The quality of medical care is top notch; however, once the doctor walks out, the nightmare begins with your bill.
What you don't know and aren't told before your office visit can hurt you financially.
Their botique medical clinic "provides services to people of means" (a direct quote from one of their staff).
In their initial letter, they are not open and forthright about their billing and that they do not participate with any insurance plans. Their website is equally silent on these matters. (That means they are out of network for all insurance companies and can charge you anything they want.) Further, they do not tell you that they require/demand full payment (thousands of dollars) at the end of the visit.
Most of the tests are not performed in their offices -- they use Washington Radiology Associates, LabCorp, and Commonwealth Radiology (who group bills directly to David Drew). LabCorp billed insurance for a part of the bloodwork (not sure why all the bloodwork wasn't sent to insurance) and billed the rest directly to David Drew.
At the end of the office visit, the "closer" comes in and tells you they expect payment in full ... if you pay with a credit card, they charge you $150 more ... or that if you pay with cash/check, you get a $500 discount. The "closer" also tells you that you are now a "member"; however, neither their letter nor their website says anything about "concierge" medicine and membership.
Some tests were not done at the initial visit and I wanted those tests removed from the bill, so I was told to make payment on the followup visit. Between the two visits, I discovered the WRA and LabCorp charges were submitted to insurance and paid. At the followup visit, I wanted these charges removed from the bill and David Drew was reluctant until I produced copies of the EOBs.
After leaving the initial office visit, I requested a breakout of the charges and procedure codes and was met with resistance, causing me to make the request almost daily and get the same answer back -- that I could only get that information after I PAID IN FULL.
The David Drew Clinic does not (and will not) provide you with a breakout of the individual charges that comprise total costs and/or the procedure codes. Without the procedure codes and the breakdown of charges, you cannot file an insurance claim. I was not allowed to leave with an itemized bill unless I paid in full, so I left -- stating that I would pay when I got an itemized bill with procedure codes. I was verbally abused by a male staffer who yelled at me for 20+ minutes when I balked at being required to pay in full without an itemized bill.
When I returned to work after the followup visit, my office phone had a message light. The voicemail was from the male staffer (who'd yelled at me and verbally abused me for 20+ minutes), suggesting he should pick up a check from my house that evening (still not agreeing to provide me with an itemized bill and procedure codes)! I have never heard of a doctor's office going to such extremes to collect payment. (Collection agencies aren't allowed to harass and intimidate in this manner. There are legitimate ways to collect a debt ... demanding payment on a patient's doorstep is not one of them!)
Because I wasn't allowed to have a breakout of charges and procedure codes, I don't have a bill ... and, thus, I don't know what I owe.
When David Drew takes you to Commonwealth Radiology and/or Washington Radiology ... be sure that those providers are going to bill your insurance directly (that they aren't going to bill David Drew) Be sure you read every form before you sign it ... to be sure you're not signing away anything.
So, my advice to both "people of means" and those less fortunate ... go to the David Drew Clinic at your own [financial] risk!
The doctor was great.
The overall experience was ABSOLUTELY HORRIBLE! (If I could use something other than an "F", I would. I'd give them a Z- if that was possible.
Like two other comments, find another clinic. Find a private practice or clinic that is reputable. Something is fishy at the David Drew Clinic ... demanding payment in full before giving you an itemized list of charges and procedure codes ... it doesn't pass the "stink" test. read more