Children's National Medical Center Consumer Reviews

WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA -- I received a bill from Children's National Medical Center and I immediately paid it. I received a bill for it again and attempted to resolve the issue over the phone. I have documentation that the bill was paid. The next communication I received was from a collections agency. The issue still isn't resolved and will be a headache to clear from our credit.

My second issue is in part my own fault. I had another bill from the same date of service that wasn't billed until August 2, and showed 30 days or less. I was out of town for most of the month of August and paid the bill when I sat down to pay bills at the beginning of September. The check cleared the bank 2 weeks ago. I got another collections notice for that bill today.

WASHINGTON,, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA -- I took my 10 years old daughter for her removal of skin lesion surgery last Fall of 2010 to this hospital. I had submitted all my insurance info before the surgery. A week later, I received a mail to my home address & it was bill from the billing department of this hospital asking for the full amount of almost five grand!!! The next day, I called the billing staff & explained that I have health insurance through my employer & that they need to submit her bill to my insurance company.

Couple of weeks later, I received the same amount of bill asking for the full amount. I then called back again giving them my insurance info (company name, ID # & my group #). The bill was finally submitted to insurance company two months later. My insurance paid almost half the amount based on the provider rate & my portion was about ten percent of the original bill.

Few weeks passed & I did not receive any bill from this hospital & I was just wondering as why the billing staff is not sending me my portion of the bill so I can pay it...until I received a bill from the collection agency that I owe this amount. I got really pissed off!!! These billing staff have no right to do this to their customers.

I called the collection agency & explained that I never received any bill for my portion from the hospital. I am so mad of these billing workers who have no respect for people's credit. I sent an online & secured email to the billing staff, complaining that why their office send this bill to collection agency instead of sending it to me in the first place since I had also received & paid my portion of smaller bills from this hospital for my other kids in the past.

This has negative effect on my credit rating as I have always paid all my bills on time. I requested that the bill be sent back to hospital so I can pay it that way & they said no way!!! Now I am so pissed off that I will not pay it since it has already gone to collection & has hit my credit anyway! At least one friend of ours had the same situation that these idiots billing staff had sent her bill to collection agency instead of sending it to her!

I wonder if they have deal with collection agencies &/or the hospital is not happy with the insurance companies since they do not get paid the full amount of the original bill & because of that, they punished us sending our bill to collection agencies. Go figure!!! So next time you visit this hospital, please be aware of these billing staff who could send your bill to collection!

LAUREL, MARYLAND -- Our daughter initially visited a doctor practicing as part of Children's National Medical Associates in Laurel, Maryland on December 31, 2012. The purpose of the initial visit was a consultation which included no intrusive procedures. As a follow-up visit was recommended, our daughter visited the same facility and doctor on March 8, 2013. Upon receiving a bill from Children's National Medical Associates after the second visit, we were quite surprised as a $40 copayment should have been all that was required from us for each visit.

The initial consultation on December 31, 2012, which was billed as an outpatient hospital visit resulted in an unexpected bill of $284.32 with no prior written nor verbal disclosure to my wife. As previously stated, we anticipated a bill for a $40 copayment, however, the additional $244.32 took my wife and I completely by surprise. Interestingly, the follow-up visit on March 8, 2013 with the same doctor at the same location was billed as an office visit with only a $40 copayment required.

Upon several inquiries to the billing office, we were told both visits were submitted to the health insurance provider and billed correctly based upon specific location of services rendered. Upon asking for a reasonable explanation as to how both visits could be billed differently for the exact same office location for an initial consultation and follow-up visit respectively, one was not provided.

After contacting our health insurance company, a supervisor agreed it made no sense that one visit was billed as an office visit while the other one was handled as a hospital outpatient visit. Moreover, he stated the visits should have been billed identically. However, without modification of the claim by the Dr. ** office, they could not provide further assistance.

Upon dialog with very belligerent and unhelpful persons at Children's National Medical Associates, no progress has been made regarding their improper billing practices. In addition to spending several telephone calls with no resolution, I would add one of the representatives within the billing department was very unprofessional on more than one occasion.