Cooley Dickinson Medical Group Hadley Family Medicine

Several months ago I experienced a billing issue related to my provider not being listed as in-network on my insurance due to something wrong with her insurance credentialing. This led me to be charged the out-of-pocket rate for a service when I should have been charged the in-network rate. Over the span of about three weeks, I spoke with about six different receptionists, three Billing representatives, and two individuals in the Referrals dept. I also left messages for the Practice Manager, as advised by some of the receptionists. Two reps from my insurance also left messages. I also sent eight messages to two different departments (Billing and Insurance Referrals) via the patient portal. Some included a copy of an email I received from BCBS outlining what was needed, as well as a transcript of an online chat that I had with a BCBS rep explaining this further. I did not receive any kind of response until I sent a letter advising that if the issue was not resolved, I would file a complaint against the practice for violating the No Surprises Act and file a grievance against the practice with my insurance co. At that point, I received a call from someone in Billing who stated that I should not have been charged for the visit, and removed the charge from my account. I'm still writing this review because aside from this Billing representative and one of the receptionists that I spoke with, none of the people I spoke with showed any empathy or sense of urgency around my situation. What should have been a simple issue turned into something that took many hours on my end to solve. The fact that it was resolved promptly after being told that a complaint would be filed tells me that it was always possible to solve it quickly; it just wasn't important enough to them until there was a possible consequence to the practice. There is no indication that the broader issues that led to this situation were resolved, and I worry for those who are less able to advocate for themselves. Some suggestions: 1. The billing dept. needs more training in how insurance works. I spoke with several reps in Billing and none of them could understand what I meant when I said that the issue was that I needed a different PCP listed on my insurance than who I actually see, due to insurance requiring an MD listed rather than a nurse practitioner. When I said that if this couldn't be changed, then I needed an MD to put a referral into my insurance for the NP, they did not understand this either and transferred me to the Referrals department, who could not help me. These are common, basic insurance requirements and the fact that multiple billing reps that I spoke with did not understand them is appalling, and suggests a severe lack of training in how insurance works, which is inexcusable when billing is their entire responsibility. 2. The practice manager at HFM clearly needs additional training/discipline. I left several messages for him and he was also contacted by two insurance reps. There is no way that he didn't receive any of those messages. He should have reached out to me or had someone solve the issue. I am extremely disappointed that someone in charge of the practice could not even return a phone call. 3. The fact that I spoke with numerous receptionists and billing reps via phone and left several messages on my portal and did not receive responses or was brushed off on the phone suggests a lack of caring in the practice as a whole. I'm not sure what to suggest here -- I don't know how to teach people to care about other humans. Given that it is so widespread at HFM, it leads me to believe that there are systemic issues at play -- are they given too many responsibilities to focus on solving an issue when it comes up? are they not given support when handling difficult interactions with patients, and have therefore learned to "turn off" their empathy as a way to protect their own mental health? Perhaps your staff needs additional support in order to perform their jobs effectively.

I have been a patient at Hadley Family Practise for at least 35 years and counting. When my longterm PCP retired, I researched other practices and concluded that they are the very best in the area. I never seem to have problems with services, clarity, scheduling, compassion, curiousity, skills, experience, etc. They work as a small team, but also have access to the resources of the Mass General/Brigham system.

I’m very grateful that I was referred to Hadley Family Medicine by a friend. It feels like a big relief given the challenge of finding a PCP I feel comfortable with over the past few years. The staff and my doctor are all kind, patient and professional. I also appreciate that the office is not decorated with fear-based posters promoting pharmaceuticals. It actually feels like a place of wellness!

I have had nothing but positive experiences here. Using the patient portal to communicate with the office, nurse,or doctor is simple and productive. I always recieve an answer. Requesting prescription refills online through the portal is just as quick. Everyone is respectful and professional. After years of trying to find a competent Dr. I have found one here.

Scheduling has been problematic but they are improving lately I must say. I stay here for Dr.Marsters as she is hands down the most thorough and caring doctor I've ever seen. She always makes time to fit me in, takes my concerns seriously, and runs as many tests as neccesary to figure out what's going on. I have seen her since I was a young teen, now 28, and she is the sole reason I am still with this practice. She also took on my 2 daughters as patients and has been wonderful. We also saw an NP that is newer to the practice and she was so kind and patient with my 2 yr old who is afraid of drs, I was so grateful for how she did everything to be patient and put my daughter at ease after a bad visit at a different pediatrician.