I recently saw a Westchester Medical Group doctor for a routine physical. My experience was very disappointing from the start. The on-site lab not only lost my urine sample, they also lost my blood sample. However, I didn't find out about this until two weeks after my physical, during which time I made four phone calls to my doctor's office to find out my test results -- only one of my calls was returned. When I finally spoke to my doctor, she told me I would have to have my blood test repeated. I didn't really blame her for this. But then today I received the benefits explanation of my visit from my insurance company and was surprised to see that my doctor billed me for an EKG...but I didn't receive an EKG, nor was one even discussed during my 10-minute physical! (I am young, physically fit, and do not have a heart condition, so I would have been very surprised if my doctor had asked me to get an EKG.) When I called the WestMed billing department, they said that they clearly saw an order for an EKG in my records, so I must be wrong, and did I even understand what an EKG was, etc. etc.. I insisted that I did not receive an EKG, and I was told that they would submit an inquiry to my doctor to see what she had to say about it. This kind of billing practice, whether perpetrated by my doctor or by the billing department, is quite possibly fraudulent! I will not return to WestMed and will instead look elsewhere for future care.
Pros: Many doctors to choose from
Cons: Unresponsive, unaccountable, possibly fraudulent billing
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