Tidewater Psychotherapy Services: Cunningham Stephen MD

"They deleted their Google account and made a new one just so they can get rid of all of the terrible ratings from before. I've been a patient here for a decade and a lot of those terrible ratings were legitimate complaints. Before Stephen Cunningham tries to respond to this no of course you're not going to find my real name in this because I'm not a nincompoop. He did respond to another review by trying to state that the reviewer obviously had them confused with another place because their appointments were 45 minutes at intake but the person leaving the review was clearly talking about somewhere else which anyone with any reading comprehension should be able to pick up on. ANYWAY. Their interoffice communication is clearly disastrous. They don't have a patient portal so you can send a message and it just disappears into the void and then they can claim that they never got it. When you call and leave a message you get the same treatment, although occasionally someone does call you back. If you speak to someone on the phone and they claim that they're writing down a note you can call back again and someone says that there are no notes about that and they have no record of it. I've even shown up in person at the office and spoken to someone but there's no record of that either. I've NEVER seen an office so horrifically mismanaged. Here's my biggest complaint though: They can call you up and tell you about a bill that they just discovered from many months to years ago and you have to pay it before the appointment or else they cancel the appointment and then you just don't get your meds refilled. It seems simple enough if you have lots of money but for those of us that don't. . . having a phone call 2 days before your appointment and it suddenly being canceled is a disaster. I've never seen a practice do this. Any place else would have payment plans or some sort of grace period beyond 2 DAYS from the point that they notify you of a bill they they discovered. One that you had no possible way of knowing about as their office incorrectly assumed that your insurance covered it. My second largest complaint is the amount of doctors that they hemorrhage. By the time I get a good working relationship with one doctor they've disappeared into the ether, probably because they don't like working at such a mismanaged office. I don't blame them. When people are paying good money for medical care I feel like the least you could do is keep track of your patients when they call about important matters. Simply ignoring their requests for BASIC MEDICAL CARE follow-up is inexcusable. If you can't handle the amount of patients you have then accept less patients into your practice."

"Made an appointment here. Was met with fiercely abrasive front desk people. I previously wrote a negative review before being contacted by one of the doctors who was very helpful, so I took the negative review down. I scheduled a therapy appointment and a follow up with the doctor. I found out that my insurance wouldn’t cover the therapy so I had to cancel. I still got a bill for $160 for two no-shows, which in it of itself is a ridiculous amount. I called the billing department and they waived the fees because they noted that I attempted to call to cancel the appointments. Weeks later I find out that I still owe $80 for one of the no-shows. It had been implied in the previous calls that I was cancelling both appointments and that they were waiving both fees. Overall, I assume the doctors, or at least the doctor I talked to, know what they’re doing, but the front desk and billing department have been the worst I’ve dealt with."

"Let me first start off by saying the ONLY reason this place gets 1 star is because of Dr. N The rest of this so called practice is an absolute joke. They NEVER EVER answer the phone during REGULAR business hours. And I mean NEVER. I have been in the waiting room and seen the phone ringing and nobody pick it up because of gossip amongst one another. You’re put on medication here and when I’m need of refills GOOD LUCK. Even the pharmacy says they have problems with them getting in contact with them. Leaving patients including myself without meds during the weekend. I also receive the vivitrol shot there for recovering alcoholism. I had to ask numerous times for the Id card and dog tags you are supposed to have on you in case of emergencies. They check you in upfront by looking at a written piece of paper from a notebook. It’s very unfortunate to lose a good doctor with dr. N but the lack of communication and never receiving call backs from front desk is not only non professional but DANGEROUS"

"If you actually NEED any type of mental health services this is not the place for you. I was seeing Megan who is extremely awkward and not empathetic at all. I was prescribed a medication that I was fearful of taking. The provider did not address my anxiety or my concerns and she told me that she doesn't need to see me until I had decided to try the medication. Two months later (because I decided against the medication) I get a no show bill in the mail. I call because I'm confused about how I possibly could have a no show when the provider told me she didn't need to see me until I tried the medication. I call and talk to the office manager who simply states "It's not in her notes". My husband was present for this appointment as well and I told them this and they could care less. I will not be returning obviously. I had decided this when the provider was more concerned about me taking the medication then she was concerned about addressing my anxiety. Which is why no follow up appointment was made. I also got a call last month stating I was on the waiting list to get an appointment? They just put in appointments wherever they want and then charge you when you don't show up for something you never knew existed. Not a place that puts patient care or concern first!"

"I wish I had read all of these reviews prior to visiting this practice. My first appointment I paid 250.00 cash for a 15 minute appointment and was prescribed no medication. The following month I decided to use Tidewater Psychotherapy. My appointment was Monday morning. Late Sunday afternoon preceding the appointment, my tire blew and my rim was messed up. My car was towed to Ford to have the tire and rim replaced. My car was not ready for pickup until Tuesday afternoon. I called first thing Monday morning to reschedule the appointment. Of course, all I got was a voicemail and no return call. I called back Tuesday to reschedule and was told I had to pay a 50.00 no show fee. I disagreed so they sent me “dispute form.” I completed the form, which required PROOF of my automobile breaking down! Honestly, what’s up with that? In any event, I returned the form and attached said proof. My dispute was denied because a flat tire (which it wasn’t because I actually wrecked into the curb messing the rim up as well) doesn’t fall within their realm of having no transportation!!!! They will not see me still until 50.00 is paid for not showing up. They probably won’t see me at all after this review but I don’t care. I will report this further. These people are greedy as all get out and have no compassion whatsoever. By the way, this was the office manager’s decision to make. On to a different doctor. I hope they put my 250.00 to good use!"