Cleveland Clinic Reviews

CLEVELAND CLINIC BILLING SCAM!

After more than six years as a Cleveland Clinic patient, I walked into what was presented as a routine wellness visit and walked out with a financial ambush.

I paid my normal copay. Nobody told me anything had changed.

Nobody said there would be additional fees. Nobody told me the visit would be billed differently than every other office visit I have had over the years.

Then the bills started showing up.

First, Cleveland Clinic added a facility fee that I was never informed about before the appointment.

Second, and even worse, they changed the billing classification of the physician visit itself. What was a routine doctor's office visit was billed as an outpatient hospital service.

Those are TWO separate billing changes.

A facility fee.

And a completely different billing classification for the physician visit.

Neither was disclosed to me before the appointment.

When I contacted my insurance company, I was told the reason for the additional charges was how Cleveland Clinic submitted the claim. Because the visit was billed as outpatient hospital instead of a standard office visit, my insurance may process it differently, may cover less of it, or may not cover portions of it at all.

In other words, Cleveland Clinic's billing decision has the potential to leave me responsible for hundreds or even thousands of dollars that I never agreed to incur.

When I called Cleveland Clinic billing, I was told they could send me a notice explaining the charges.

AFTER THE FACT.

A notice after the appointment is meaningless.

The entire point is that patients should be informed BEFORE the appointment so they can make an educated financial decision.

I was then told that I had been notified.

That was simply not true.

I was not notified when I scheduled the appointment.

I was not notified by email.

I was not notified by mail.

I was not notified during check-in.

I was not notified before seeing the doctor.

I challenged them to tell me exactly when I had been informed.

They couldn't.

After escalation, a supervisor finally admitted what I already knew: I probably was never notified.

That admission says everything.

What makes this so outrageous is that Cleveland Clinic markets itself as transparent and patient-focused.

There is nothing transparent about allowing a patient to believe they are attending a routine office visit and then afterward attaching a facility fee and changing the billing classification to outpatient hospital.

The facility fee alone is bad enough.

But changing the doctor's billing from an office visit to an outpatient hospital service without informing the patient beforehand is even worse.

That billing change can directly impact insurance coverage and patient responsibility. It can transform a normal copay visit into a massive unexpected expense.

I told the supervisor this was unethical. Her response was that they are not legally required to tell patients beforehand.

That answer is exactly the problem.

If Cleveland Clinic knows a patient may be charged a facility fee and knows the visit will be billed under a completely different classification that could affect insurance coverage, basic honesty and transparency require disclosure BEFORE the appointmentnot after the bill arrives.

Instead, I was hit with a surprise facility charge, a reclassified physician ***, and the possibility of substantial out-of-pocket expenses that I had absolutely no opportunity to evaluate beforehand.

That is not transparency.

That is not patient-centered care.

That is a billing trap.

Cleveland Clinic states that it is "committed to price transparency" and says it has been committed to price transparency "for many years."

Bottom line, they will not tell you ahead of time that they may change the billing code to one your insurance may not even cover, despite it being nothing more than a routine doctor's visit. They also will not tell you ahead of time that they may add a facility fee.

They may tell you that you were informed, then later admit that you probably were not.

They may even offer to send you the notification of the fees AFTER the service, once you have already become responsible for the bills.

How helpful.

When you tell them it's unethical not to let patients know ahead of time that they are changing the billing classification from in office to outpatient/hospital, and adding fees, they will tell you that by law they don't have to. Ethical, I think not. A mistake, obviously not if they have looked into this and have notification wavers (which they dont use) prepared.

Then they turn around and claim they practice ethical and transparent billing.

I'M STUCK WITH SIGNIFICANT BILLS NOW.

This was a routine visit that I could have had done with virtually any doctor anywhere.

Instead, I got hit with a facility fee and a billing code change that could leave me paying substantially more out of pocket because my insurance may not cover it the same way it would have covered a normal office visit.

That's the scam.

Not the medical care. The billing.

I'm cancelling all my future Cleveland Clinic appointments and will NEVER be scammed by them again.

Worst care I have ever received. Not so much from front-line staff but more so from care coordinators, patient advocates, etc.

A thousand questions were asked, no conclusive answers were given for treatment plan(s), coverage, length of rehab, pain management, you name it. Several infections in my shoulder put a stop to my rehab, with little to no concern or compassion. As a 64-year-old USMC vet, 100% disabled, retired, also with private insurance, they seemed to just be more interested in burning up my coverage instead of addressing the issues. Transported from center to center like cattle.

I'm ashamed I even served to perpetuate this false sense that my medical needs would be taken care of. Big folks with big titles that don't do their jobs and put it on you to ensure your needs are taken care of, never again! Still experiencing unresolved issues with no help getting back to the norm. If I had heard, 'I am not an insurance expert' one more time, I would have lost my mind.

I have PTSD with panic/anxiety attacks that weren't even taken into consideration. I wouldn't take my dog there! Once again, anything to do with Cleveland did not disappoint.

Should have never returned here after my discharge from the military. Back to UH I go if ever care is needed again.

Just now - 09/03/2025, I tried twice to log into my chart. When I got to the idiotic 2 step "identification" I spent a good 20 minutes or more trying to get the code texted to my phone.

The agent who answered the phone said - "Well your code has been sent. I DID NOT receive it.

I might add, I am recovering from recent Deep Brain Stimulus surgery performed in August. I was in no mood to be fooling around with this baloney. The agent made it seem as though it was my fault.

I told him that I was VERY angry. He told me the "security step" was just to get my billing address!!! The Clinic already has my information. Previously when this happened the agent was able to give me a code directly.

When I had my second surgery - DBS requires three procedures - only when the Resident came in to see me - she cleaned off some of the yellow sterile solution off my head.

There were two big blood clots on my forehead that neither the nurses or the aides bothered to clean. I left the hospital looking strange.

My experience at Cleveland Clinic Weston was deeply concerning. I presented with documented bilateral hydronephrosis with possible obstruction, a known 17mm kidney stone, and ongoing neurological issues including multiple prior cerebellar strokes and daily debilitating migraines.

I sought medically necessary imaging, including an MRI with contrast and a MAG-3 scan, which had been recommended by other physicians. These were not ordered.

During my visit with urologist Dr. Leonard Kaufman, he raised his voice toward me. I specifically asked the attending nurse to note this, and she did not disagree.

I left the appointment without the diagnostic testing that had been discussed as necessary for my condition. I subsequently obtained the required testing from an outside urologist, who acted promptly to assess whether I was in a potentially life-threatening situation.

In addition, I experienced a lack of follow-up and communication from other providers.

One nurse practitioner advised she would prescribe a migraine medication that could significantly reduce my symptoms, but the prescription was never called in and no follow-up occurred despite multiple patient messages.

I was also discharged without coordinated follow-up care, specialist referrals, or continuity of treatment. As a patient with complex medical needs, I found this lack of communication, coordination, and responsiveness unacceptable.

I work here as a former employee, and let me start off by saying the department was by far the worst. They didn't care about overworking me; I fell down on the job, busted my leg, and with preexisting conditions, they still treated me like trash.

I tried to report them, but they buried the problem. People rubbed me the wrong way several times; I almost got into a fight with another employee, and they still gave that employee special privileges over me. Now I tried to apply for a different location, and they blocked me from that interview for that position. I don't know what is going on, but maybe the rumors are true: this facility isn't the best anymore.

There isn't heart and soul in it, period! This is from a former employee's standpoint.

I was referred to the Cleveland Clinic North, Stuart, FL via my West Palm Beach VA Hospital Community Service and filled out a pre-appointment form , detailing my diagnosis of paralytic ileus that I had been afflicted with over the past 5 months since I was discharged from a blocked intestinal track that had opened up (confirmed later by a CAT scan at the VA Hospital).

My first appointment at CC North was with a Kevin Wissinger, MD (a general surgeon rather than a G.I. specialist) who asked me "What brings you here" indicating he had not read my pre-appointment detailed medical report.

The only thing he did for an examination was to shove his hand into my herniated intestinal protrusion that caused the first serious pain since it developed over 50 years ago.

He then referred me to an appointment with a "GI Specialist" (Gastroenterologist) but instead - turned out to be Jingyi Duan, PA).

Later - I was billed $300 for this initial "referral" interview session.

My next appointment was with what I understood to be a Gastroenterologist - but instead was Jingyi Duan, PA and as in my first interview, she asked what brings you here?" suggesting she had not read my detailed account of my paralytic ileus.

I described in detail how I have been managing it.

Without any examination, she began suggesting lay treatments for normal constipation: I could try a potty stool and try laxatives. I explained I had tried all that and was using Milk of Magnesia every 3rd day, drinking lots of liquids and avoiding all the foods that might be hard to digest. I asked her to exam my abdomen and lay prone on the examination bench and she felt around for about a minute without any comment.

She then wrapped up our session by recommending I try MiraLax instead of Milk of Magnesia (and take it every 4 days instead of the 3 day interval I was using with Milk of Magnesia).

She mentioned I could schedule follow up appointment in several months (but I declined as their was nothing to suggest I would receive any real help for my condition).

Later I was billed $630 for this appointment.

At a cost to the VA of about $1000, I received no advice to manage my paralytic ileus beyond what is widely available online for treating constipation.

Other medical references online for addressing chronic paralytic ileus involve blood tests for infection risks, checking potassium, etc. levels and invasive surgery.

Trying to get care at the Cleveland Clinic is an awful experience as a patient. Trying to get an appointment with the first available cardiologist for chest pain took 5 months!

Apparently, we should just wait to have a heart attack and go to the ER! The doctors are absolutely awful about following up on test results. I waited for 4 days after my ECHO, and the doctor still would not respond to my chart messages to let me know the interpretation of results and whether it was safe to scuba dive. I couldn't get in touch with anyone at the office to get any answer either.

To make matters worse, I wait on hold for 10-20 minutes just to speak with an operator when calling the clinic, before being transferred to the correct area, then wait on hold again. The calling system is the worst I've ever encountered in healthcare. Nobody is there to help the patient anymore.

It's just seeing as many patients as possible to collect as much money as possible for the hospital, without any quality for patients. This system is the worst!

My name is Teresa Casas, a patient at Cleveland Clinic in Weston Florida, this clinic is number 1 in terms of punctuality, they do not make the patient wait. I am a cardiology patient for the last year, my cardiologist Mauricio Velez considers me a great cardiologist on June 22, 2024 I found in my folder dated June 6, 2024 in which the hospital refuses to continue giving me medical assistance alleging that I missed between 18 and 20 appointments being a high risk L-VAD patient ok it seems to me that that is not Possible because I have only been in this clinic for a year, first of all, secondly, either there are 18 or there are 20, I repeat in one year I cannot have had so many appointments because my insurance would not have covered them, in fact, I think I only saw the cardiologist in person 4 times in a year, that is, every three months, which is the right thing to do, they accuse me of not complying with the PT laboratories, which are to see how my NRI is.

I come from another hospital where these laboratories were already done for me once a month or tennis eñ equipment to do it at home but they stopped sending me the material to evaluate me which made me go to the laboratory they wanted me to go every week and then every two weeks I admit that sometimes I went once a month because I suffer from depression and I am medicated to sleep And it was difficult for me to wake up regarding my appointments with Mauricio Veñez, the cardiologist, I only missed one and explain the reasons. Mairicio Velez says that I am talkative, it seems disrespectful to me to say that when if I have something, it is that I am respectful, that I am always fun, no. I know if that offends him, now I understand that they deny me attention for two important reasons that do not suit them. They do not want patients with criteria that they analyze and defend themselves.

They want sheep. The oncology of this institution decided that I had to take 5 years ago hormones for breast cancer that I never had and that they would not do the transplant for me. Until those 5 years had passed, I told the doctor that it was my right to decide and 1. I would not take any hormones and since it was a condition to have the transplant, I gave it up since with the L-VAD I have the same chances of life in terms of time, I honestly think that no one can determine how long we will live, I will leave this world the day it is my turn, in short, I say yes to the doctor and he answers to defend my right and my criteria, he is not doing me a favor.

He is doing his duty and my insurance is paying to treat me.

In other words, without prior notice, they have treated me like garbage and refuse to give me assistance. I send them my blessings because one day they may be the ones on the patient's side.

I've been at Akron General for 16 days with my wife who is being treated for pericardial and pleural effusions. I find it absurd to have to pay for parking.

The fee is $6 per day. I paid this every day. The last day I decided to get a meal at lunch time and return. I came to Ak Gen at 8 am and I picked up lunch at 1 pm, 5 hours.

Got back at 2 pm and will leave at 6 pm, 4 hours. That would require a $4 or $5 payment for the 5 hours and $4 for the 4 hours.

I should not have to pay more than $6 per day. But truth is, I should not have to pay at all if the hospital when my wife's hospital stay is already between $60k and $150k.

There is no where else to park.

I was referred to the Cleveland Clinic endocrinology department by my cardiologist to assure my hypertension was not related to my endocrine system. I subsequently scheduled the appointment and received confirmation with visit instructions.

My wife and I then drove 5 hours to my appointment, parked, entered the main facility and eventually found our way to where we needed to be. The normal routine of check-in, insurance, etc. was performed and I was directed to another area of the building for my appointment. Eventually I was led to an examination room with a few more questions, blood pressure, temp, etc.

This process took about an hour, then another ½ hour awaiting the Endocrinologist to arrive. All was well at this point, assuming 1 ½ hours is standard wait time for this type of visit.

This is where the experience changes a bit. The Endocrinologist did not know who I was or why I was at Cleveland Clinic. I asked if they had read the referral information and the answer was no since their office had not received any information.

For the next 45 minutes I proceeded to provide history on my condition, my understanding of why I was at Cleveland Clinic and provided a copy of recent blood work. The Endocrinologist suggested we do additional blood work, asked if I wanted a COVID booster, suggested an Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Screening and suggested scheduling another appointment with the Cleveland Clinic Spine Medical Center, since during part of the conversation I mentioned stenosis in my neck. I still get those appointment recommendations every time I log into the patient portal MyChart.

I left the appointment a bit puzzled as to why the Endocrinologist did not have any background referral information and I found it strange the appointment was confirmed without having that detail. I proceeded to the blood work area which was a great experience.

In and out in a timely manner and the nurse drawing the blood was exceptional. However, I found it odd 6 or 7 tubes of blood were drawn. My wife and I left to drive another 5 hours back home. Quite a long day.

I never heard back from the Endocrinologist so I went to the patient portal MyChart and asked for the results which were subsequently posted.

I noticed many of the blood tests done had already been performed by the referring doctor and my PCP, so puzzled as to why repeated. I asked the Endocrinologist to provide a medical opinion after reading through the referral information. Apparently, the Endocrinologist office does not have access to the Cleveland Clinic Referral System so they asked me to have my doctor send them the information. My doctors office resent the referral information, but stated they could only send to the Cleveland Clinic Referral Office per procedure.

Well, this went back and forth for weeks. As far as I know, the Endocrinologist never did receive any information which I still think is very strange. Why accept a referral appointment without referral information and background. This should be mandatory before scheduling an appointment.

Now the bills start surfacing.

If you dont login to the patient portal MyChart, then you dont even know a bill exists. Eventually, I received a USPS paper bill for the Endocrinologist services which was paid upon receipt. I still have not received a USPS paper bill for the blood work, but the charges are exorbitant especially since many of the tests had already been done. I then contacted the billing office, explained my experience, mentioned that many of the blood tests should not have been repeated and if done at my local Quest or Lab Corp would have been ½ the cost.

I was hoping for some type of concession due to my experience and was sent over to the Cleveland Clinic Ombudsman office where I detailed my experience. I received a call back a week or so later telling me there is nothing they could do, but their reason was based on non-factual incorrect information. I proceeded to offer insight into the correct details, however, I was told the decision was final and they would not review further. Wow!

The Ombudsman office did mention they would look at changing their process, but no commitment nor insight into what type of changes would be made.

I dont think anything will be changing since their decision was based on inaccurate information which suggests everything happened as designed.

Bottom line, if you have a referral dont trust the Cleveland Clinic process works and demand referral background is received and reviewed prior to confirming an appointment. Also, if blood work is part of the process, review the suggested tests to assure no repeats and opt to have blood drawn at your local Quest or Lab Corp which will be ½ the cost.