Inaccurate communication, over billed me and my insurance for an alleged "free orthotic adjustment"

I went to this office for two visits, and the total time the doctor spent with me across both appointments was under 10 minutes. Shortly afterward, I received an $800 out-of-pocket bill--even after insurance covered part of the cost. The billing process is frustrating. They primarily send text messages about balances, do not provide paper statements, and do not call before sending accounts to collections. This feels abrupt and unprofessional. Additionally, the office staff was rude and unhelpful. Overall, the experience felt rushed, overpriced, and poorly managed. I would not recommend this practice. read more

Wanted to schedule surgery but always get 2nd opinions on procedures this important. The office WILL NOT SHARE digital copies of the x-rays that belong to me, I paid for them. Tried on two different dates to request digital copies - received an email pdf that look like a blob and was told I could come into the office and pick up copies of the same exact paper copies. Now the choice to not do business with this practice is pretty simple. read more

I don't think they can improve. DO NOT have any surgery through this place. I had bunion surgery, never felt right. Now I may have to get it redone. read more

Here's the good news, the office is clean, the check in is orderly. The doctor seems rushed and distracted. I should have learned from my first visit but I went back. The receptionist is easily frustrated, I called to resolve a problem I was having trying to fill prescription and she kept answering the phone,....."hold please". She put me on hold five times at least and would not pick up the phone or transfer the call. I finally went to the office to speak to the office manager and she helped me understand the prescription issue. I know finding good help is tough but this is ridiculous. read more

Have been a patient at AF&A for about 20 years. My last appointment with Dr. Harmelin was an hour late and when he finally arrived he spent less than 5 minutes with me and tore off a referral to The Vein Center. I won't be back. read more

Do not let Eric Harmelin Diagnose you or Do any surgeries because he's a butcher I know because he butchered my foot and had infections went back and forth with h about my foot and then a year and a half later I had to have a below the knee amputation so BEWARE OF THIS OFFICE read more

I was absolutely shocked at how Dr. John G. DeLeonibus treated/spoke to me and my 7 year old daughter. I can handle a poor bed side manner, but this was another level almost of anger that we were there to be seen. No consideration or care taken when talking to my child or understanding that she was bit nervous. He told me that he had 7 surgeries and didn't have time for this and got up to leave our room ( after we waited 30 minutes for him to show up), I did not let him leave and insisted that he treated my child. He did a treatment, which required the bandage to be taped, he actually tossed a roll of tape that he couldn't get open on to the floor ( I thought I was on candid camera). Then, he actually thought I'd subject ourselves to a follow up in 2 weeks. No thank you, I'll take our business elsewhere! read more

The drs are great. But the office staff is mediocre at best. The last three visits I have had to wait for the dr for OVER an hour. Ridiculous!!!!!!! They don't even address the issue. Plus they have these stupid light timers, so while you are waiting endlessly the lights go off!!!! read more

1: Reception staff / nursing assistants bored and unfriendly 2: as soon as it was clear I was not spending money beyond insurance my consultation was truncated. First visit was for a callus on my foot, I was asked to return. 2nd visit they tried to sell me their shoes / products which were not covered by insurance - I had no interest and the visit was concluded. I paid a copay and my insurance company a ton of money for what? To be sold a product? If you can go anywhere else I'd give it a try, this is a bottom drawer service. read more

If I could leave a ZERO star review I would. This office, like several others, is one of the reasons the Health Care industry is a mess. You will make an appointment just to sit in their waiting room for 45 minutes. Even after they request you show up 15 minutes early. You will then go into an exam room where you will continue to wait an additional 20 minutes. You will then be met by a Dr. who will perform a 30 second "exam" just to tell you that you need a procedure done. You will be required to come back to the office for a "Pre-surgical" screening. The Surgical Coordinator will even tell you that this needs to be done 30 days prior to your procedure. BUT because your initial visit was billed as a consult, the information obtained cannot be used in lieu of your "pre-surgical" screening. Pre-surgical screening at this office will entail, your vitals and a 2 minute medical history. All of which was reviewed during your previous office visit. Your 5 minute "Pre-surgical" repetitive screening will cost you another billable office visit which will require you pay another copay. You will also be told that where they do the procedure is classified as an "Outpatient" facility. This is so they can charge you and your insurance company a increased rate and therefor you are responsible for a higher copay. So for a total of 3 visits, MAAAAYBE 20 minutes with an actual Doctor, you will be required to pay 2 Office Visits, a outpatient surgery copay and the "surgeons" copay for your procedure. I contacted my insurance company who stated that "Pre-surgical" visits are required when getting anesthesia. Generally, this consists of blood screen/labwork, ECG's and are usually billed as part of the procedure which therefor isn't billable as a separate office visit. Long story short, if your time isn't valuable and you don't mind paying several copay's for no reason, go to this doctor. read more

Below is a detailed justification of my low rating of Dr. Harmelin and his office procedures. My experience at the Annapolis Foot and Ankle Center began with a routine visit to check on foot pain in the big toe area that I had been having regularly for years, but was becoming more intense. There I started seeing Dr. Harmelin. Long story short, his prognosis was that there was nothing I could do about it--even special shoe slips wouldn't amount to much. He recommended bunionectomy, which I agreed to and was also going to get a Tailor's bunion removed at the same time due to similar pain. I don't take any form of surgery lightly, so I did my research and asked questions, but nothing I did could have prepared me for the sub-standard care I received during and after the surgery. I will now detail some of the key issues that went really wrong for me. 1. My surgery appointment was for 10:00 and they wanted me there 1 hour early to prepare. I sat in the reception room for a full hour wondering why I had wasted my time. After finally being allowed in, I then sat in a room for another 30 minutes without anyone checking on me. 2. All seemed to go well for the surgery and after I woke up from the procedure they wheeled me out and got me in the car. That is where the trouble began. First of all, I had a boot and was told that I would be able to put weight on it right away. There was not even a discussion of maybe needing crutches. Also, little did I know that only half of the surgery had been performed. I did not see Dr. Harmelin immediately after the surgery nor did I speak to anyone about how it went. I got some discharge instructions and that was it. (BTW, I DID need crutches, which was apparent after walking 2 feet to the bathroom in tears the next few days after surgery) 3. The next visit after the surgery while I was getting x-rays done Dr. Harmelin passed by and mentioned from the hall that he didn't do the Tailor's bunion. What. I looked around in disbelief. What did he say? He just dropped a bomb as if it was no big deal. Well, during the examination I waited for him to address the elephant in the room--and he didn't. After all the other discussions, I had to say, please explain what happened. He said that during the surgery (after I had been knocked out by anesthesia) they checked the pin they were going to use to correct the Tailor's bunion and found that there was a hole in the sterile bag. There goes the procedure. I couldn't believe it. A surgical center only had available 1 "cheap" pin to use on me?? I told him I was very disappointed and expected that there would be a Plan B in cases like that. I would have preferred to reschedule than to go through a second surgery. Afterall, I was waiting an HOUR AND A HALF before the surgery...I believe they had ample time to check their equipment before I was under anesthesia. While I appreciate their "do no harm" motto in avoiding giving me contaminated equipment, there has to be better preparation for the good of the patient. So, Dr. Harmelin said that he could do it anytime I needed to and that is exactly what the problem is with this doctor. He has no regard for the impact his actions have on patients. Hey, sure I would love to do another surgery that involves cutting my bone and healing for several weeks. Sure, no problem... OK- so that is bad enough, but not the end of the world. Well there's more. 4. I had 2 permanent pins and 1 screw placed in the bone to keep the bones aligned. I was told repeatedly that there was nothing I could do to impact the pins after the bone had healed and I was out of the boot. I was healing well and had no major problems at least that I was aware of. Until 4 months after the surgery I start getting intense pain in my foot. I thought the pain was from some muscle problem and rode it out, but after a few weeks there was no improvement, so I made an appointment before my next scheduled visit. Well, I was shocked to learn that one of my permanent pins had dislodged out of my bone and was hanging out in my soft tissue. Again, shock. "Is this normal?", I ask. They said, yes, it does happen occasionally. Well, that's when I decided to get a second opinion. According to the second podiatrist, he does not use the type of wire that Dr. Harmelin used because it is known to do exactly what happened to me. I also discussed with this doctor how he would conduct the surgery to remove the floating pin. He discussed things in way more detail than Dr. Harmelin and mentioned a special C-arm x-ray that could pinpoint exactly where the pin was at the time of surgery. This would avoid cutting a deeper hole than necessary while trying to find a small pin. Let me say that I decided not to work with Dr. Harmelin anymore and immediately went with my second podiatrist. Overall, I would NOT recommend this business or doctor to anyone. They seem to cut corners and assume their patients know what to expect out of their services. read more

I called to inquire about a nail fungus. All they asked is if I was a patient. When I said no the girl would no longer talk to me and only said I had to make an appointment to talk to the doctor. She was very very unhelpful and not even willing to engage or be polite unless I was a patient. I would never go to a place that treated anyone this way. read more

I'm sorry I didn't read the other review before i want in to see a doctor at this center. After waiting 1 hour and not seeing a doctor, I walked out. He didn't respect my time so why wait around. While I was waiting, I overheard a doctor screaming, that he is in the business to make some money. I think he was on the phone. That was it for me. FYI: while sitting in the main waiting area, I watched people in wheel chairs, mobile scooters and crutches struggle to get around the chairs. Not sure if they meet medical codes. If you have another choice, I'd go elsewhere. read more

Dr. Harmelin treated me for my ingrown nail procedure. I felt he explained every step of the procedure very well and thorough. Dr. Deleonibus treated my daughter for flat foot deformity, she was given otc orthotics and then scanned for custom orthotics, he is kid friendly & people friendly i highly recommend both Dr's. I will suggest them for my friends and family read more

Go somewhere else. Anywhere else. I went to Annapolis Foot and Ankle for 4 appointments before deciding to go somewhere else. The only time I didn't wait for my appointment was my first time. After that I waited 25 minutes or more before even being called back, where I proceeded to wait in the exam room for Dr. DeLeonibus. One time the wait in the waiting room exceeded 50 minutes. I had to reschedule my appointment because he was late arriving that morning. My appointment was later in the morning, there was time to let me know and give me a chance to reschedule before I left work to sit around for almost an hour. My time with the doctor never exceeded 7 minutes, which was fine, but not when the wait is 5x longer than the appointment itself. His bedside manner was terrible. I was SHOCKED at some of the comments he made. There was one in particular that made me say "I've had enough", and that was when I finally switched practices. Now we are in a billing dispute. Full disclosure, it is only for $30. But I was curious what that $30 was for when I saw he had to pay back almost $30,000 to the state of Maryland for duplicate Medicaid claims (http://www.capitalgazette.com/news/ph-ac-cn-doctor-settlement-0324-20150323-story.html). He also once told me that insurance probably wouldn't cover my antibiotic ointment (needed to help with the healing of the blisters caused by his treatment of my plantar warts) and that another patient tried to get it at a pharmacy but they were trying to charge her over $200 when he sold it out front for $40 (I called my pharmacy, it was covered for at total of less than $5, and even without insurance it was still much less than $40). I could have just paid the $30, but it wasn't adding up to me. I called the office and was directed to Cindy in billing to assist me. After she could not provide me with a clear answer as to what my $30 charge was for, other than "wart removal", I asked her why I didn't have the same charge then for all 4 appointments since I had the exact same process/procedure for all appointments (with the exception of 1)? She still could not answer me. She said "here, how about I just send you all your invoices and service records so you can see?" I replied "that would be great, thank you very much" and SHE HUNG UP ON ME. This prompted me to go to my insurance account on-line and look at everything (and save the original claims made to my insurance company). Not only did I see they had the date wrong for the appointment in question (how does that even happen?) but there is a clear note on my insurance claim from the office that says "Patient not responsible for this charge". Even outside of the shady billing/revenue generating experiences, working with Dr. DeLeonibus was not a great experience. His bedside manner was poor (as other reviews state), but that didn't actually bother me. What bothered me was his lack of care/interest. I was there to have warts removed on both feet. Our first appointment I identified both places to be treated to him (which I understood since it was our first meeting). Our second appointment he only looked at the one wart (more obvious on the side of my toe) and tried to leave without looking at the other foot. I asked him if that meant they were gone and he became short with and informed me that it was MY responsibility to inform him at the beginning of the appointment what needs to be done. How about taking a quick look at my chart before he walks in? Once I switched practices, and the care i received from my new doctor, I realized how terrible Annapolis Foot and Ankle actually is. My new office provided me with info about the chemical they treated my warts with. I was given a card with what to look for, what to expect, when to call, etc. read more

Dr. Harmelin is by far the best doctor, of any specialty, I have ever been to. He was exceptionally thorough in his explanation of my surgical procedure. He answered ALL of my questions. He even gave me his cell phone number in case I had any more questions! Who ever heard of a doctor doing that? I would recommend him in a heartbeat! read more

I've been a client of both Dr. DeLeonibus and Dr. Harmelin since 2010 in the Annapolis. In this time, I've had a number f serious foot injuries, surgeries, and foot related illnesses. I've used both doctors at varying times about an equivalent number of times. They've done a remarkable job in supporting me through a variety of serious/life threatening issues. As for basics, their office is always crowded. The office team works quickly and pleasantly to get people in/out as quickly as possible. At times I've had to wait beyond my scheduled appointment. I attribute this to the fact that a) they are both excellent podiatrists/surgeons and b) the fact that, like in an Emergency Room environment, when I need to be seen urgently I get to see them the same day. I've never been told I couldn't get in. I have cell phone numbers for both doctors. I've traveled extensively and often will be out of town. When I am checked they tell me to call if my condition changes - days/nights/weekends. I've actually called both doctors off hours and they've answered, reacted to my info and responded. Both doctors have different bedside manners...but they genuinely care for me as a patient and are willing answer my litany of questions when I'm facing a challenging decision. They consult one another with complications. For me, I know that they've seen it all re: feet. I have absolute belief in their expertise and can say that today I have the full use of both of my feet in no small part to their skill and caring. If you have need for serious podiatry care, these two doctors are outstanding. read more

I broke my foot and was referred here. I saw Dr. John DeLeonibus. It was hands down the worst medical experience I've ever had. His bedside manner is about as bad as you can get. He told me that if I stayed off my foot for 6-8 weeks, I'd be fine. After a 4-week checkup he said he wanted me to go the full 8 weeks, nothing else. After 8 weeks of walking on crutches he told me he "knew we should have put a pin and plate in it" and wanted to book me for surgery. I walked out of there and got a second opinion. Come to find out I shouldn't have been non-loadbearing on it. I should have been in a boot the whole time and using the crutches as needed. It's been 4 weeks since I got the second opinion. I haven't worn a boot in 2 weeks, I got the all clear from the second Dr. last week and he said I'm good to go. Yesterday I hiked 2.5 miles. If I had listened to Dr D, I'd still be recovering from the surgery. Normally I don't try to toss someone under the bus in an online review. I realized that medicine isn't an exact science sometimes and each Dr makes a treatment plan based on their own professional experiences. But this was such a drastic difference in treatment options and non-surgical one ended up panning out that I felt the need to inform folks. If you choose to use this practice I would highly recommend that you line up a second opinion is surgery is suggested. read more

I don't normally write reviews but I have to so you are aware. First I really like the doctors. I came from another very bad podiatrist that performed a botch job that Dr. Harmalin corrected. My problem is with billing and office staff. They don't seem to have billing down so be prepared ahead of time on knowing what your insurance will and won't cover and what is included in your surgery. That way when problems arise, and they will, you can have your insurance company take care of it for you. Don't even try to explain in the office, just forward the bill to your insurance carrier and they will take care of it. For the most part the office staff is wondeful. Except for one woman. She is the loudest rudest woman I have ever encountered. Unfortunately she is at the check in desk most of your visits. You'll know her as she is very abrupt, never smiles, and rude. And if she isn't yelling at you, she'll be yelling at her next phone call. read more