Complaints

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:04/04/2024

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I am writing regarding an ongoing issue with GWU Medical Associates' billing department. The timeline of this matter dates back to May 2023, and despite repeated attempts to resolve the issue, I find myself in an untenable situation as of April 2024. Despite numerous communications on my part, GWU Medical Associates persist in filing claims as an out-of-network provider, contrary to the correct designation as an in-network provider. Despite assurances from their end, GWU Medical Associates has failed to rectify the problem. Instead, they have consistently maintained that the issue lies with me, absolving themselves of any responsibility for their misclassification .In my most recent interaction with GWU Medical Associates on April 3, 2024, I was informed that the billing has been "coded correctly" according to their coding team, and they refuse to revisit the matter. Despite my insurance company's efforts to reopen the claim, GWU Medical Associates adamantly refuses to resubmit the claim with the correct designation, prolonging this dispute unnecessarily.To compound matters, GWU Medical Associates issued what they term as a "final" bill on April 3, 2024, with a due date of May 1, 2024. This bill remains incorrect due to the ongoing misclassification issue. According to my insurance company, the appeals process initiated by them will take approximately 90 business days. Consequently, I am faced with the possibility of having my bill sent to collections while this protracted dispute continues.In summary, I am deeply dissatisfied with the handling of this matter by GWU Medical Associates. Their refusal to acknowledge and address their error, coupled with their insistence on placing the burden of resolution on me, is unacceptable.

  Business Response

  Date: 05/20/2024

  On behalf of MFA, our sincere apologies are offered for any dissatisfaction to customer service or assistance leading to sought out resolution.The received dispute has been escalated to leadership of the insurance processing and follow up department for review of processing for further determination/resolution. The issue of this matter was instead of an issue with the coding, as it was determined by the providers upon coding evaluation, it is more of review with the filing of the claim to the proper entity. The claim initially was sent to ****** based on the location of services vs the local for correct processing causing to process as out of network. Leadership has filed this claim to the local accordingly for correct processing and the self pay balance has been moved off of patient responsibility, back to insurance for further processing. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/16/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I was told by GW Medical Faculty Associates that to get my annual physical, a preventative care service, with a new primary care physician, I had to schedule an Establishment of Care Appointment. The appointment was November 15th, 2023 with provider *******************. This was a telehealth appointment that lasted less than 10 minutes. My insurance company, CareFirst, for an outpatient office visit, and not as preventative care which I was made to believe this was. As I was told I could not get an annual physical appointment without this first appointment, and so believed that it was to be treated as preventative care. The Guarantor #****** for the bill and the clinic was *******************************. This felt deliberately deceptive and that this Establishment of Care appointment was only used as a way to bill my insurance and therefore me. I was not told I would be billed for this service or that I could be charged a co-pay, and was told this was the first step to getting an annual physical and therefore was preventative care.

  Business Response

  Date: 03/11/2024

  ---------- Forwarded message ---------
  From: ******************* <*********************>
  Date: Friday, March 8, 2024 at 12:42:29 PM UTC-5
  Subject: Closed Complaint - ID: ********
  To: *********************************** <***********************************>
  Cc: PatientExperience <********************************>
  

  
  
  

  Good Afternoon,

  Thank you for bringing this matter to our attention. We would like to apologize for the delay in our response, as we wanted to ensure we reviewed this incident thoroughly. We appreciate the opportunity to address the concerns raised by the patient regarding their recent experience with our organization.

  Upon reviewing the patient's appointment, we have confirmed that it was coded as an initial visit with the provider as part of the establishment of care process with a new provider. However, we understand the patient's frustration with the billing discrepancy and apologize for any confusion it may have caused.

  We would like to clarify that the establishment of care appointment is an important step in providing comprehensive and personalized healthcare services to our patients. It ensures that we have a thorough understanding of the patient's medical history and current health status prior to any annual appointments.

  Furthermore, we acknowledge the patient's entitlement to an annual wellness exam and have made multiple attempts to reach out to schedule this appointment via phone and our EHR system, MyChart. Despite our efforts, we have not received a response from the patient.

  To address the concerns raised by the patient, we will be sending them a letter outlining our attempts to schedule an appointment and reiterating our commitment to their healthcare needs.

  We apologize for any inconvenience experienced by the patient and assure you that we are committed to providing transparent and patient-centered care. If you require any further information or assistance regarding this matter, please do not hesitate to contact us.

  Best,

   

  ************ *****, PMP

  Patient Experience Representative

  The GW Medical Faculty Associates

  ***********************************************-436

  ************** 20037

  Office: **************