I ADORE Dr Jill de Castro! She is the best, so kind and really gets to know her patients. She is very straight forward, but I need that in a doctor. I love having her as my PCP. read more

Prima Medicine - Internal Medicine Near Me - Fairfax, Virginia

I had a mixed experience with this practice. The physician herself was attentive and spent time discussing preventive health, wellness, and screening recommendations during my annual physical. However, I later received an unexpected separate office visit charge in addition to the preventive exam billing. My concern was not the care itself, but the lack of transparency regarding billing. During the wellness visit, the provider briefly reviewed outside lab results I had brought with me, and I was later billed for a separate office visit associated with that discussion. I was not informed during the appointment that this could result in an additional charge. After reviewing my visit documentation, I also felt portions of the note did not fully reflect my understanding of the visit, particularly regarding the extent of evaluation performed beyond the wellness exam. After raising concerns and providing supporting documentation, the office acknowledged overlap between the preventive visit and additional billing and indicated the matter would be reviewed. However, I did not receive a final follow-up or resolution regarding the coding review or reimbursement request. I would encourage the practice to improve communication around preventive visit billing and provide more consistent follow-up during billing disputes. read more

Terrible place to go. They lost my blood work, did not even tell me what's going until the day of the follow up appointment after an entire week after calling everyday and leaving messages on portal told me there was an error and I have to give sample again. And then billed my insurance even after that negligence. Will not recommend this practice to anyone. read more

I was a loyal patient of Dr. Josephine for about 5 years for general sick care and the routine management of my daily maintenance medications. I trusted this practice enough to refer several of my own family members here. All of our interactions were positive, and I even had my next routine visit scheduled. However, it has become clear that this corporate practice prioritizes profits over patient health. Prima Medicine heavily pushes a separate, highly expensive weight loss clinic. I agreed to a consultation because I was told it would benefit my overall health. They initially charged $300 a vial for the medication, which they later raised to $350. During this time, they constantly pressured me to increase my dosage even though my health metrics were perfectly stable on the lower dosage. Doing so would force you to run out of the vial and repurchase it much faster. Their pressure tactics all made sense when they abruptly locked the program behind an additional, mandatory monthly subscription fee. This new subscription scheme is tiered based on your dosage. Because I stayed on one of the lower doses, my tier was a massive $220 a month, but if they had successfully pushed me to a higher dose, my monthly fee would have been even higher. You are required to pay this recurring fee even during months when you aren't buying the medicine or having an office visit. This pricing model is so outrageous that even their own medical staff was openly expressing their displeasure and frustration about it to me during my visit. I declined to participate in this scheme. I would have simply left it at that, but the staff actively and repeatedly encouraged me to leave constructive feedback for management regarding this pricing structure. Because I was explicitly asked to do so, when the clinic sent an automated text soliciting my feedback, I replied honestly and professionally. I stated the pricing was unacceptable and it appeared they were more interested in money than health. It seems their management cannot handle the very feedback their own staff pushed me to provide. Instead of a professional response, they retaliated. This is the most unbelievable part: rather than simply removing me from the optional weight loss program, they completely purged me from the internal medicine and primary care side of the practice. I received a cold, generic letter in the mail terminating me as a patient entirely, and I was immediately unable to send new messages to staff or make appointments in the portal. The letter was signed only by a faceless 'Prima Medicine Staff.' Their stated excuse was a 'poor patient-provider relationship', an incredibly offensive and false claim, considering I had a flawless record with my doctor. My only 'poor interaction' was declining their cash-grab subscription model when explicitly asked for feedback. Because of this blatant prioritization of money over healthcare, my entire family will be leaving this practice as well. Discarding an established patient and jeopardizing their daily prescriptions over a declined upsell shows a complete lack of concern for patient well-being. If you value stability and want a doctor who cares about your health, look elsewhere. Do not risk being abruptly kicked to the curb for declining their costly side schemes. read more

concur on the ourageous billing! I had an insurance-covered physical check and they billed me a couple of hundreds for a regular short talk or routine check! will never go back there again!! read more

Outrageous billing and tagging on exorbitant charges. I've been going here 10 years and their billing has always been shady, tagging on a few extra dollars here and there, but stuck around for the convenience. In the last 2 years the charges and the way they operate has become outrageous, borderline fraudulent. Charging extra hundreds. Annual physicals/preventative appointment are fully covered through my insurance but I always end up being billed extra several hundred after each visit. Anywhere from $100-500. I say no to all the additional screenings and tests which I know will result in additional charges, but they still find a way. Once it was a 10 second convo of, "Do you feel low energy or low interest in doing things? Do you have feelings of sadness? Do you feel overwhelmed doing daily tasks?" all to which I answered, "No, I feel fine, no sadness, no low energy, happy day to day." And they tagged on a mental health check fee of $100. And then at another annual checkup, they asked if I have any issues sleeping, I said yeah I've never really been good with sleep, often restless and can't sleep deep. To which I got my bill a month later and found they tagged on a $100 for discussing a sleep disorder. I have high blood pressure so they want me to come in twice a year so that they will write a refill on my prescription, and after insurance each visit, I'm charged $500-600. They charge the insurance a few thousand. For a routine blood pressure checkup/medication refill. God forbid during my appointment they ask how I'm doing and I respond, "Oh, haven't been able to sleep well this week," or "This weather's got me feeling a little lazy and low energy this week." What is the point of an annual physical if you can't discuss what's going on without being charged an upwards of $1,000. You probably have to stay quiet and not answer any of their questions. They'll still find a way I'm sure. Maybe you'll use their restroom and they'll tag on a "bladder content elimination" charge to your bill. I noticed my last annual checkup (last month), they made me sign new paperwork which included the language confirming that I understand I am responsible for any other charges that may be added based on things discussed during the annual checkup. I'm guessing a lot of people had issues with their bills and the random additional charges, so they updated their paperwork and added in the language to have us sign. As others have said, I have never seen or have been made aware of the existence of a doctor onsite there in my 10 years. A mysterious "Dr. Rao". It's run by NPs. I've seen 2 NPs and they have been great. I have no issues at all with the NPs. It's unfortunate that they are likely pushed by the business to ask questions in a way to tag on as many fees as possible. Called today to dispute my $100 sleep issue charge, to which they said they can't do anything, and ended up going ahead and completing the payment and canceling all my future appointments. Will be an inconvenience to find somewhere new, especially when the NPs are fine here, but can't do these surprise bills anymore. Unless they decide to operate more honestly and stop scamming patients (and probably insurance as well), I suggest you avoid this business. Again, pure "business", not medical practice. read more

Excellent visit! Super efficient as always! I am very happy and always receive a quick response. From M.M. 3/31/25 read more

TL;DR: No one trustworthy remains at this office. They do not give a damn about patients. Dr Rao will not see patients. I'm not even convinced she's a real person. I saw her twice over a decade ago and then she pawned me off to an NP because she couldn't be bothered with me. She made it VERY clear that my health held no value for her. She was dismissive of me, didn't listen, and spent the least amount of time possible even looking at me. I don't think I'm THAT ugly. I think she just didn't want to be bothered. If I asked to see her for an appointment when sick, there were zero appointments. Ever. Things were much better with the NP. Went well for years. But then I got a hilarious email saying Dr Rao was switching to a concierge service and for an unspecified annual fee I, too, could ACTUALLY SEE THE DOCTOR. That's right! A "guarantee" to see the doctor. You know. The one listed as my primary care, who hasn't bothered to grace me with even a glance in 11 years. I did not fall for their scam of paying an out of pocket annual fee to feel special. Eventually the good NP left. No one bothered to inform me, but she's gone. Frankly I can't trust anyone else at this office. Dr Rao is a joke. The other NP I saw a few years ago when mine was unavailable was terrible, but I don't even know if she still works there. The second star is solely because, for a time, I felt I had good medical care under the supervision of a stellar NP. read more

I wrote a prior review on a recent visit and the exorbitant bill received for getting a simple blood test but the review was removed. It was not removed because it broke yelp protocol, it was removed some other mysterious way which is not something just anyone can have done. They really need to just learn that patients are not the enemy. Just be honest, everyone goofs, no one is perfect and then have the "problem patients" call the Home Office of Previa Health. That is all they need to do or say..."OMG we don't know how we got this false info on your medical records before your very 1st visit no less...we are so sorry....just call Previa Health and they will help you get your records deleted". They are just not smart about how they handle being beholden to the private equity industry and not their patients. They can be better. They can do better. read more

Terrible customer service. I ran out of a prescription. My pharmacy alerted me to the fact that Prima would not respond to CVS's requests to refill. I called the Prima Medicine Fairfax office, where I was met prompt (#2 to be exact) which informed me that I would need to contact my pharmacy for the refill. Getting the run-around with Prima's voicemail, I attempted to submit a refill request via the Aetna Patient Portal, which promised me someone would respond to my request in 2 days. That didn't happen and I'm now out of medicine. I call the office, attempting to get a human on the line, which I did. This person informed me I needed to see a doctor annually to get a refill. I told the person that I had an appointment in a month and could she just refill to get me through the month. She flat out refused, even though I warned her this is not a medication that you can just stop for a month until a doctor sees you. I finally got her to schedule me for a virtual visit, the first of which is available in 4 days, meaning I will be 5 days without this medication. The virtual visit will probably take 5 minutes and it is clear this practice is more interested in billing insurance than taking care of the health needs of its patients. Sadly, I was part of this practice before corporate medicine took over, which horrible customer service results. Look elsewhere if you are looking for a primary physician's office that puts the needs of patients before corporate greed. This will be my last appointment at this office. Good riddance. read more

2.5 stars - Very kind - Communication via the portal is effective - Good for basic bloodwork and routine, obvious, stuff. - Dr. Rao is very intelligent but impossible to get an appointment with - Bookings with Dr. Rao get relegated to less skilled staff days later by surprise. - NPs are shockingly uneven in their knowledge, correlation skills, and ability to choose the right prescription. read more

11/11/19 Back for my annual physical and the test results are much better this time around. Dr. Rena continues to give good advice and support. Yes, I did get a lecture about my healthcare a few weeks back, but it is what I needed. On a another not, the tv movie Game Changer also inspired me to do better. In three months time I look forwards to seeing my test results and go from there. I am making small steps, but the results make me want to go to the next step. It is still a challenge, but life is full of challenges...let's do this... read more

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Update -- This is what I just responded to Prima Medicine at Fairfax Virginia after receiving an outrageous letter from them. ==== My response ==== I just received a notice from you stating: "Date: 01/25/2022 The letter is to inform you that you are being dismissed from this practice due to: Nonpayment of deductible as per service agreement with you and your insurance." First, I just made the payment yesterday. If you are dismissing me due to nonpayment, please return my payment to me. You now owe me $130.10. Second, when did you bill me for this December 15 service? I have never heard that someone can be held to nonpayment if it is only a little over a month on the service and never received a bill. Even if you would have sent me a bill, wouldn't that be only a few days ago after you dealt with insurance after December 15? How can you be so rude and unethical to deem someone as nonpayment only a few days after a bill? Third but most importantly, you charged me for something I never asked for. I went for my annual physical but was scammed with charges on "discussions" solicited by your fishing questions during the visit. The doctor made it very natural to slip in the conversation things like "How do you feel?" etc. I just mentioned some very mild discomfort I was having. Most people (especially at an older age) will experience some regular mild aches/pains but I did not intend to seek and pay for additional medical services. I also mentioned how it was not really bothering me, I was just answering truthfully. Your doctor then said some general things and didn't actually resolve the problem. With that you thought you are now entitled to bill me over $130 in addition to my physical? I hope you sleep well at night with your conscience. === My original review === Terrible service from Prima Medicine. Went for my annual physical but was scammed with charges on "discussions" solicited by their fishing questions during the visit. The doctor made it very natural to slip in the conversation things like "How do you feel?" etc. Don't get baited in by that. Unless you intend to seek further help for some actual medical condition, please make sure you announce that you refuse to discuss or answer any questions other than those pertaining to your physical. They asked me the question of how I felt and I just mentioned some very mild discomfort I was having. Most people (especially at an older age) will experience some regular mild aches/pains but I did not intend to seek and pay for additional medical services. I also mentioned how it was not really bothering me, I was just answering truthfully. They then said some general things and didn't actually resolve the problem. With that they thought they are now entitled to bill me over $130 in addition to my physical! When I called to dispute the charge they outright refused to make any changes to my bill. Do you think that was fair? Was it ethical to scam your patient like that? Stay away from this practice if you don't want to be ripped off. read more

Be careful! This place had a PA do a regular ear cleaning and ruptured my ear drum (HOW?! IT'S JUST A CLEANING). Then another PA came in and realized what happened and said she didn't want to "touch it" and sent me home (which is also a huge red flag, they shouldn't just send you home to get you off their hands). I had severe pain and hearing loss and I've had to have two surgeries so far to get my hearing back. I can't say that the entire loss was due to their negligence but it's def. what started everything. Both surgeries have cost over 90k so far and I'm lucky to have good insurance but I can't imagine this happening to someone that doesn't. PLEASE just go somewhere else, there's sooo many to chose from. read more

This practice is a BIG NO for me. Stress on prescriptions rather than diet, exercise, and self-care. Physicians assistants are considered to be the same as more highly trained nurse practitioners. Staff listening skills are poor. read more

Leaving one star because of the recent experience trying to setup an appointment. I called around 4 PM to schedule an appointment with Dr. Rao, and the lady immediately interrupted me and said not available! I ask who is available if she's not, and she provided a few other choices. When I went to schedule the appointment she yelled at me repeatedly to spell out the last name while making shrug noises in the background and said she couldn't understand me, I told her politely to please call me back so I can continue to provide it over the phone. She called me back still with an attitude which made us cancel the appointment overall. Customer service needs to be the #1 priority at a medical office. read more

I have been with Dr. Rao for years now. She is the most wonderful Dr I've ever had. She doesn't rush through appointments. She's kind, concerned and very personable. I feel comfortable discussing any and all concerns and she listens to what I have to say. She also asks about all aspects of your life to consider how it might be affecting your health. I highly recommend her and staff. Jamie Daughtry read more

Update: I am leaving this practice for good, as I went to get a second opinion elsewhere and it was VERY clear the Dr. Y was very quick to prescribe me a medication that I do not need, and one that she intended for me to be for life. We never had a proper discussion about this medication during my office visit, or even the condition itself, in fact I was here for a follow up on another medication (she was supposed to run a test for that to make sure all was ok, but she never did that either. I only found this out after I got my blood work done that it was incomplete.) Instead she prescribed me ANOTHER drug for ANOTHER condition which I was not initially in for, and she was supposed to run a test for that too, prior to starting me on this said drug but didn't do that either. So glad I went and got a second opinion. This just seems negligent on her part as a doctor and she's very trigger happy to medicate. That would be more ok if she actually had a conversation with the patient about the drug! This almost sounds preposterous as I type this... Initial Review: Not sure how I feel about this practice. My previous doctor left this practice and I was left to see the "other doctors" in the practice. In reality, when I mean "other doctors", it really is just ONE other doctor they will allow you to see, because they really only let you schedule with Dr. Yalamanchilli and not with Dr. Rao, even when I tried to schedule 6 months out. The receptionists don't tell you this quite upfront, they say she's booked and that's that, but it's clear they've been instructed not to schedule new patients with Dr. Rao. The thing is, I'm not a new patient to the practice and if you can't handle the patient load you shouldn't be accepting new patients to the practice right now, and I think they are. Dr. Y is fine, mild mannered, soft-spoken, but she seems quick to over medicate, which I don't really like and I was just hoping to get a second opinion. I may leave the practice over this one doctor only vibe, as there wasn't really much keeping me to stay. Most of the staff is nice, friendly, some are not. The phlebotomist isn't the best either, imho. Initially they had one tiny waiting room, but now expanded into two tiny waiting rooms, as their new renovations are a bit awkward. read more

We were new patients looking for a primary care physician. I called to make an appointment But could not make an appointment until I texted copies of our insurance cards. I texted the cards and waited 24 hours but did not get a response back. I went to their website and submitted an inquiry but I still did not get a response back. It's been four days since my last contact and no one has responded. That tells me new patients and customer service are not important to this practice. I'll take my family elsewhere to someone who cares. read more

Terrible experience at this office ! I went there two days ago complaining of body ache , headache , dizziness and sinus pressure. I took antibiotics after my urgent care visit two weeks ago for diagnosis of sinus infection and was given allergies medication. I visited this office initially wanting to see Dr.Rao , but I got an appointment with another doctor . I explained my symptoms. She checked my ears and listened to my lung and said its nothing ! I told her about my stress as well in daily life which is nothing new. She related all my symptoms to anxiety and stress and dismissed me!!!!! She said to get a behavior therapist! I had severe body ache and congestion along with fever and sinus pressure. I ended up in the hospital that night .I recommend choosing another provider office as this office and doctors do not care about symptoms and are there to charge money. Not acceptable! read more

Awesome! Super friendly and very nice. Everyone was very easy to talk to, and the doctor listened!

I met Dr Rao (aptly rhymes with Wow!) and staff shortly after we moved to Fair Oaks in 2010. We are continuing to see her even though we recently moved 17 miles away from either office. I prefer the Fair Oaks office next to the Harris Teeter on Rt 50. Parking is limited here. As I have a chronic complex set of ongoing medical issues, I'm picky. She is available, thorough, a good listener and I just like her! She takes her time. She has suggested to me (not me to her) life-altering gastric bypass as a possible easement for my many symptoms and to make my life easier later. She has an excellent support staff. Kudos! She makes good recommendations of specialists and such. Although she has results of the lab work she ordered (mostly performed on site), she prefers to receive a copy of the results from my lab work, x-rays, etc. from all my specialists. She does review them and calls if anything is trending poorly or she has concerns. Also, I receive a snail mail copy of all, everybody's, results received. They receive and are truly aware of each time I visit the Emergency Room or am admitted to the hospital. They will try hard to get you in promptly for a sick visit. Recently, despite having a number of sick visits already scheduled, they were able to get Hubby in that afternoon. She listened, diagnosed and provided fitting (that he isn't reactive to) prescriptions for a sinus infection and recommended over-the-counter symptom relievers. I highly recommend this doctor and crew. read more

I called to see about getting an appointment for my son. The receptionist got my information and said she would talk with the doctor about the situation then call me back. She did not call back. So I sent a follow-up email inquiring into the status of her conversation with the doctor. They never responded. Horrible place that does not care and is not responsive. read more

All around great experience from the moment I walked in the door. Nice staff, professional office and liked the doctor. Happy I found them

This has been the worst medical facility I have ever dealt with. I have been waiting on a referral for over a month and every time I try to call in they are either unavailable or are rude and give me attitude. This has literally been the worst experience dealing with the doctor and I would never go to this place had I known how little they care about their patients. read more

I scheduled an appointment for my yearly exam and asked if my husband can join they said yes. They said we could come for blood test before exams. When we arrived they said my husband needed a regular appointment first, so I asked for one. Then when they found out his medical condition they refused to see him, because he has a feeding tube and memory issues, but they would still see me. I told them to cancel my appointment and take me out of their system. They then sent me a letter banning me from Prima Medicine anywhere. I thought a doctors oath was to see patients, we have good insurance. I really hope they sleep well. read more

This was the worst doctor office I ever visited. The doctor was rude, unfriendly, with no empathy. I was told I can't feel pain with my injuries, but if I do, then painkillers are solution for everything. Doctor wouldn't answer any questions, and wouldn't even give a bandaid to substitute the removed one. I had to leap on an uninjured foot from one chair to another because I was asked to remove my special boot etc. first and then switch to the other chair. The total impression was of no help, anger from the doctor, and not being welcome at this office. read more

It took me a few years since moving to Fairfax to find a good doctor that I really liked, but it's finally happened! Dr. Rao is the most genuine and caring internal medicine doctor I've ever been to. I've had some issues with headaches basically all my life and no one really took my pain seriously until her. We've come up with a plan to discover the problem and will address it once we do. I am so glad I was lucky enough to find her and HIGHLY recommend her to anyone looking for a doctor in the area. The staff are also very friendly and helpful, which is hard to find as well. I'm excited to work on my health with Dr. Rao and I hope you give her a chance, too! read more

Dr. Rao and her entire staff are incredible. From the moment I walked in the office I felt comfortable. Dr. Rao is always willing to answer all of my questions and takes her time to make sure I am at ease with any procedures being done. Even the Medical Assistants are amazing. I get very light headed when I have blood drawn and it is always a point of anxiety when I go to the doctor. The MA's always allow me to have my blood drawn in the exam room where I can lay down rather than in the lab. They even talk to me through the whole thing to keep my mind off the blood draw. I can't say enough about this office! They truly provide the best care available to their patients. read more

I visited this office three times and I kept getting a weird vibe from them. My physician kept talking over me with a loud voice in a way that she wanted to silence me. But the actual weirdness was when they billed my insurance for a medical reason that was not my complaint at all. I found out when my insurance rejected the hefty claim. Then this office kept calling me and threatened to send my bill to collection. A few weeks later my insurance checked my medical records and changed the diagnostic code and paid a much lesser amount! Anyway I'm not sure if they just made an honest mistake or that's how my doctor communicates with everyone but I know that I want to be able to have a trustworthy relationship with my healthcare providers. read more

Dr. Rao is great, pretty thorough and she listens. My old PCP went independent and I'm glad I switched over to someone that's more efficient! read more

I've been going to Dr. Rodino and Dr. Kalter for 2 years now and I could not be happier with the service they have both provided! They have made me feel nothing but comfortable and they're both so friendly and easy to talk to. They make coming in for yearly physicals enjoyable and are always accommodating for emergencies. I am sure I'll be a patient here for life! I've already recommended my best friend here and she's now a patient here too. I could not recommend this practice enough! read more

I've recently become a new patient and cannot say how amazing the staff here is. The receptionist, nurses, and nurse practitioner are top notch and overly caring. They definitely put you as the patient first. read more

I was a patient there for over a year. Initially I was happy with the care but something definitely changed with time. Appointments with the Doctor would be served by nurses and I would never see the Doctor. I felt that the nurses were doing the minimum required job without much attention to the bigger picture or followup. The whole thing would be rushed and the quality of the care definitely became subpar. read more

Dr. Rao and her staff are phenomenal! Easy to get an appointment and very short wait time. Everyone is caring, friendly and professional!

I have been a patient of Dr Rao for about 3-4 years. She is very knowledgeable and personable. She listens to what I tell her, discusses options and we decide a plan together. Her office staff is very professional and friendly. Finding her has been a blessing to me! I cannot recommend this place enough. read more

This is the most unprofessional doctor I've ever met. They never got back to me, Lin the receptionist is incredibly rude and will always talk over to you. My mother who is disabled was never able to talk to them. They never took us seriously as patients and did not get back to us in a timely manner. We needed documents from Dr. Rao and instead of her taking it seriously since she wasn't getting paid to fill out the forms for my mothers leave from work she was incredibly flippant about it. She sent us a letter in the mail dropping us as a client because they didn't want to do any work on their end. Lin is lazy and didn't check the mail and made us come back to the office twice in one day when the form clearly stated that it's the job of the Primary care doctor to fill out the form. Overall a super unpleasant experience and incredibly unprofessional. read more

First and foremost Dr Rao is by far the sweetest person ever. I was referred to her through some reviews I read online. I got in a car accident in October 2014 my health took an upside down turn and this Doc and her staff was the sweetest staff ever. There patients are like family and they treated with dignity and respect. The Doc ordered many tests even helped me find all the good specialist. In the mist of all this my ankle was bothering me and she referred me to dr Shabazz. She is the reason why I am still walking today. I had an ankle surgery due to torn ligaments and the surgery was done by Dr Shabazz . All in all if anybody needs a family practitioner in fairfax area she is the best doc . read more

Dr.Chethana Rao is very knowledgeable, affable and compassionate. She explains the things in detail which is very helpful for a layman like me. She proactively looks up the patient profile to advice on medicines currently being taken. She and her staff are always responsive and turn around quickly on prescriptions, advice and appointments when in need. read more

Dr. Rao came highly referred by a friend. She is truly exceptional. She put me at complete ease within the first minute of meeting her and gave a compassionate ear while I rattled out my novice observations. Her team is super efficient that compliments Dr. Rao. Just within 3 weeks of starting out under her guidance, positive results have started showing. Highly recommend Dr.Rao. read more