the place and the crappy care and lack of communication with parents. read more

We have problem with their business manager Rachael. She is lack of knowledge and not willing to solve problems. Seriously consider to transfer to other doctors. She claimed that they code the charge right but insurance company said the other way. She is reluctant to solve the problem and claim that my insurance does not cover it. Right, because you code it wrong! I double checked with my collegue using same insurance for other pediatricans. They have no problem at all. Rachel, you are pushing patients away due to your unprofessional behavior! Although my doctors and nurses are nice. Rachel is just a huge reason that we need to quit their business. Please consider carefully for this place! Their management is soooooooo poor! read more

We have went to Children First for 8 years, since the birth of my oldest. Every experience with all of the staff have been professional and catered to my boys' needs. They even gave us sleep training options when we were new parents with a baby who would not adjust to a set schedule. read more

Because of my insurance, I had to change pediatrician for my son. So I called to this place. They required a transfer of medical records which is perfectly fine. Once they got the records, I called to schedule an appointment. They have some requirements that I never heard about it, but when I didn't understand one of them, I ask to speak with a supervisor. I forgot her name. So, when I spoke with her and questioning about it, she didn't like it...so I asked her what time they open, so I could pass by before I go to work to solve the issue that we were discussing... she said she won't give that info because she isn't going to accept my son as a patient because she doesn't need people like me that questioning when something is not usual. Just like that. She told me to go to another Doctor practice which I did. I cannot imagine if this happened even before my son would become a patient. The difference is extreme. Im so glad that my son isn't going to be a patient in that place. The new pediatrician office that I called, the agent on the phone was so kind and nice, not unusual requirement. And now, my son have a new pediatrician. So, one of the thing that they do, they charge $50 as a new patient and they will refund it if you show up to the appointment. So I decided to go in person to be sure they will refund my money since the cancelation of my son appointment wasn't my decision, it was on their end. So I forgot the lady name I spoke in their office... she spoke with Rachel who told her that I wasn't charged for... so I showed the screenshot of my bank account where the charge was applied. So then, they told me it was refunded and probably it will show up after 48 hrs which it is usually what it takes to be reflected at the bank account. It so funny how Rachel knew immediately about it, so probably she was the woman on the phone that denied my son new patient entry because of my questioning, but again i am not completely sure because I didn't remember the unpleasant lady supervisor name. First impressions count, and if that is the awful kind of patient service they do.... I'm glad we are out of that place. When I was searching for pediatricians and I checked this place.... I saw all the bad reviews about the same unpleasant and disrespectful attitude from the staff.... I wanted to give the benefit of doubt, but they proved the reviews were right. Never go there! read more

Just shills for insurance (like most "doctors" these days). Most times when we've had a real problem we get blown off for months despite calls emails and visits, and told "you're welcome to seek a second opinion". So we end up at another doctor anyway. Total disregard for children's well-being, or the family's time and money wasted in seeing them. read more

We have no problem with the doctors. However, we had extremely poor experience with the billing/accounting staff. When I called the office, this woman (business manager listed here) was extremely rude and had no intention to explain or help. They made mistake claiming with the insurance company and failed to collect the payment, and now they turned to charge the patient. I contacted both the insurance company and BBB. The insurance company sent the business a correspondence telling them this is not the patient's responsibility. And worst yet, after they acknowledged to BBB that this is not the patient's responsibility, they continued to bill us through the debt collector. This is blatantly unethical and fraud. Avoid! read more

The front staff has to learn manners and professionalism. I was treated over the phone but nonetheless still came in and it didn't approve. The only thing this office has going for them is they have late hours read more

We love Children's First and have been going to this practice since my kids were infants. The doctors and nurses are thoughtful, take your time with you, and available for questions.Dr, Rupar, Dr, Burns, Dr Weich,, Dr Fishman, and Dr, Porres are great! The practice has added counseling support and classes for parents, thank you Children's First for all that you do! I have never had any issues with the front staff or the practice in general and we have been going here for 14 years. Children's First has dedicated, knowledgeable, and caring doctors and nurses who are always available for kids and their parents. What more could you ask for! read more

I tried to sign up my kids as new patients and was told they didn't receive the medical records two business days before my appointment, while they had a whole two months to notify me. The previous physician office had confirmed they transferred the records a month before so I didn't know there were issues. They cancelled my appointment. I tried to reschedule and they put me on hold for half an hour, twice! They never called back. This is not acceptable. read more

The front staff is the worst I ever encounter in my entire life! Attitude, not responsive and worst of all rudeness. All the 3 members I met and/or I spoke to via the phone are ill-mannered at the best!! As someone who valued customers/guests, my advice is to work on the front Staff: Is your image guys. read more

I'm only giving 2 stars because we like our NP AB. We chose this practice because it was close to our home four months ago as we had a baby. Biggest mistake ever. At first, they would keep trying to send you to the rockville office as they claim they don't have open spot for newborn "a week" and "2weeks" appointment. It's almost like getting punished for just having a baby and not being able to notify them to get appointment in advance like I knew when I would have my baby. Secondly, front desk receptionists are just so rude. Especially Ayanna; she is not apologetic or professional at all. I don't know how they hire such unprofessional and unfriendly staff at a children's clinic. Lastly, nurses are slow. After the doctors check up we have to wait for a while for the nurse to come give a vaccine for our baby. read more

Great lactation consultant but you can only see her at the Rockville office. If you are planning to breastfeed, this may be the pediatric practice for you. Kathy McCue is awesome. If you have insurance, you can get great LC help and it will be covered at the rate of a normal office visit. The other providers in the group are just so-so. I found the Silver Spring office staff to be rude and uninterested. The Rockville office staff is ok- Judy who works in Rockville is super friendly. But I would have to say that the treatment I got from the Silver Spring office staff is what drove me to look for a different practice. Its almost as if they think the world stops turning if one doesn't take ones' child to well baby visits on the EXACT DATE they hit 1 month, 2 months, etc, read more

I will not complain about the professional experience of the Doctors working in this office, but definitely there is some people or staff that make a very disappointing work, and that is the reason of why we removed our child from this provider. During our time receiving services from Children First Pediatrics in Silver Spring location, it was very common for the staff to leave you waiting for very long time (in most cases exceeding an hour) to see the doctors, even for annual or sick appointments, it was the same. Our regular provider was Dr. Porras, always very professional, but if we were 5 or 10 min late (definitely no tolerance for patients but for practitioners is ok to leave you waiting), Mrs. Stein was the nurse in charge of seeing you, and she did not care at all if your kid was in pain or with fever. With her, we took our son, in that time he was about one year old, and was with high fever for about two days, and she only said "just give him Tylenol and will go away" after a very poor exam. Two days later we went back because the fever did not stop and Dr. Burns made a complete exam and told us that our son had strep and the infection was already on his ear. This issue could be avoided if Mrs. Stein would care more about her patients. When we tried to discuss with Mrs. Stein in a different appointment our difficulties with our son to make him accepting different foods, she just said "give him beans". I am wondering if she gives the same type of advice to all her patients. During the pandemic last year, our son had a very bad constipation problem. I tried to contact the office to see if they were able to receive us, but every time I called they hanged out the phone, which was very frustrating for us, since our son was in strong pain. I went directly to their office with my son in arms but before entering the room one of the front desk assistants yelled at me and said "stop! you cannot go anywhere!". I told her that my son was very bad and needed a sick appointment and she yelled at me again saying "we do not have sick appointments anymore, go to the portal!" in a very aggressive mood. I just left the room without saying anything and took my son to Holy Cross. After this last horrible experience, we decided to take our son to a different provider. We cancelled his annual appointment and took him to a different office. The new office asked them to send the medical records but they did not do it until we contact them again to ask for this. However, when we called them to ask them transferring my son's medical records to the new provider, they said that we needed to go to their office and pay $20 to receive a flash drive with his information. I sent a check with the amount requested and several weeks later, I received a call from one of this front desk assistants saying that they did not receive payments for medical records anymore and also that I needed to download them from the patient portal. They told me that destroyed my check. When I tried to download the medical records from our son, the portal indicated us that our account was deactivated. We had to deal with all these problems for about a year. Three weeks ago, I called them again to ask one more time for the medical records, and they asked me again for the $20. I told them what happened in the past and the front desk assistant told me "that is not true". I paid over the phone with my card but the medical records were not sent to the new provider or me. I called very upset this morning and they sent incomplete information since they said that "I paid but they did not have any instruction about what to do". In general, this provider was very disrespectful with my family, and definitely their customer service is very disappointing. I recommend to look for a better pediatric provider. read more

I don't know what is up with these other reviewers. We've been taking our two children (now 9 and 5) to Children First for 5+ years and love this place. I can't believe people have such low opinions of the front desk staff, they're super nice. We've seen a bunch of the doctors, nurse-practitioners and the developmental pediatrician. We've liked every one of them. Have walk-in sick appts and Saturday hours is awesome. We've also called the after hours line and got wonderful attention (even a call back the next morning to check in). read more

The receptionists at the front desk are horrible. They never answer the phones during business hours. I was told my appointment was at a certain and we I got there they told me it was at a time that they're out to lunch . It only takes one bad experience to change your perspective of a business, unfortunately this wasn't the the first time dealing lead to "rescheduling ". My commute is to far for nonsense and unprofessionalism. If you don't want to deal with people, then find another line of work. read more

I love Children First. We've been going to the doctors here for six years and have always received very good care from all the staff. The weekend and sick visits are an amazing option and I'm thankful for how well they've cared for our kids. I also love how easy it is to schedule a year in advance of your next well-child visit. read more

Our girls are with this practice for years. However, recently experience made me really confused. I don't know what's going on with this practice now. Just a simple refilling medicine. I called two times and stopped by once. Now the time has been passed for almost 3 weeks, I haven't got the medicine needed. That's horrible experience!!! First time, they messed up the type of the medicine. The second time they messed up the dose and the nurse was very rude to hang up the line before I finished my words. The third time, 3 days passed, the prescription still not be delivered to the pharmacy. What you would do if you want to take good care of your kids. I will just leave! read more

Wherever Dr. Weich is... I will take my daughter. I think for the most part the complaints about the front desk have been remedied. I have seen other Dr's on the team but we prefer Dr. Weich. Michelle and Judy are very personable and are super helpful. We have been patients of Children's First Pediatrics since September, 2001. We go for access to great Dr's with vast knowledge who offer genuine care! read more

We have been using this practice for almost 15 years. Increasingly the service has become more bureaucratic. Called on June 4 for an annual checkup for daughter. First appointments available are on Aug. 29 and 30 (!), but the times don't work. But they CAN'T schedule any appointments in September yet because they aren't ready. Call back in two weeks they say. Doctors are fine, if you can see them. But the practice is terribly mismanaged and now too large to properly serve their patients. Staff are brusque and poorly trained. read more

The doctors are good. They are knowledgeable, experienced and approachable. The staff is terrible. I've been left on hold for 45 minutes, I've been chastised for not having the right paperwork (it hadn't been given to me), I was given an appointment in a different office because the person answering the phone "confused" the books. Nurses are rude to the children as well as the adults. One of them scared my son on one visit. The doctor is the only reason I have stayed as long as I have, and if I find another doctor, I will be leaving this practice. read more

I will never in a million years return to this pediatric center. For what it's worth, there are 3 doctors at the Silver Spring location who are worth recommending. However the receptionist staff and nursing staff gave us an completely horrible experience. It first began with a 40 minute hold time after the lady abruptly told me "hold one second" when I first called in. Upon walking in, the staff is unfriendly and difficult. All of that wasn't enough to turn our family away. The nail in the coffin was the attitude their nurse gave my wife and the threatening words shared when my wife called in to reschedule our fourth infant check up (in the same week) to the following week. The nurse refused to grant the request while telling my wife that Child Protective Services would get a call about this issue and the matter would be taken out of our hands. She went from strongly recommending that we keep the appointment to threatening us and bringing my wife to tears. I called back to report the reprehensible treatment only to hear another administrative nurse back up her words and threaten to have someone come to our house if we didn't come in that day as opposed to 4 days later. Thankfully another doctor called us back within an hour to apologize for everything and to assure us that it was inappropriate. It's unfortunate that some high quality doctors are stuck behind a staff that gives such awful support and service. read more

Update - 8/11/14. I'm still so pleased with this practice! If I have a concern and I send a message through their patient portal, or call, someone gets back to me quickly. A nurse even called back 2 days later to see how my son was doing. The front desk communicates well, emailing me more than 2 weeks in advance for my son's upcoming appointment, with forms that I need to fill out prior to arriving. I LOVE good communication! The doctors and entire staff at both Silver Spring and Rockville locations have been superb. read more

We have been going to this practice for 10 years. I have to say that I really like Dr. Fishman and Dr. Weich, and Judy in the front office. This review is not for them. After 10 years, we decided to leave this practice for the following reasons: 1. The practice operates in a fashion that the patient never knows who is in charge. Is it the nurse practitioners who apparently operate independently? Or the money hungry office manager who only wants to charge for services you don't need? The doctors seem out of the loop on how the office is managed, which is a real problem because the staff and nurses misrepresents themselves and don't care about their patients. 2. Recently, we called the office bc my 10 year old had a fever, headache, and vomiting. In the phone consultation where I asked about appropriate dosage for ibuprofen, the nurse suggested I bring her in to see the doctor because she may have Strep. Since we were approaching the weekend, I decided to bring my daughter in to see the doctor. When we got there, after waiting for a while, they took my daughter in checked her vitals and sent us to the room. Before ever seeing the doctor, they gave my daughter a Strep test. Then the NP Amy Bassford after seeing the negative result was determined to find something wrong with my child. In front of my daughter told me that she may have mono and that that she has an enlarged spleen! A nine-year old? My daughter was so frightened and felt like something bad was going to happen to her. How did NP AB determine this? just by touching her belly? Is she a doctor? NO. She is a nurse. She is not qualified to make such an assessment, and should have referred me to one of the qualified doctors at the practice. She pressured me into doing a test for mono for my child, which i felt was unnecessary and just a way to charge me for more tests--you see that is how these offices make money-- by charging you for tests you don't need and then billing your health insurance to pay for it. I asked to see a doctor and she said no one was there, and that I shouldn't feel bad asking for a second opinion. Of course I don't feel bad doing that. I made an appointment with a what I thought was a doctor and got stuck with the nurse. She said I should take her to get an ultrasound, but did not write me an order. She told me and my daughter that if we don't get an ultrasound on the spleen we won't really know what's wrong and an enlarged spleen could rupture and burst in sports. But my daughter doesn't have an enlarged spleen, and if she did the mono test would have come back positive--it was negative and so was strep. .if I stayed there any longer she'd probably end up with some life-threatening disease. .. So at the end my daughter had two tests done both negative and NP AB just said that they are negative but that doesn't mean that she doesn't have these problems. . . ..So then what is the point of taking the tests? Upon consulting several other pediatric doctors, they all say that blood tests are the first line of action to check for enlarged spleens, especially in children. The next morning NP AB called me to "check" on my daughter, but I feel like she was more checking in because she knew that she mismanaged the appointment and could sense that I was not happy about how things turned out. 3. The office manager, Rachel, was rude and condescending. I called her to tell her about the awful appointment explained above and she so boldly defended her NP, saying that she operates independently and she thinks she's qualified to make such assessments. The office manager then told me that I was wrong that ultrasounds should not be the first course of action. Is she a doctor? No. Did she disclose that? No. She should not be giving medical advice without a license. Her best suggestion was for me to bring my daughter in again to get checked by the doctor--at a fee, with probably more tests--again showing that she does not care that my case was mishandled, but only wants to bring us back in to charge us more. After all this, it was a difficult decision for me to leave the practice, and I told her that we can't trust this practice anymore and we'd be going somewhere else. She said "Yeah, I think that's a good idea." That's it! No, I'm sorry you feel that way, or we hate to see you go, or what can we do to make this right. ....nothing. .just some passive aggressive statement showing again that she doesn't care! It's sad that the doctors are at the mercy at this unprofessional office manager. 4. Several years ago, we had a problem with our insurance and filing that was done incorrectly by this office which resulted in months upon months of phone calls which was never resolved. I got so tired of calling the insurance company and the doctor's office that we ended up paying for services that we never had. There is more but I don't have the space here. I'm sad to say goodbye to Dr. Fishman. read more

We have been taking our daughter to Children's First for the last year and continue to be pleased by the service. The staff is always polite and we've never had to wait more than a few minutes for our appointment times. It is a multi doctor facility so if you like seeing only one doctor this might not be the place for you. However, I enjoy getting to interact with different doctors and we have requested a few for multiple visits. You do need to book well baby appointments a bit advance but that's never been an issue for us. That seems like standard practice at most larger practices. Most importantly I enjoy the time and care each doctor puts into the visits. I've never felt rushed and I've always been able to ask questions. I feel that the doctors place importance on working as a team with the parents for the overall care of the child. I appreciate being brought in on the team and not just directed at what to do. They've also given me great advice on things to do to keep my daughter healthy and her asthma down. The only thing holding me back from giving it five stars is that the waiting rooms are combined. At other facilities I've been to there were separate waiting rooms for sick kids and well babies. Not sure if that actually helps keep the germs at bay but it at least made me feel better. read more

Doctors are great but the billing is awful. My insurance company has contacted them twice in regards to a bill they Children's first says I owe. Aetna has told them they have paid and I owe Childrens nothing. I even called and spoke to MAGGIE who was suppose to be the Manager in the billing dept and was told it looked as though the bill was paid. You know something is going on any time one of the staff members comments the billing department does not know what they are doing. Very disappointed. read more

Both my kids come to this practice and we frequent the Rockville office most. The nurses are all great. All the doctors get back to you as soon as possible when you call or leave a message through the online portal. They never question or gave me attitude for asking the most simplest questions. Dr. Mcgrath is awesome and both my kids see her. However, we have also seen the NP Amy Bassford and Dr. Weich and Dr. Burns - all of whom are great too. Sometimes the front desk staff can be a bit off putting but Judy is the nicest and overall, I would reccomend this practice. read more

This receptionist is rude and just hang up the phone whenever she wants ! If you don't like yr job.... look for another one.

A lot has improved with the front desk staff and the docs are great. wait times are highly variable which is my biggest complaint.

Just had our second appointment here and we've had only positive experiences so far! Everyone is so sweet and helpful - from the front desk staff to the nurses to the doctors and NPs. It's clear that they're knowledgable and take their jobs seriously while also being totally realistic in their suggestions. Going here has made being a new mom that much easier! I couldn't recommend Children First more! read more

Dr Applegate has been our pediatrician for all 3 of our children. We highly recommend him. He goes out of his way to explain and prepare you for what your child's diagnosis means and what it will look like so you won't be surprised or worry. I really feel like he cares about all our children. We have run into him at the store before and he called all the kids by name. He diagnosed our special needs son and spent a lot of time making sure he got the best care. The compassion he showed to our family will never be forgotten. I very highly recommend Dr Applegate and Children's First. read more

Amazing pediatrician's office! Here's why: - They have walk in sick visits - EVERY DAY! it's amazing. Having come from a place where I could never get a same day sick appt, this is a lifesaver. - If you call with your kid's symptoms, they evaluate before asking you to come in. It's great because I don't want to bring my kid to the doctor if I don't have to. - They have a ton of doctors. - They do DC area school forms for free when you come in. - The wait room is clean & inviting, they have a fish tank to entertain the kids. - When the kids get shots, they get a token for a little toy. My kids LOVE this. - The staff are super friendly and helpful. - The nurses are SO nice and knowledgeable - The parking lot is free and easy to use I can't recommend this place enough! read more

Absolutely awful. Rude condescending staff. Will reschedule your appointments at their whim and then tell you off when you object. You have to see whichever doctor they want, and the good doctors are booked months in advance. AVOID AT ALL COSTS!!!! So many good choices in the area - don't waste your time. read more

Terrible. Just terrible. I've been here twice with my child and the front desk (more specifically the woman with the short hair and glasses) is completely rude and condescending. I don't know what they were thinking when they hired these women. I heard a loud conversation about "turning up" which just goes to show how unprofessional these women are. Do NOT take your child here! read more

The doctor was OK, but the place looks like they don't care at all about appearances. The worst thing is the rudeness of the staff. They act as if you are inconveniencing them by calling, or coming in. It took six weeks to get a new patient appointment. We had just moved here and I wanted a flu shot for my daughter, but we couldn't get one until she'd been seen. They didn't offer any suggestions for how we could get one sooner than six weeks, when we asked if they could help us they said "NO". She got the flu this fall. Next, we finally got in and had our well child appointment in June. In August I had to bring her in for a rash, that went OK though the doctor was a fill in and didn't seem friendly. The next week I dropped off health forms for school to be signed by the doctor. Four days later I got a call saying they couldn't fill them out because our daughter had never had a physical with them! When I called them back, the staff was rude and told me that I would have to bring her in again. I insisted that she had been there, I gave them the date, time and doctor name but they wouldn't do anything but tell me they wouldn't sign the forms. I got passed to another receptionist who was more rude than the first who told me I "wasn't listening" and "didn't understand". NO apology for losing my daughter's records, NO suggestions for how to fix the problem! Two basics of helping a client with a problem. Not only am I horrified that they lost her records, but they acted like I was wrong about having brought her in and didn't even try to resolve the problem. I got the proof from the insurance company and they had to admit I'd been there and they signed the forms. I will NEVER go back there. FYI, the administrator at my daughter's school had the exact same experience with them that I did. How do you lose a patient's file??? Don't go to this practice unless you want the lowest form of health care for your child and outright ABUSE from the staff. read more

I must agree, staff there are very unpleasant and rude appointments for annual checkups are extremely long wait. Extremely mismanaged front desk staff are only speak when spoken too, the nurses who check you, need to check their bed side manner. The doctors are wonderful however the nurses and staff assistants really need to find another job, working around kids is the last place they need to be. read more

Doctors are caring and knowledgeable but the Silver Spring front desk staff and telephone support are beyond terrible. For convenience's sake we gave this practice another try this year but as of now my wife and I have left this practice for our son after several instances of spontaneous rudeness; sometimes in person but most often on the telephone. On three separate occasions the front desk receptionist has "accidentally" severed a phone connection while I've been being transferred or was on hold. The receptionist interrupts, fails to understand simple requests, and has an attitude that is unprofessional. In this market, good pediatricians are a dime-a-dozen. It's a pity this practice doesn't value its patients enough to hire quality support staff. I willingly now drive 20 minutes farther from my home to visit a practice that cares. read more

I have found the Silver Spring office desk staff to be incredibly RUDE, condescending and just plain obnoxious. I was a few minutes late to an appointment (due to silver spring traffic - the appt was a quick shot) and the front desk lady (short hair and glasses) said I had to reschedule to a completely different day than could not offer up any options to reschedule. She had no sense of professional customer service. She could not even look me in the eye and was fighting with another customer right before me which delayed my appt even more. There was no effort whatsoever to try and get me seen, she did not check with the doctor (since my appt should take 5 min) or even apologize that they were unable to see me even though I was only a few minutes late. Funny thing is usually we wait like an hour to get seen when we are exactly on time ! It has always been a difficult office to schedule a well visit - it usually 3 months out . We are DONE with this place and switching to other doctors. Its a shame because the doctors are fine once you can get past the RUDE front desk - they need to seriously consider their choice of customer service staff. read more

Seven months ago, my husband and I became first time parents--early. I had planned to find a pediatrician, but hadn't gotten around to yet. (Yay for procrastination!) When my neighbor came to visit me in the hospital she recommended this office to me and I am extremely grateful. When I called to make my baby's first appointment, no one judged me (at least to my face) for not having planned ahead. The doctor and the nurse practitioner (NP) are very knowledgeable. The nurse practitioner is extremely approachable and social and she constantly reassures me and my husband that we are doing well. When she offers REAL parenting suggestions pertaining to the health and care our little one, I don't ever feel judged. I have never waited more than five minutes in the lobby. I also have never waited more than ten in the patient's room before the nurse weighs the baby and the doctor/NP see the baby. The rooms and facility are bright and clean. The rooms are never too cold or too hot. I highly recommend this facility--especially NP Liz S. Did I mention the use an online portal to post medical notes and answer questions? They provide timely response. THey also use email and text messages to send appointment reminders. Huge plus! read more

The medical staff are competent and polite. The front desk staff are incompetent, rude, and lazy. They will make no effort to bill your insurance company if it does not pop up in their system immediately. My insurance company was in their system under a different address than the one on my card, which left the hapless staff hopelessly confused and unhelpful. As a result I was personally billed the full amount, which was $300 for a ten-minute visit in which no tests were performed and we did not even see an MD (the woman who helped us simply looked in our child's ears). Follow-up attempts to move the bill to my insurance company have been so far unsuccessful, even though all the secretaries need to do is mail the bill to the address on my card. They are unhelpful over the phone. They would not even email me an itemized bill so I could make the claim directly to my insurance. I see that I'm not the only person with such experiences with the front desk staff. I will not be returning to this practice. read more