CHOP Specialty Care, King of Prussia — Attraction in Upper Merion Township

First I’ll start with my youngest broke her leg right under the knee and Growth plate and it was casted at the Philadelphia CHOP. Well her ankle was tilted and bent in the cast she was complaining of pain the entire time. Well toward the end I took her in because the pain in her ankle was so bad she wasn’t even sleeping. The kept assuring me she was fine. So she gets the cast off and her ankle is huge and black and purple. They tell us that’s normal from the cast being on her leg for 6 weeks. I have never dealt with broken bones so I assumed they knew what they were talking about. So they sent her on her way. She cried daily. I took her to her primary care to see what they thought and they didn’t want to touch it nor get involved and told me to take her right back to CHOP. So I got an emergency appointment. Went there and they again told us she was fine and sent us on our way. Finally I said freak this and took her for a second opinion and took her to Saint Christopher’s. Within minutes after the x-ray they came in and told me her ankle was broken at the growth plate!!!! And put a cast on her! And she finally had relief! I was infuriated! My poor baby bear had to walk around and wasn’t sleeping and always in pain because they didn’t bother taking a closer look or reading the xrays right. Or whatever reason they had. Not to mention her leg goes completely bowed in now. And I have told them and they assured me it wasn’t. Again I got a second opinion and they said it definitey is not healed correctly. Now my oldest just got injuries during cheer and we had to rush her to urgent care in KOP which happens to be the closest one And also CHOP. And I wanted to go to to Saint Christopher’s but they never gave us the X-ray cd like they were suppose to. So I took her to the CHOP in Philadelphia which was ok. The doctor seemed knowledgeable. But following that he told em to schedule at the KOP office so I didn’t have to travel out there. So I try and schedule the follow up and they tell me I can’t because he never notated I can see another doctor. They have to wait until he gets back to them to confirm. So now I have to wait Lord knows how long until someone finally gets back to me. And they fill up so fast. This place is nothing like it was when I was a kid. Not to mention the attitude the schedule lady has. They get offended when you give attitude back after they clearly are being rude! Just non stop horrible experiences. If she wasn’t in so much pain when it happened I would have driven her to Saint...

HORRIBLE experience - I've been a patient of CHOP for over 10 years. I THOUGHT one of the benefits of being a CHOP patient was that you were part of the CHOP network, which makes coordination and continuation of care easy to manage.

Apparently that does not apply to Endocrinology.

My child's CHOP Pediatrician ordered a referral to Endocrinology. No problem - I call to make an appointment. Except I can't reach anyone - so I leave a message. No response. I call back again, and am told that CHOP doesn't have a contract with BCBS, and since that's my insurance, I can't make an appointment until CHOP contacts BCBS? But wait - BCBS insurance is what I used to see the CHOP Pediatrician 2 days ago? How do you not have a contract within 2 days?

I then call BCBS - they say, no - that's not correct, we have a contract with CHOP, you have coverage, there should be no problem.

I call Endocrinology back again and relay this - and they say no, it's not that CHOP doesn't have a contract with BCBS, it's that they want to ensure BCBS will cover my child's appointment. BEFORE they will SCHEDULE it. Not before he is seen. Before they will SCHEDULE it. I said - that's not necessary, if there is any discrepancy I will cover it, please schedule the appointment. I was told no, Endocrinology will not even SCHEDULE my son for an appointment until they verify my insurance (which as a CHOP patient, they already have), and confirm my insurance will cover the (standard referral, nothing weird, no experimental treatment) visit. Again, the BCBS insurance that is already on file and that I have been using consistently with other CHOP providers (Primary Care, Orthopedics, Radiology).

Several phone calls and arguments later, CHOP Endocrinology FINALLY agrees to even LET me schedule an appointment - and they tell me the first appointment is FIVE MONTHS from now?

All of this took 4 HOURS. And if I hadn't argued, I'd STILL be waiting to hear if CHOP Endocrinology would even SCHEDULE an appointment.

I called Nemours/duPont - 15 minutes later I had an appointment in 2 weeks with a well credentialed Endocrinologist.

CHOP is not a care "network". CHOP Endocrinology does not care about patients - it only cares about your insurance. I am beyond furious at how I...

Deeply disappointed with both the care and billing practices at CHOP. We had an appointment with Dr. Alexander, who didn’t examine my son’s stomach, saying he “didn’t want to upset him.” That excuse is unacceptable. My child was brought in for help, not to be ignored. His only recommendation was MiraLAX, along with a comment that formula-fed children often struggle with constipation, especially when transitioning to milk. When I asked how long my son should be on MiraLAX, his response was, “Until you decide to stop it.” I drove hours to see a specialist, looking for real answers, not vague, dismissive advice that left everything on me.

To make matters worse, when I thanked Dr. Alexander at the end of the visit, he said, “You’re paying for it.” I was stunned. That kind of response is not only unprofessional (it’s rude and completely unnecessary.)

The billing process was just as frustrating. I signed an estimate at check-in, but later received multiple surprise bills for services that were never clearly explained. One charge was for an X-ray that I had been told was necessary to rule out obstructions or possible spinal issues. I was given an estimate for it beforehand, but later received an entirely separate radiology bill that wasn’t included in the original estimate. No one contacted me to clarify anything, I had to follow up myself just to figure out what happened. These hidden fees feel deceptive and completely uncalled for. They charge full hospital prices, so beware, what you sign is likely not the full cost.

The entire visit felt like a complete waste of time. Dr. Alexander didn’t provide any useful information or real guidance, which made the whole experience feel dismissive and unhelpful.

This experience was disheartening from start to finish. CHOP needs serious oversight. The care lacked compassion, and the billing practices were misleading at best. I won’t be returning—and I wouldn’t recommend them to any parent looking for honest,...