Inova HealthPlex Emergency Care Center

This review is in reference to the billing department. I had a test done and INOVA billed my insurance company $ 1,779. My insurance discount on the service was $ 587, so now the bill should be $ 1,192. My insurance paid them $ 750 and I should owe $ 442. Instead INOVA billing personal insisted rather rudely that there was no adjustment, no $ 750 payment, and didn’t even acknowledge my partial payment of $ 119.20 at the time of service. Now I have to spend time getting my insurance to get them to do their jobs and correct my billing. The medical service I received was excellent, but the billing department leaves a very bad impression.

I came here due to a complex migraine that was causing me severe pain. Check-​in process was OK except that the person checking me in stopped to help someone else who was visiting one of their employees, and took about 5 minutes to deal with them for whatever reason. You would think medical emergencies get priority.
I waited in the waiting room for around 20 minutes before being taken in. It was another 20 or 30 minutes before I was seen by the doctor. There were around two nurses and one doctor here.
None of the other patients here had a legitimate medical emergency. Nobody is in a private room and everyone is in the same room separated by curtains, so I could clearly here everyone else’s problem. One person was there because for the past 6 months, their teeth bleed when they brush their teeth. Another person had a Charley-​horse in their leg. I guess that what qualifies as a medical emergency in some people’s minds.
The doctor didn’t seem qualified to treat my condition and actually asked what treatment they should provide and what drugs they should administer. Wow. I suggested they give me morphine and anti-​nausea medicine, since my complaints were severe pain and nausea.
They hooked up an IV and sent in some drugs including morphine. They did not help the nausea at all and only slightly helped the pain. After around 30 – 40 minutes, the doctor came by and asked if I’m any better and I said I’m only slightly better. The doctor had the nurse give more morphine and a different anti-​nausea drug. This brought the pain level down to moderate but didn’t really help my nausea. The drugs put me to sleep. A short time later they woke me up and asked if I was better. I said I was feeling somewhat better, so they said, ok we’re discharging you. They then unplugged the IV and wheeled me into the hallway and told me they’d leave me there until someone came to pick me up.
At this point I couldn’t walk and was barely conscious and could barely dial my phone. I called my wife and asked her to come pick me up and then fell asleep. I was woken up again when she called and said she was there to get me. One of the staff noticed I couldn’t walk and put me in a wheel-​chair. I was wheeled not to my wife, who was waiting to pick me up, but back to the registration desk where I was asked to pay the co-​pay!
I was then wheeled into the doorway and left there. My wife came and found me and had to help me into the car as I was barely able to walk. When I got home I was very sick and vomiting and once the morphine wore off, the pain level went up. They did not prescribe me any pain medicine, and even if they did, I wouldn’t have been able to fill it since I was in such a bad state.
If I ever have another medical emergency, I’ll drive the extra 30 – 60 minutes to somewhere better like the Virginia Hospital Center in Arlington, or the Inova in Fairfax.

I seem to find myself at this facility more often than not. The location is close enough to me that’s it’s really a quick drive for both outpatient and ER care.
The staff is very accommodating. The wait time is extremely fast, compared to other ER locations. They are very thorough and the place is very clean.
They do not have the resources and equipment for massive ER type incidents but it’s a good place if you can drive yourself to this place.

Everyone at this ER center was just wonderful! After a slip and fall down some stairs 2 days ago (my right foot slid against the carpet and I bumped my butt on about 3 stairs), the pain was not going away, so I thought it better to be safe than sorry and go to this Inova ER to get checked out. It was around 9:45pm when I arrived and there was no one else in the check-​in area, so they took my information quickly and I sat down for my name to be called. They have one of those instant coffee makes and I got some tea, which was very nice. It took awhile (45 min) for me to be called back, despite no one being around, but ERs are for emergencies and I didn’t want to judge this wait since I knew someone could very well be hanging between life and death in the back. When I was finally called back, the nurse was extremely friendly and sympathetic towards my condition and quickly took my vitals and such before saying the doctor would be in as soon as possible. I waited another 45 minutes, but again, its an ER and I could hear some machines making rapid beeping noises, so I assumed there was real emergencies going on that was keeping my doctor. When Dr. Michael Sabatino finally did come in, he was so wonderful in his concern and care, as well as explaining extensively what he thought my injury was (possible herniated disc) and letting me know that an Xray wouldn’t help me, since he was sure I hadn’t actually broken any bones. He prescribed me a few medicines for the pain, giving me a dose right there and then I was discharged. I don’t think I’ve ever had such a quick and «painless» visit to am ER before (I’m originally from NYC and you don’t want to KNOW what the ERs are like there). My nurse gave me the medicines and papers, and I was out by 11:30pm, so a total of less than 2 hours, in-​and-​out! I’d highly recommend this location if anyone needs to suddenly see a doctor. The Inova website even lists estimated wait times for all of their ERs, so you can look and see how long you’ll have to wait before hand. One note (which is why I took a star off) is that the website said there would be a 5 min wait and it took me 45 min, but honestly, it was a minimal problem that didn’t damper my impression on the place. Kudos, Inova — you did well!

I arrived at the ER during the afternoon on New Year’s Eve. I had a severe case of acid reflux and was not able to swallow anything and was dehydrated since it happened the day before. I waited an hour in the waiting and then about another hour to finally see the doctor. Although I told the nurses I was nauseous, I made it clear that I have a hiatal hernia and acid reflux. One nurse began to administer meds intraveneously to the point that I could barely move. Later I learned that there were 5 rounds administered – all to treat nausea. The doctor was most unhelpful– she gave me an EKG and said it was normal as was the bloodwork. She did not seem to understand my discomfort. After another couple of hours, they physically tried to make me drink fluids which I repeatedly told them I could not swallow. The nurse said I was discharged and thankfully a family member had showed up to take me home. I have not always had this type of experience in this ER but the over-​medication and the forcefulness of both the doctor and nurse is a major cause for concern.

August 23^rd. The day i broke my first (and hopefully last) bone. All things considered, this hospital visit turned out to be mostly pleasant. I can’t say enough about the staff from all departments and the overall experience there.
Almost 200 miles from home, I arrived at the ER with a broken toe and was immediately attended to. My entire stay lasted about 3 hours, and everyone did a great job making sure I was comfortable and asking if I needed anything. They were also extremely courteous to my friend, who had driven me to the ER. All the nurses, resident doctors, xray technicians, etc. made me feel more than comfortable by making light of the situation, especially considering my broken toe was the result of dropping a keg on it. I suppose the painkiller didn’t hurt either.
My toe was numbed and reset, then cast and bandaged by two resident doctors. Admittedly, the pain was 1-​star; their care, however, was 5-​star. I’m no doctor, but I’m sure it would have been much worse if I hadn’t had it taken care of. After about 5 weeks, my toe is continuing to heal nicely. I had 2 pins put in, and will be out of my walking boot in about 4 more weeks.
My advice: If you decide to break a bone or require emergency care, take comfort in knowing you’ll be just fine here.

So there comes a time when each and every one of us needs to get either poked, prodded, or stitched, and this is certainly the place where you want that event to take place. Now, at the risk of being indelicate, I came here for one of those medical tests that everyone should have in their life but looks forward to like Charlie Brown dreads Alien probing (or at least, I think Charlie Brown would dread it; after all, the little guy always seemed to have the worst luck).
No, there is simply no reason to dread this Care Center for the staff and doctors are all top notch. I never worried about anything, and they put me right at ease. It was all over before I knew it, and I was given a clean bill of health that would make even Charlie Brown smile.
I’d give Inova Health Plex 6 stars if I could.

This review pertains to the Billing Dept of this hospital and Pediatrics dept (same building).
What is going on with the people running the billing?! I never ever had a problem until I transferred my child’s care to this care and had to use their emergency care once.
I have been in a debacle with them since November! Their math on my bill was inaccurate and they keep blaming my insurance but they do nothing on their end to bring me a resolution!
Steer away from their incompetency. I’d rather drive 20miles to get better service.

Northern Virginia has AMAZING healthcare. I feel privileged to be a product of the Commonwealth of Virginia.
My father had an eye procedure here and the staff was outstanding.
Nurses have a special place in my heart. They are the mommies of the world, they soothe us when we are scared, they know what to say to settle our hearts. The nurses here settled my heart and in turn when my father saw the panic subside in my eyes he knew he would be okay, because I was okay.
As they were prepping my father they explained everything to me. Every person I came in to contact with told me their name and how their healing hand would help my father.
When the procedure was done my father’s doctor came out and put me at easy again. As we waited to be discharge I felt a peace that I haven’t felt in a long time.
We were discharged and another nurse was kind enough to wheelchair my father to a waiting car.
Every single person I came into contact with here treated my father with respect and kindness.
We received several follow up calls to make sure my father was recovering well. I can’t recall the last time a doctor made a person call to make sure my father was okay.
I would totally pick this surgery facility over any surgery facility within a 50 mile radius. The kind Doctors and Nurses, the location (public transportation and hired drivers), the facility is new and well kept. It doesn’t have a «sick» people vibe. And last but not least — it settled «neurotic Ingris.»

This INOVA hospital located in Alexandria is one of the best I ever been to. As soon as we walked in to the emergency door Ms. Angie at the front desk took us immediately to do paper work. Afterward we waited maybe 5 seconds and we were called in to see the nurse. Zach, Meredith and Dr. Lewis were all very helpful and made the whole process painless as possible. I don’t like hospital but this place gets a 5 star with excellent customer service and all the medical staff were very friendly!!!

TL;DR: great emergency room, awesome staff, A+ followup. –1 Star for the construction right in the middle of the ward.
I drove myself to the Springfield Inova HealthPlex after a night of incredibly awful abdominal pains, cramps, and raging back pain. I got to the HealthPlex at around 6am (having chosen this emergency care hospital because my sister/​bro-​in-​law and my best friend lived very close by, in case I needed some help getting home), and hobbled my way to check-​in.
Front desk lady saw just how much pain I was in as I groaned my way into a sitting position, apologized that we had to fill out some information, and that she’ll get me checked in as quickly as possible. As she was leading me to a bed, she apologized profusely about the construction mess and the noise and that she was hoping there was an empty bed farther away, but those beds were full.
Staff was very friendly, nurses helped me get in/​out of bed, to/​from bathroom, and got me dosed up on morphine as soon as they could. Emergency doc was solicitous, kept checking in on me, got me ultrasounds and CT scans asap, and kept me updated on what was going on.
After nearly 6 hours in the emergency room (I slept through most of it, which was great), I was released with marching orders to see a specialist, get an MRI, and fill my pain prescriptions.
What was kind of amazing was the amount of follow-​up they did. I got a call from one of my attending nurses to check how I was doing and if I’d gotten my MRI about 2 days after my emergency visit. I got a call from the attending doc to check how things were going with me, and listened to my reports re: specialist followups. Pretty cool, for reals.

I’ve never had to go to the ER as an adult before, but last night’s reaction following my allergy shots required it. Since this is the closest to my house, this is where I went.
I was in and out in less than 2 hours, which was good. Everyone I dealt with was friendly and explained everything well. I dealt with an intake person, a registration person, an EMT, 3 nurses, a doctor, and a discharge clerk. Granted, I have very high standards since all of my normal doctors have excellent bedside manners, but the doc was probably the least favorite of the group. One nurse in particular, Elizabeth, was really great.
By the time I was seen, the benedryl I had taken before I left my house was starting to kick in, so the symptoms had gone down somewhat. But they gave me a dose of prednisone, watched me for a while to make sure I didn’t get any worse, and sent me home with prescriptions and instructions. It was a very uneventful ER visit, which is fine with me.
I don’t really have much to compare this visit to, but I didn’t leave feeling anything negative. Its good to know that this is there — as others mentioned, its a pretty quiet ER, which is fine by me. The last thing I need when I’m having a medical condition that I can’t handle at home is mass chaos in the ER.

I could not disagree with the previous review more. In short, (because I hate long reviews), the experience is the best I’ve ever had. I’ve been treated here a few times and I’ve always been very happy. Hope I never have to come back ;)

Decent. I’m not a fan of Inova in general, but this location has always been one that has treated me quickly and accurately. This location is much quicker than the Fairfax location and is recommended more by my pediatrician than some of the other Inova ones.

Doc in the Box! I visited the Inova Springfield Healthplex Emergency Care Center for severe pain and Migraine headache sinus problem on a Saturday afternoon. I could not take the pain anymore, so I thought this would be a fast and inexpensive alternative to an emergency room visit.
Unfortunately, I was not treated with the the «Top Notch Quality Care» that the Inova Web site claims it offers to it’s patients. I was greeted by a cavalier receptionist, then my information was taken by a laissez-​faire intake clerk. I sat in the waiting room for about ten minutes. In that time I watched the intake clerks and various personnel chit chatting about music, movies, dates etc.
I was relatively quickly rushed into the triage area where the nurse asked me the usual questions regarding my problems\, medications etc. One of the questions I was asked that was out in left field was regarding why everyone disliked Inova Alexandria Hospital. The Nurse wanted to know, as she kept hearing this from patients when she had to refer them there. She also wanted to know, so she herself did not have to go there! I was then whisked into one of the six patient lounge like chairs aligning the hallway in the extremely brightly lit, neon lighted hallway. A nonchalant medical technician took my blood pressure and temperature then left, and I sat for a few minutes listening to the various sounds of the so called ER. It was a very quiet ER. The odd thing about this ER, was that out of the four patient rooms, only two were occupied. There were only two nurses, one PA and one Doctor and no nursing supervisor available. It was quiet, and nurses and technicians moved slowly.
After fifteen minutes a young, surly Nurse approached me and asked me the usual medical ques ions. She had a defensive attitude. She proceeded to read something in the computer with a grimace on her face. She checked my throat and noticed I has a cracked tooth in the far back last tooth of which I did not know. I supposed that it could cause even more pain and make the Migraine and Sinus problems worse.
The Doctor then arrived and she was as dismissive and hyper, surly and rude as the Nurse. She went into an animated tirade about how I need and primary Dr, not a GYN for «down there“and what did I want her to do about an sinus infection? I felt very stressed and told her I was in pain and my sinuses were truly bothering me and I had Migraines and at times they become extremely severe and I have to come to the hospital about every six months. I also discovered I had a hole in my tooth and it was cracked and that possibly this was making it worse and I was going to see a Dentist asap. She was not understanding. About ten minutes later the surly nurse came back with two prescriptions for antibiotics and pain med, and her nasty attitude and quickly explained things, and tried to get rid of me as if I was a nuisance. When I left they had me fill out a survey about how they did. I let them have it about their customer service and bad treatment. I felt they were unprofessional and impatient.
In my opinion INOVA is one of the worst Hospitals and Virginia Hop ital Center is top notch and their service is professional and patient focused. They are my first and only choice now. You feel and see the difference in the Doctors and Nurses there. It makes all the difference in how you feel emotionally and physically. I would not recommend any of INOVA services, especially their Urgent Care Centers and Emergency Room at Alexandria Hospital. If you have a broken leg or flu maybe, but anything else, especially Migraine or other issues, I would not recommend them. There ER is the worst. It is worth it to go to Virginia Hospital Center even if it is further away, as their efficiency and professionalism is tops. If you are placed in a hallway, you are not treated like a person with respect and compassion, in addition to knowing you are receiving the best care in the area. I am not an expert or have received are from INOVA Fairfax Hospital, Fairoaks, Reston or other Urgent Care Centers in the area, but Alexandria and Springfield.