Horrible Billing Practices - Proceed with Extreme Caution…read more I debated whether or not to write this, but after my experience at MGH Chelsea Urgent Care (151 Everett Ave, Chelsea, MA) in June 2024, I feel compelled to warn others. I had tested positive for COVID at home and was experiencing symptoms. Before going in, I called and spoke with both my insurance (United Healthcare) and someone at the location. I was assured multiple times that my out-of-pocket cost would be a $75 copay--nothing more. When I arrived, I confirmed this again, handed over my insurance card, and was told I was all set. I explained clearly to the provider that I already tested positive--twice--for COVID. Despite that, they proceeded with another COVID test, a flu test, blood work, and even a chest X-ray. I questioned whether all of this was necessary and voiced my concerns at the time. A few days later, I received a bill for $3,875. Shocked, I immediately called MGH billing, only to be told they hadn't even submitted the bill to my insurance yet. I thought the issue would be resolved after that. Instead, within a week, I received a new bill--this time for $3,075. I asked repeatedly for an itemized breakdown and a quote for what these services would have cost without insurance. No one followed up. I was bounced between departments, eventually told to call the urgent care directly--only to find out it's not a true urgent care but an outpatient clinic. That distinction apparently made all the difference with insurance. To make matters worse, the resubmitted claim to insurance totaled $5,200--again, for what should have been a simple COVID verification. The service itself was friendly, but the amount of unnecessary testing felt excessive and, frankly, exploitative. I've spent countless hours fighting this through my insurance provider, and no one seems willing to take responsibility or help resolve the issue. I will never return to this location and strongly advise others to avoid MGH Chelsea Urgent Care at all costs. I'll be sticking with AFC Urgent Care moving forward--this would have never happened there. Proceed with caution.

On Friday, September 4, after a few days with mouth sores and increasing mouth pain (it was…read moredifficult to eat, talk, and even drink water), I went to MGH Chelsea because of the mouth pain where Dr Ryan K Schwarz diagnosed me with Herpes. He prescribed Acyclovir to treat the virus but did not prescribe any pain medication. The after visit summary packet that I got after that appointment says that the virus could last 7-10 days but did not state when I would start feeling better. The packet also described my reason for going was mouth lesions and not specifically mouth pain. On Saturday, September 5, with the pain in my mouth continuing to progressively get worse (I was unable to eat, drink water, and talk), I decided to go back to MGH Chelsea to find they were closed for the weekend. Not know what else to do, I went to the emergency room at Everett Hospital where while I was there the staff asked if I had pain when I went to the clinic the previous day and if I was prescribed anything for the pain. The doctor there prescribed Lidocaine to counteract the pain. When using the lidocaine in combination with the acyclovir, I was able to start eating, talking, and drinking water again that day. If Dr Schwarz had taken the time to listen fully as to why I was there that day, I would not have had to go to the emergency room. After receiving my bill I called the billing department at MGH Chelsea to ask my bill to be discounted since I was not fully treated. The woman I spoke to told me that if I was in pain then I should have come back in to be seen even though it would have been difficult since they were closed and I woulda have had to wait until Monday. When I told her that the doctor did not treat me for all my symptoms and I had to get lidocaine from another doctor, she told me that it was the doctor's clinical decision that I didn't require anything else. The only thing she could do for me was put a message in to the Doctor to have him call me to explain his course of treatment and she would ask if I should have been prescribed pain medication. After this experience at MGH Chelsea, here are my reflections: 1.- That at the MGH Chelsea hospital I was not properly cared for, since my visit was for pain of the sores in my mouth which was the same pain that sent me to the emergency room the next day. 2.- That the antivirus did not relieve my pain or sores in a quick manner and nothing was prescribed for me to take to help before the medication started to work which was about 4 days after my appointment with Dr Schwarz. Dr Schwarz also did not tell me when I could expect to feel better. Had he mentioned it would take about 4 days for me to start feeling better, I would have asked what I could do, between that visit and when I would start to feel better, for the pain. 3.- It is unfair to demand a payment from the patient when the service was not fully completed. Never mind the time between starting the medication and when I would start to feel better was not taken into consideration when hearing about the amount of pain I was in. 4.- Due to the fact that they incorrectly implemented this service, I then accrued the extra cost of the emergency room which was 3x the value of the payment requested by MGH Chelsea. 5.- That the representatives that attend the customer service/billing department telephone line are not approachable or compassionate. Not even after explaining the situation and establishing the reason for my visit with them and explaining the different course of action made by the Everett Hospital Emergency Room, they still refused to absolve me of the unjust payment for the partial and erroneous service received within its facilities.

I've been a patient of Dr. Ramos for many years. She is a fantastic doctor! She really cares about…read moreher patients. She doesn't rush you and takes time to listen to you and talk to you. I've had other doctors and she is really the best. Makes you feel comfortable and remembers things that you tell her. Only thing that wasn't great was sometimes its hard to get an appointment or you wait a bit but thats typical everywhere I've found. Her nurse Beth is really nice also. They actually make going to the doctors not so bad. The office is great cause it is associated with Mass General. Great hospital. Moved out of state to NYC and I really miss the wonderful care I received. Hoping to move back and be her patient again one day!

I made Dr. Ramos my primary care physician before ever meeting her. I LOVE her. She is so nice and…read morehelpful and willing to take the time to explain everything in detail. She wants you to ask questions and doesn't seem to judge anyone. The first time you go is really just for a consultation so I had to make another appointment for a physical. The only problem with that is that the appointment is in May because she is so busy! Her nurse, Beth, told me that she will return my calls (if I call) and really be my contact because Dr. Ramos is so busy. But I am hoping that isn't an issue. Also, the convenient North End location means that if I were to ever get sick, I wouldn't have to travel far to see my doctor. Although getting an appointment with her might be an issue...

Internal Medicine Associates (IMA) are simply the best doctor(s) and medical staff I have ever had…read morethe pleasure of being a patient of. Like Yelp puts it "As good as it gets!" When I relocated to MA I began my search for a doctor. Knowing that Drs accepting patients are hard to come by in this state, I opted to search for, and become a patient of, a resident at MGH. I could not have made a better decision. I have been more than pleased with everything. Everything is excellent but here are a few excellent things I'd like to highlight: 1) the quality of care 2) the professional manner of both the doctors and all office staff 3) the ease with which I can book appointments 4) the friendly nature of everyone at IMA 5) the responsiveness of both doctors and staff to my needs. As I mentioned, my primary care physician (PCP) is a resident at MGH. He is a licensed doctor, and 99% of the length of my visit is spent discussing my issue(s) with my PCP. However, being a resident, he is overseen by a senior-level doctor within IMA with whom he discusses my issues and then settles upon the appropriate treatment. It's like being seen by two doctors for the price of one. Additionally, it never seems like my doctor is in a rush or hurrying our appointment (I suspect as a resident he has more time for patients but can't really say for sure). Quite literally I could go on and on about the great things about IMA. I would recommend IMA to any friend of mine looking for excellent care, excellent facilities, and excellent service. An absolute must for those seeking doctors who are warm, professional, intelligent, and ideal all-around.

i have been a patient of ima and mgh for nearly 50 years and thankful for the care and…read morecompassion-dr arons is my pcp-dr guiney my cardiologist and all so many others from the staff top to bottom--thanks-

I waited for a month to get a followup mammogram and ultrasound. I chose BMC because they were the…read moreearliest available. I received no less than 6 emails and texts to remind me of the appointment and to pay the copay, which I prepaid online. After I left work early and waited 1.5 hr at BMC, someone came to tell me that they cannot see me today because they did not receive the images from my prior mammogram, and I needed to reschedule. You couldn't have told me that 1.5 hr ago? I could've contacted the other clinic within the last 1.5 hr to have them send the images over. Whose responsibility is it to get the images? When I booked the appointment, I made sure to tell them my original mammogram was from another clinic. No one followed up with me. No one asked me to sign a release. They sure sent me enough reminders to get their money though. When I asked for my money back, I had to wait to "talk to the manager." They could not give me my money back, but told me to call the 800 number for BMC's billing dept. No, thank you! I'm not wasting any more of my time with BMC. I just disputed the charge with my credit card. This is not the standard of care that I would expect even at a small local rundown hospital, let alone what they claim they are at BMC. If you are looking for a high standard of care and a team that follows up and follows through, BMC is not it. My husband also had many bad experiences with BMC making appointments in the wrong department and cancelling on him without notice. When you are dealing with cancer or potential cancer patients, it doesn't seem to matter to them. Time is not of the essence. As long as they get their money, they're all good. Do yourself a favor. Go somewhere else. There are much better hospitals in Boston.

I've been seeing Dr Lytle for over 5 years after a long wait to get into her practice. She is…read moresimply the best health care provider that I've had. She has a terrific bedside manner and is extremely thorough. I was skeptical about the BMC now BU Medical Center vs the more notorious Boston hospitals which I've also used and must say that the level of care and the specialists throughout the BU system have been much better!

Okay - I should be serious if I'm reviewing a doctor, this could actually be useful to people and…read morecould affect his business. On top of that please note that I know very little about PCPs and the healthcare system in the USA so I feel a little under-qualified to review the only PCP I've ever had. But having said all that Steven Abreu is great. He's talkative, knowledgeable, reassuring and always seems to be in a happy mood. His attitude is very calming without any condescension, which is exactly what you need from a PCP. So far he's pulled stuff out of my ear and helped me out by back-dating a referral I didn't get when I didn't know the whole system. I have to drop a star because getting an appointment can be a real pain. Sometimes the wait is 2 weeks.

I simply cannot say enough about Dr. Abreu. He's kind, supportive, friendly, knowledgeable,…read morepatient and understanding. He's an absolute pleasure to speak with. His demeanor is friendly and positive. He helps turn what seems to be a negative situation into one that's manageable to deal with. I consider myself lucky to be a patient of his, and lucky that I was paired with him. His staff is friendly and I hardly ever wait for an appointment. I'm typically out of his office in 20 minutes. If you're looking for a quality doctor I recommend seeing Dr. Abreu. He's a one in a million physician.

Genuinely the worst PCP experience I've ever had was with the office of Dr Lenna Finger. Like I've…read morenever felt so undermined and uncomfortable in a medical practice before. The Somerville location is much better but I'm hoping the OB/GYN office out of this location will be better than the PCP I've been seeing. Awful.

I have been going to CHA Revere for a while. I do like my PCP but improvements need to be made…read more I do not go by my full first name and go by a nickname. One of the medical assistants called me by my full first name and one of the receptionists corrected her- yay! Much appreciated. Hence what the quotes are for as a nickname in your chart.... 2nd: wanted to get tested for flu, covid and everything as I was starting to feel sick but Fioralba came in and told me it's one or the other. What?? Since when? Luckily my PCP came in and was like no we can test you and I'm glad she did because the day after I got a call I had COVID!!!!! Fioralba is rude and unprofessional. I understand this location is busy and there is a "time limit" for stuff but come on. Be respectful. Do better. ALSO: Would be helpful if they sent surveys after every visit. Because apparently when I reached out to CHA- they said all visits do not get one..? Weird.