Monarch HealthCare — Local services in Irvine

They should get Zero stars!! They make everything difficult beyond belief!! And, for aging handicapped seniors this is especially painful to deal with them. For example, when my mother (89yrs old, handicapped and almost blind but mentally fit and otherwise active) had a stroke, she needed physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy. Not only do they have few providers to choose from, every few visits they have to do another eval, then they often discharge way too early before the patient has had a chance to recuperate and you are required to get another doctors request for continued services and you have to wait another several weeks for Optum/Monarch to approve, then you have to wait for schedules to open up again and start over. Meanwhile, you've lost ground.

Another instance was when my mother was being billed for services which were supposed to be covered but neither Optum or Monarch were helpful in getting it resolved so her doctor kept billing her and threatened to cut her off. They have no patient advocates or anyone at the top to help you. They routinely tell you you have to call another department.

Another serious case was when she had an eye surgery to protect the remaining vision in her only working eye and following the surgery she lost most of her vision. We wanted a second opinion, but they didn't have any other eye surgeons to provide such an opinion. So, we insisted they pay for her to see a non-participating provider. They fought and fought and after days of calling anyone we could get ahold of at the highest levels, Blueshield and attorneys, they finally acquiesced and sent an approval to the doctor we had requested.

A few months after my mothers visit, she was sent a very large bill from the 2nd opinion eye surgeon. They told me her insurance only paid for a pressure check and refused to pay for anything else. They knew full well my mother needed a complete and indepth evalutaion but again, they left us paying the bill. Very dishonest and unethical.

If I have to fight like I do for my mother's services at my age and health, how is any senior or handicapped person supposed to manage their own care on their own?!?

The only reason my mother stays with Optum/Monarch is because she loves her primary care doctor and it's too hard to switch at her age.

STAY AWAY FROM MONARCH & OPTUM AT ALL COSTS!!!! THEY ARE HORRIBLE...

Monarch used to be the premier healthcare group in Orange County. Enter Optum. It has been a mess ever since. What a nightmare. Optum Monarch is owned by Optum Health but they have completely disparate systems that don’t talk to each other at all. I have spent useless hours trying to pay my bill. I finally got in the car and drove to the HQ in Irvine where I did get some help from someone who told me she gets these complaints all the time. But today was the kicker. My husband had a doctor appointment for a follow up but had been sick a few days and figured he’d handle it then. He was told the do not see sick patients in person. Let me repeat it because I know you don’t believe it. They don’t see sick people in person anymore. They told him to sit in his car. The PA came out but they initially were going to do telemedicine for an75 year old with a respiratory infection. They called the house and I asked them if he had heard them right. Again, we don’t see sick people in person any more. Isn’t that what doctors do??????? Gonna start looking for a new provider after nearly 15 years of loving our PCP. Dr...

I don't understand the negative reviews here at all. My daughter has a severe and complex condition that requires frequent hospitalization, er visits, crises, and atypical medical services. Monarch has been incredible and my daughter's caseworker, Marie Visity has been nothing short of heroic. She has gone far beyond assisting with obtaining needed services; she has advocated for my daughter, provided much needed emotional support to me, and has made it a point to understand my daughter's very rare condition. Last summer, Marie was not available so her assistant Marissa James handled a very trying situation during which my daughter urgently needed medication and broke her ankle - both while the policy holder (her father) was attempting for the third time to terminate her coverage. Marissa resolved what could have been a medical and financial disaster in a timely manner and with kindness and concern; traits Marie clearly incorporated into her training. I have never had a bad experience with Monarch and have apparently been blessed by being assigned the best caseworkers. I'm sorry other consumers have had bad...