BethesdaPsychiatryMD

“I was referred to this practice by my PCP and felt hopeful at first. Before scheduling, I specifically confirmed multiple times that my insurance was accepted and that my visits would be covered. I was explicitly told my insurance would cover my appointment costs. My appointment with Shawn was excellent. He was kind, professional, and very helpful. This review is not about him. The issue is entirely with the billing and administrative side. Several days after my first telehealth visit, my card was suddenly charged over $170 with absolutely no warning or explanation. There was no bill breakdown in the portal, no email, and no call. It looked like a random charge with zero context. I spent the next week calling repeatedly and leaving voicemails trying to understand what I was being charged for. The voicemail promises same-day callbacks, but none of my calls were returned. On the day of my follow-up appointment, I tried to log in and was blocked from joining unless I paid another $160+ immediately. That was the first time anyone mentioned deductibles or significant out-of-pocket costs. When I finally reached someone by phone, there was no empathy or effort to help problem-solve. I was simply told what I owed and that I would also be charged a $100 no-show fee if I didn’t attend. Afterward, I contacted billing by email to ask two very direct questions: • Would the no-show fee be waived since I was misinformed about costs? • Are there any payment plan or reduced-fee options? Instead of answering those questions, I repeatedly received generic explanations about “patient responsibility.” What was especially frustrating is that billing staff acknowledged that: • whoever verified my insurance should have clearly explained these out-of-pocket costs beforehand, and • billing was supposed to follow up with me about charges. Neither of those things happened. So I was being told everything was my responsibility while they simultaneously admitted their own communication steps were never completed. My actual questions continued to be avoided. Eventually my emails — including requests for copies of my own medical records — stopped receiving responses entirely. For a mental health practice, the lack of transparency, accountability, and basic compassion is unacceptable. Patients should not be surprised with unexplained charges, ignored when asking for help, or forced to chase staff just to access their own records. Shawn was great, but the administrative experience made it impossible for me to continue care here. Update: I waited to post this review until I received my records. Even that required multiple follow-ups. My first email asking about payment plan or reduced-fee options was sent on February 19, and despite several responses over the following weeks, that question was never actually addressed. On March 9 — weeks later — billing finally acknowledged that request and asked me to call to discuss payment arrangements. By that point I had already decided to move my care elsewhere due to the communication issues and simply reiterated that I only needed my records. I was then sent a release authorization form so my documents could be faxed to my PCP.”

“Good luck getting in the door. I’ve called 3 times in a week, during business hours and I’ve filled out the online form. Nothing. No call backs, nothing. What’s frustrating is that the voice mail message actually indicates that you’ll receive a call back by the end of the day. Not accurate. It’s fine if the business is full of patients and unable to take any new ones but communicate that so we stop wasting our time reaching out.”

“Admin is terrible. I called to reschedule an appointment in advance. It took me calling a second time to get them to respond. Then, i messaged them on the portal stating that I am free to schedule an appointment. I received a message back stating to call her to schedule. It’s been one week since I called her and she never called me back. Definitely poor treatment of clients who are seeking mental health services.”

“Dr. Jha is an excellent psychiatrist. She was direct and honest. She identified my issue after a set of very perceptive questions, suggested a treatment (and followed through with details on dosage as we worked that out) and addressed all my many concerns. My life is so much better now that I have the space enable by medication to truly work through my trauma from many decades ago. Highly recommend her.”