Umass Memorial Medical Group Orthopedics

The health care was fine but the doctors and administrators are completely deceptive about what they’re gonna charge you for. Beware of «outpatient» services that will get you additional charges.
I had ACL surgery in 2003 and was having some discomfort in 2009 that a doctor said should get better. A year later is wasn’t better but it wasn’t worse so I just wanted to see a doctor to make sure it was okay to play sports again.
I found the doctor on my PPO website (so it should have been just a $ 35 specialist copay). I had an MRI from the year before that I brought with me. When I got there I was told that it was required to get an xray. I asked if it was absolutely necessary. They said yes. I asked how much it would cost and they just kinda shrugged and said it shouldn’t be a big deal. When I went to the xray area I had to pick up a phone and give them all my insurance information again. When I asked why, they said that that was just how it worked.
Turns out that even though I made an appointment with the doctor they require you do go down the hall for an «outpatient» xray that is through Umass Mem. That’s what the other phone call was for. So basically I get charged my copay for the doctor and because she required me to go down the hallway for a required hidden «outpatient» xray, I got charged separately for that. So what was supposed to be a $ 35 visit turned into something like $ 300 extra for the «outpatient» xray.
I’d say that that’s not something you can just shrug off as no big deal when someone asks how much it’s going to cost! I tried to be a responsible patient by asking question and I think I was purposefully misled!
I made so many calls after I got these outrageous bills to no avail.
p. s. Thanks to my Cigna (Tufts) insurance for not sticking up for me…

This place was a nightmare. The medical care was maybe worthy of two stars, but the office doesn’t deserve the one.
The receptionist would stop her personal call to help me. My appointment was with one doctor, but I saw a Phys.Asst. under another doctor, so my referral didn’t work. Their billing agency has no communication with the doctors office, so they didn’t know I was fixing the referral and sent me a collection notice and lied to me (or were wrong) about how long I had to pay. (Fortunately, I didn’t listen and paid anyway).
To top it off, their billing website has fictional payment information.