I took my kids here a while back, and this review is long overdue. When we first started, I had three young children, and the "non-covered service" fee was $35 per child. I stayed because I liked one of the doctors, but after she left, I remained longer than I should have. Over the years, this fee increased steadily. At first, one of the justifications for the fee was "hazardous removal service," but that explanation later disappeared from their list of reasons. Even when my children were too young for school forms, they still wanted to charge me. If I were to attend today, that same fee would cost me $295. Beyond the excessive fees, I never felt that any doctor truly cared about my children. It often seemed like they were treated as just another number. To be fair, I left this practice over seven years ago, so perhaps things have changed. But based on my experience, I'm glad I decided to move on. read more

Both my kids have gone here for 12 years and I decided to post because I think they deserve better reviews. It's true that it can be hard to navigate their phone system, that you have to pay non-covered services fees, and that sometimes the advice nurse is curt with anxious parents. However, over the years I have found they have always been there when I needed them, including providing fast and seamless service for medical records, school and camp forms, and in-house prescription filling for common prescriptions if needed (think amoxicillin). Dr. Weiss and Dr. Fishelberg have been amazing with my kids, becoming trusted sources of health advice for our whole family over the years ranging from my issues breastfeeding when newborns to navigating mental health as adolescents, and everything in between. This is a solid practice with many resources for families, including excellent courses on parenting, puberty, and Red Cross certification for teens. I recommend them highly! read more

This is the Pediatric practice that we have been taking our kids to for the past few years and we have been very happy with the practice. They are well organized and the staff is very professional. Making an appointment is okay too and we are able to get an appointment in a few days if not the same day if the kids are feeling unwell. During the COVID pandemic, this practice has been a godsend to schedule COVID testing and getting the vaccine. They even allow parents to get tested for COVID and get the vaccine/boosters as well. Making an appointment for these are easy and we are able to make it online! There is ample parking for patients and the clinic has an entrance from the outside of the building as well. There is a nice big fish tank that always gets the kids' attention. They also have the best coffee/hot chocolate machine that we always get a beverage from during a visit. Definitely a good pediatric practice in the area! read more

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How do you go from happy patients of a practice for nearly a decade to leaving and warning others to stay away? This is how... The levels of questionable morals of Potomac Pediatrics are astounding. For years, we paid the annual non-covered services fee. We understood that insurance didn't cover everything that would keep a pediatrician's office running smoothly. And when you have sick kids, you want them taken care of without hassle. Year after year that fee grew. At the time of this post, the fee for two children is $230 for the physical health side of the practice. For mental health, the annual fee is $250. When we needed mental health services for our child in August, we opted out of the annual fee for that side of the practice during our sign-up process. In February, we were hit with a $480 bill with no warning and no notice with the option to opt out as we'd had previously. We contacted the billing department, thinking surely there was some mistake and they would rectify it. Especially since we always pay on time, and have never missed or even been late for an appointment. Instead, we were met with nasty attitudes about how it was our fault for not opting out. Eventually, they admitted to never sending the email to us because we had unsubscribed from marketing emails. There was no indication that we would not get billing-related emails during that process. Even after all of that, and our issue was escalated, they said they would not refund our money. We tried calling multiple times, only to be sent to voicemail. In another attempt, we contacted the office manager. When we did not hear back after two days, we called again. This time, the COO called back to rudely explain that she had the final decision and she would not refund our money. The interaction left me in tears. It was so infuriating that their ineptitude left us in this situation and there was not an ounce of compassion. We called the practice again to find someone else to sort this out with and to let them know we would be contacting our credit card company. Something happened after that call and they finally changed their tune and refunded our money. During that experience, I had written a warning post on a private moms group on Facebook. Another member took a screenshot of my post and sent it to PP. Our doctor called to "apologize" for our bad experience and that what happened this year with the fee didn't go over well for a lot of people. At the end the call he told me he saw my post, and it was their policy to break ties with anyone that posts something negative online. He left it as "my choice" of what I wanted to do. It doesn't stop there. The COO became a new member of this group for mothers who delivered at Shady Grove just two days prior to his call. Because they need a way to censor people, of course. read more

20 + years going here and past 5 years the practice has gone down hill. More of just a business/making money and not about patient care anymore unfortunately. They charge extra fees and keep a card on file and bill your card without you being informed. They also bill insurance for extra charges. I questioned this and the rude billing manager just yelled. She does not listen to what you have to say or even what the patient has to say. She was rude with my daughter as well. I would stay far away from this practice. read more

We love our Pediatrician Dr. Scheibel however the last time Amanda, one of the administrative associate at the entrance desk was extremely rude. We arrived 30 minutes late (3 instead of 230) for my daughter's appointment because I received a text the previous day reminding me of an appointment at 3pm (clearly wrong). When I showed her the reminder text from the practice showing the wrong timing she said that I should have remembered from when I took the appointment. Literally weeks in advance. She showed no empathy and was extremely unkind. I wish I could have a video. I have 3 kids so clearly hard to remember on the top of my head all the doctors/dentist appointments. I rely on text from different practices a lot. I'm a pediatrician myself and no-one should be treated that way at the entrance desk of a doctor's office. read more

I went to Potomac pediatrics for care for my infant. I had scheduled an appointment weeks in advance and took time off of work. When I arrived I waited over an hour for service and nobody helped me. I asked the front desk staff and was told they have no authority to answer any questions. Ultimately I had to leave and no service was ever provided unless you count the waste of time and frustration they caused. This company needs to do better. read more

We love that this office has very friendly front office staff, nurses, techs, and doctors. One of the nurses/techs that gave our son vaccines during one of our first visits was so great with him and made it a super easy visit for all of us. We have seen a few doctors in the practice and have been happy with the care and attentiveness. Scheduling has been easy and the online portal and filling out forms for daycare has been quick and easy too. The office is also very clean and well taken care of. Definitely recommend! read more

Potomac Pediatrics, and in particular Dr. Glassman, have been incredible to us and my son since we joined their practice about a year ago. We first joined when my son had several seizures and Dr. Glassman went above and beyond for us to get us quickly into a pediatric neurologist, and helped us navigate the difficulties we faced with scheduling subsequent testing etc. I will note that they also made switching practices very easy and processed the forms quickly, as they also did with my son's school forms. Thankfully my son is doing very well now and we typically have been seeing Dr. Glassman for more routine visits, as well as other doctors at the practice. Dr. Glassman is a very knowledgeable and very direct, but in a manner that is still warm and caring. As a mother with high anxiety, I cannot emphasize enough how much confidence I have in her as a doctor. Another amazing addition to their practice is PopNow. My son's previous pediatricians office had very good doctors but their management was a mess, and getting same day sick visit appointments was a constant battle which I dreaded (and as my son is in nursery school, they tend to be frequent). With PopNow we have ALWAYS been able to get in same day and we have been able to schedule with ease. Just two weeks ago he split open his eyelid and we were seen just hours later, with a minimal wait time. The last thing I will note is that I have seen in the reviews, people seem to complain about the annual fee. While I understand that additional costs are frustrating, the level of care that we have received is worth every penny. And coming from another practice (which had very good doctors I might add) that had a lot of management issues, being able to get your child seen quickly by excellent doctors far outweighs any concern I would have about an annual fee. read more

Being a new mother it's already stressful enough let alone maintaining her well being without costing an arm and a leg. We've been going to Potomac Pediatrics for a little over a year. Below is what we concluded based on our experience with the admin staff, doctors, after hour care, etc. I hope this will help whoever is considering. If you take anything away from this review is that before you pay for all the fees ask which pediatrician is accepting new patients. (Dr. Glassman is not!) Which we found out after 13+ months after being with the practice. Fees: Every March, $80/child. Attached is a file of list of service they said they cover (i.e. justify the yearly cost) - just some of what I've encountered Online classes/seminars: classes are on rotations. Cost btw $25/$30. They give a yearly $10 voucher so if your baby's schedule isn't insync with theirs it's probably not very useful. I've only been to one - breastfeeding. Which is just a group of women in a room with Maureen discussing how to breastfeed Appointment: we struggle with this. If you are more than 5 mins late they charge $100. We make sure we are early. We are the ones that's usually waiting for the doctors to see us - they don't reimburse us for being late Doctors: overall they are okay. Dr. Sachs is great but she is retiring. Admin/front desk: depending on who you ask it's a hit or miss. If you call in it's usually a voicemail (at least that's what I encountered) After hours nurse line: we called in almost every week when my baby was first born. It does help relieve anxiety when you hear comforting guidance. We use this less now because we don't have a hiccup every other day with the baby Good luck! I've attached some notes and chat with the staff so you can have an idea what the practice offers or not offer. read more

Potomac Pediatrics - Services that's covered. In red is my experience - hopefully this will give newcomers insight into what's offered or not. - Pediatricians Near Me - Rockville, Maryland

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They charged us a hundreds of dollars "optional" annual fee without our consent, and would not reverse the charge when we asked right afterward. This tells you all you need to know about how they run this business. read more

Our family has benefitted from Dr Glassman's medical care and the expanding treatment programs at Potomac Pediatrics since we began taking our children there in 2005- From the well- visits to easy to access pop now urgent care and even comprehensive support for well being and mental health needs, the providers have been superb- We feel fortunate to have access to this kind of care. read more

Wonderful doctors but one horrible front desk staff at PopNow. Heather is rude and passive aggressive and makes it very uncorftable for me to want to bring my child in. For a pediatric clinic, you should have someone warm and caring who doesn't get short when a parent has questions when calling. She is nasty and I wouldn't recommend the practice to anyone until she is no longer there. read more

Potomac Pediatrics has been automatically including the Non-Covered Services Fee package in my billing every year without my explicit approval. As a result, I am required to remember to opt out of this fee annually to avoid being charged for services that I do not wish to receive. read more

They used to be very good 10 years back and we absolutely loved them .for our first child Now they are all about making money..its like a money making factory with absolutely zero attention to individual kids. They just want your money and thats it. They used to be very good 10 years back and we absolutely loved them. Now they are all ab out making money..its like a money making factory with absolutely zero attention to individual kids. They just want your money and that's it. Try making a sick appointment and reschedule it for the same day..you will get hit by a fee. Their annual fee for paperwork is outrageous and its more than any area pediatricians..and most of the time there is barely any paperwork needed until middle school. The Doctors there also do not pay enough attention to the kids..my child was incorrectly diagnosed & they never even considered the possibility that something else could be the reason. We will not be using them next year. read more

They advertise having the highly sought after, and nearly impossible to get, Beyfortus recently FDA approved. I filled out the paperwork online and they denied my application as my daughter did not meet the on label indications. I knew this would likely happen, so I followed up I indicated that I have a prescription from Children's Hospital immunology office where my baby is currently seen. A multidisciplinary decision between our PCP, immunologist, ENT, and pulmonologist all agreed my baby should receive this medication. Children's Hospital referred me here because they cannot get the medication and Potomac Pediatrics advertises having it. My baby is immune deficient, on twice weekly prophylactic antibiotics, has asthma that she sees pulmonology for and is on daily inhalers for, and has had multiple ENT surgeries. She has had 4 RSV hospitalizations. Potomac Pediatrics never responded to my email, or my phone calls. It is of course their provider's decision if they will honor my prescription or not, but at least let me know! Their silence speaks great volume regarding patient care. Thankfully we are not clients here. read more

They are clearly not about patient care, but just money. I have been working with them for 10 years and I called for a pre opp visit for my daughter and since it had been 14 months since my last visit I was in "violation" of contract? my daughter is up to date on vaccinations and I offered to do a well visit at the same time but was told to find a new office. Keep in mind you have to pay a yearly fee just to be seen there. I was up to date on all payments, but clearly they don't see as much profit from a pre opp appointment so I was dismissed after my daughter has spent 10 years going there! read more

It is impossible to get medical records from them. Medical department did not have its own phone number, so usually you have to call several times and wait a lot. Last time I spent 40 minutes only to leave a message. They promised my daughters medical history to be ready in 5 business day, but it was not ready even after 10 business days. We have to moved to another state without it. So they speak with you only when you pay them money. The did not respect their patients. The did not do what they promised in time the promised. Moreover they charged patients for special no medical service, such as giving medical records, but do nothing for this money read more

Best experience with pediatric practice I have had in 25 years!!! Hands down the most amazing practice. They offer every service imaginable!!! You can get scripts filled there, labs done by an amazing phlebotomist, every employee is kind beyond!! Dr. Glassman is incredible!! Shout out to Amanda at the front desk!!! read more

This practice was recommended to me by several friends in the area and it has yet to disappoint. My son is just two months old, but we've been seen by the doctors, nurses, and lactation consultants at this practice multiple times. The doctors - Dr. Suri and Dr. Weiss specifically - gave us their undivided attention, answered all our questions, and made us feel confident in our choice to be served here. The nurses - Jen specifically - loved on my son with smiles and gentle care, especially during his two-month shots. The lactation consultant - Maureen - showed us grace, patience, and humor while dealing with the challenges of breast feeding. The front desk staff are always friendly and always prepared. I look forward to many more years with this practice. read more

You know it makes sense to pay an annual membership for a gym, for a health club, but when a doctor's clinic enforces an annual fee on their patients and their families, that is absurd and unheard of. Just another way they think they take advantage of people besides leveraging their location which is unethical. Nothing or no additional services they provide different from other pediatrics clinics that warrant this additional fee. read more

Be very careful when signing up with this practice. A lot of the doctors have left and there are constant hidden fees and charges, including the yearly non-covered services fee (which has been banned by insurance companies), so Potomac Pediatrics has a yearly opt-out form, instead of opt-in for those that want this service. We were also told that medical records and forms would cost $50, but when we tried uploading the forms to the online portal, there was a size limit and the forms needed to be uploaded separately. Since it took 3 uploads for all of the forms, we were charged $150 as they counted them as "3 separate packets." As busy parents, we simply don't have time to argue or go back and forth, but this year Potomac Pediatrics buried the yearly opt out link for the non-covered services fee in the bottom of their communications and charged us yet again for something we didn't authorize or want. When we wrote them an email to refund the $230 charge, they refused. We have also recently realized that we have been charged copays, when our insurance has $0 pediatric copays for our plan. read more

I really like the doctors my son has seen at this practice. However, there are a few major things that bother me. No one answers the phones. I get it, they are busy, but when you dial the extension to make a wellness visit, the voicemail box isn't even set up! You can still leave a message, but one would like if they are sending everyone to voicemail, they could at least create a voicemail box instead of a robot recording of a random number. While waiting in the waiting room for my son's last appointment (1/2021), a family of five came into the office (passing the sign clearly telling people waiting for Covid testing to wait outside) to announce to the main office that they were there for Covid testing. They stood in the front doorway between the desk and the fish tank for at least 8 minutes. WTF! During our 15 minute wait in the lobby next to the family waiting to be tested for Covid, phones were ringing while front desk associates were gathered around one's cell phone to share pictures. They were clearly too busy to answer the phones. read more

For the 3 years I have lived in Maryland, Potomac Pediatrics has been my healthcare provider for my 2 daughters; now on our 3rd doctor with the group (doctors leaving the practice) and we stayed supporting them as they navigated change. Trusting the practice. With COVID and job loss, my family is grateful to have Medicaid insurance during this time of need. I scheduled my daughter's well check a few weeks ago sharing our new insurance with the office. Today, the day of the appointment, I received a call from Potomac Pediatrics that we can no longer be a part of this practice, even if we want to pay out of pocket, because we have Atena Better Choice Medicaid insurance. Basically, to continue with this practice I would have to pay out of pocket AND decline Medicaid insurance. I was told, "we (Potomac Pediatrics) would get in trouble if we accepted patients with Medicaid even if paying out of pocket." WHAT? Talk about kicking someone when they are in a tough season. I personally am offended and hurt more by the way they handled communications than anything. I have supported this practice. I am not sure if it is Potomac Pediatrics or the Medicaid system that creates this "rule" that no longer allows my daughters to continue healthcare at Potomac Pediatrics. Either way, the bottom line is this practice is not handling the implications of COVID to their patients in a supportive and healing manner. read more

I have been taking my kid to Potomac Pediatrics pediatrics practice for over a decade now. Recently I attended the " Keeping your cool with your kids" Workshop. I have to say that Jennifer Alfonso, who conducted this workshop, was very pleasant and understanding. She took the course in a stepwise manner, and I loved the role playing session... although I was sad to miss the last one. This course is very helpful in that as parents we come to a realization that you are not alone, and that there are solutions available, and also helps a parent (no matter their child's age) navigate the issue. The simple techniques (most importantly breathing) that Jennifer teaches to help resolve issues are so helpful. I would recommend this course, and hope that we have more role-playing sessions as these bring the course material together at a practical level. read more

Potomac Pediatrics is a top notch practice providing patients with quality care, in an efficient manner, lead by staff that is always willing to go above and beyond. My daughter see's Dr. Weiss and my son is a patient of Dr. Mechak's. We have also seen Dr. Fishelberg, Dr. Davies, Dr. Patel and Dr. Potter, and have been impressed with every interaction. I have the utmost confidence in the doctors and staff at Potomac Pediatrics and am grateful to have them apart of our village of raising these amazing little people. One final thought that has left a lasting impression on my husband and me, everyone onsite is extremely personable, kind but also highly knowledgeable in their field of practice. We have never felt as if quality of care was compromised and always leave our appointments feeling well informed with smiles on our faces (even after shots). read more

Simply the best! We've been going to Potomac Pediatrics from newborn through adulthood. Each of their physicians is compassionate, highly qualified, and fantastic communicators. Over the years they have detected conditions that specialists remarked are almost never properly diagnosed. The organization of the office, efficiency, and responsiveness are remarkable in a world where so many other places just do the bare minimum. We've recommended many friends to this practice and we periodically get unsolicited "thank you notes" years after the introduction. read more

I am writing this review out of pure shock and amazement... I'm in search of a pediatrician within close proximity to my home. FTM, 36 weeks and I'm trying to be as proactive as possible. I called to schedule a tour of the facilities, meets doctors and staff. I was told I would have to schedule for a seminar class. The up-coming classes are all past my due date so that was not an option. I informed the receptionist of my dilemma and said she would check with the office manager to see other options concerning my situation. I was on hold for approximately 2 minutes in which the receptionist returned stating that the office manager said I could get a private tour for $100. In shock I asked the receptionist, this is a doctors office right, I have never had to pay to tour a potential doctors office or meet physicians. The receptionist replied "yeah I know but it covers the doctors time since you won't be able to attend a seminar before your due date", "so should I schedule you or will you be calling back". I know there are several 5 star reviews but this place seems to be more of a casino than a place of health and wellness. Update 5/23/17: Rebuttal received and then a private message to remove my post. Regardless of when I call, and I was not expecting a tour today btw, I have never seen a medical establishment ran like this lol, even plastic surgeons provide free consultations... and the office manager Jenna, I guess she thought I would be intimidated... not hardly! read more

We love Potomac Pediatrics. I've never had any issues getting an appointment and the staff is always very friendly. We use Dr. Caren Glassman who is the smartest pediatrician! She has gone over and above for my daughter. That being said, there has not been a doctor we've seen in the practice we didn't like. My insurance now requires referrals which I was dreading. They were super quick in getting the referrals completed and sent to the proper places. I would highly recommend this practice. read more

I took CPR class at Potomac pediatrics with Coach Allison. The training class offer hands on practice and I also got some tips with our coach. This is a very helpful class that I would suggest everyone to take it if you have little ones or seniors at home. read more

Doctors are great and office is beautiful (hum), don't get me wrong, but the idea of PAYING an annual fee to even go to a practice is beyond my comprehension, no matter how they try to explain it. It was absolutely NOT worth it in my opinion. These classes they offer, you PAY for, they aren't free. And when you leave, they have the nerve to ask you for to PAY to get your records. So what exactly was that yearly fee getting me? So you PAY to go there an then PAY to get out! Think twice people, lots of good practices out there. [I'd like to stay anonymous because I know people who go to this practice but felt the information is important to share] read more

We had been this place for a year since my son was a new born . We left recently because of I am not comfortable with the way they deal with covid 19. First, during the check up i ran into parents without wearing mask. I don't know the current policy, but from what I see I don't see this place enforce everyone wearing masks . Second, although the website said patient skipped waiting room and go directly to checking room. It's not our case. This place is busy, and always have long waiting time for every checkup . In the past, I don't mind waiting . With COVID-19, I do mind. The front desk didn't official check us in when we arrived and waiting outside. We ended up with waiting 10 min outside and 10 min inside in the hallway and be told that we were late and can't see the doctor. That is ridiculous! Third, the way management run is this place gives me feeling that they put profit over patient. The second day I posted the bad review, I found out my account was deactivated. I know we are leaving but kicking out people instead solving the issues? Come on! You know better! Forth, I do feel this place is overbooked. That's why you see other reviewers complaint about being charged when you are 5 min late. This is their policy, I understand. But this makes me think that they want high turnover so can make more money. And pediatrician is constantly on clock, and probably can only spend 5-10min with the patients before the next one. This makes me doubt that do they have enough time to sanitize the room after each patient ? We now go to other practice where they book one checkup every 45 min-1hour so they have enough to talk to patient and sanitize the room. Anyway, I am not happy with the way they deal With COVID-19 , and Managment is bad. But I do love our pediatrician, Dr. Suri. She was fighting for us whenever there was issues. So I do appreciated everything she did for my son. Hope this place will update their COVID 19 policy and listen more to the patients. read more

One of the things we are going to miss and not be able to find in Atlanta is a practice like we had at Potomac Pediatrics. Our experience including the orientation, tour, billing, actual doctors visits and advice have been nothing but outstanding! One of the best features of this practice is their efficiency when it comes to wait times. You literally are seen within a few minutes of checking in. This is huge for when an individual has to go back to work that day. You are not stuck waiting in an office full of sick children all day long! I highly recommend Potomac Pediatrics to anyone looking for a great Pediatrician as all of the doctors are knowledgeable and care for their patients! read more

Potomac Pediatrics - Pediatricians Near Me - Rockville, Maryland

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I have a bad experience with this place. Must mention that I am a new customer in this place! I was charged twice for an annual fee, all I wanted to do was call and find out why. A very unkind women answered me, And she said: "I have to pay this payment." I did not receive any explanation as to why, when I had already paid the fee. I hung up and got angry. The next day someone from the management called me - without any identification and did not mention her name. And explained to me that our relationship was not working and that I would look for another pediatric for my baby! I try to explain to her that I have an appointment that comes in 3 weeks, a one year old vaccine and she has no right to do such a thing like that! and I explained to her that after the appointment I have been waiting for a few months I will leave the place , but they must give me a time. For those who were with me on the phone it did not interest her at all! All she wanted was to throw me out of the clinic !!! I have every right to call and ask why I was charged twice! So EMBARRASSING. And she put the phone on me when I was trying to talk to her. Very embarrassing. Do not even touch them with zero stars, because even zero is still a number. I have not had a bad experience with the doctors, but the management and staff - not doctors - are simply under any criticism! Their service strives for zero !!!!! No generosity! No explanation for a new customer! There is simply no service in this place! If you are looking for a place that will hurt you and make you a joke - this is the right place to go. I had to read people's comments before I went to this place. Because people describe exactly the same experience. read more

We visited this practice as they do pediatric ear piercing. Things went well at the appointment for my eight year old. We kept the earrings in the 8 weeks and cleaned daily. We just took the earrings out for dance pictures, 2 1/2 months later and could not get them back in. I called back for a follow up so they could look at her ears and basically said there was nothing they could do. They refused to see us because we weren't regular patients and to re-pierce would be full price. I regret taking her here and not a piercing place! read more

I love our Pediatrician Dr Fishelberg, but there are other significant issues with this practice. This place just keeps going downhill with their ever increasing annual fees and policies. Doctor turnover continues so don't go if you want to have consistency in your child's doctor. Phone services are awful. A W F U L. If you live within walking distance I'd consider this place out of convenience, but otherwise I highly suggest not joining. If you are 10 mins late ONE time in 9.5 years, and you are calling begging for an exception because the school could not find my kid in speech class, they will charge you for NO SHOW and force you to reschedule. Now my kid with a September birthday can't be seen until 1 December next year for his check up because insurance won't pay (you have to wait a full 365 days for wellness exam coverage). Potomac pediatrics doesn't realize how their unreasonable policies impact families. read more

My daughter is 6 years old and my son is 1.5. I've taken both my kids since my daughter was born and I love Dr. Fishelberg and Dr. Glassman. My daughter was scheduled to see Dr. Fishelberg today but we completely missed the appointment. I was told on the phone that we will be charged $100 for the missed appointment and I'm sad to say after 6 years, I'll have to leave Potomac Pediatrics... it's just too expensive. We pay annual fee for both kids in addition to the copays and now $100 for missed appointments? read more

I''m disappointed with Potomac Pediatrics. They're efficient. But most medical offices have gotten more efficient over the years. Their efficiency does not set them apart, nor does it warrant their extraneous and punitive fees. First, there's the yearly fee. They charge this for each kid every year to perform, as far as I can tell, the most basic of paperwork. For example, to print out and have a doctor sign school medical forms, which parents typically don't need year after year. Personally, I fail to see how this isn't covered by insurance and copays. I've had kids now for over a decade. Never have I been asked to pay this kind of fee. We've been with Potomac Pediatrics a little less than a year: I'm still not clear on what that fee has gotten me or my kids. Secondly, the portal. If you have multiple children, you must login through multiple portals. Sure, it's a minor inconvenience. But an inconvenience nonetheless, especially given the annual convenience fee we, as consumers, are expected to pay. (You'd think they'd reciprocate with a little convenience of their own.) Thirdly, they are punitive. I'd been trying to for days to schedule an appointment for my son. When I finally got one, I wasn't able to get there by the time they specified because I'd only been given a few hours notice. I tried to reschedule only to be told that I couldn't do so until I canceled. I told them I didn't want to cancel, but needed to reschedule but was told again something about their system not allowing it. Anyway, I canceled and was charged a $50 fee. Little did I know, they'd booked me for a "same day" appointment that I'd "taken" from another kid. Um, okay. I just wanted an appointment that worked for our schedule. This appointment, I'd had for four hours; how much notice do they need with that kind of window? I never got a clear answer on that. But I sure got the charge. Finally, the front desk staff. Wow. When I tried to explain my confusion over the $50 charge to the customer-facing, front desk person, he returned a blank stare. It was, like, aggressively blank, as if I was a human stain he was merely tolerating. After a few minutes of this, I believe we agreed to sort out the billing after my appointment (because I was at Potomac Pediatrics to get care for my son, not to haggle over a bill with this guy), but then he disappeared and left me standing there for 20+ minutes without telling me why. My appointment was for 12:50, for which I was on time, but nobody took me back to the doctor until 1:20 or so. Did I charge an inconvenience fee? How could I? I don't have Potomac Pediatric's card on file. Eventually someone came back from a break and saw me standing there. She asked if I'd been helped and I told her that I actually had no idea. Thankfully, she stepped in and took us to our appointment. That woman deserves whatever raise Potomac Pediatrics is able to provide thanks to that annual fee. Let's hope that's what they're using it for. All in all, in my view, this practice provides poor customer service, have demonstrated opportunistic and punitive behavior with their various charges and fees, and haven't provided patient care commensurate with my expectations. We will not be returning next year. If not for that annual fee I've already paid, we'd leave right now. That reminds me, I'd better set a calendar reminder to cancel before they charge my credit card again... read more

I had a bad experience at Potomac Pediatrics. I took my daughter for her first checkup there and someone stole my sunglasses from the bathroom! I left it there by mistake and when I returned looking for it after 15 minutes or so, they were gone! Although this is no fault of the doctors or staff, I can't help but wonder what kind of clientele this place is attracting. I even requested the staff to check their security cameras because in my opinion they should be worried about people stealing from their office but they didn't seem to care that much. Moreover, they are not very prompt in answering the phones. I would be looking for a new place where I don't have to constantly worry about my belongings inside the building and the receptionists are prompt in answering the phones. read more

We feel so grateful for Potomac Pediatrics and have been going there for over 5 years now. When my daughter was a baby, we saw Dr. Scheibel and as she's gotten older we've transitioned to Dr. Weiss, Dr. Fishelberg, or Dr. Mechak. All four of the above doctors have such great bedside manners and they are warm and thoughtful in their interactions with my daughter. She actually loves going! Since having our son last summer, we began seeing Dr. Mechak regularly, and he is fantastic. He eases all of my (many) concerns and takes his time answering my frequent questions. I must say we have NEVER had a negative encounter with the office staff--we've always found them to be accommodating and kind. Keala and Kingston love Potomac Pediatrics. Thank you! read more