Catawba Valley Family Medicine - Bethlehem

Rebekah Archie

I am a new patient at this location. I want to open by sharing that I absolutely adore Dr. Wingler and had an exceedingly wonderful new patient experience with him, as well as the nurse! But the start to my new patient appointment was not ideal due to a very unpleasant check in encounter that could have been completely avoided. As backstory: I had gone through the process of contacting this location two months in advance to verify insurance and figure out how to start the process of becoming a new patient. I filled out the necessary paperwork in person, provided my insurance cards, and answered all questions asked. I scheduled everything out about two months in advance with no issues. Unfortunately when I presented for my appointment, one of the front desk associates (I believe named Sheila) randomly incorrectly informed me that my insurance was out of network. I assured her that it had been verified already, and I should be OK. I know these encounters are stressful to staff when they are unsure if what they are saying to someone is right or wrong, so I recognize that excellent customer service is not to always be expected. I maintained a calm demeanor in spite of the direction I could tell this was heading. However, I found her behavior/demeanor quite off putting as she began asking me questions like, "Do you understand you will be responsible for the services if you're out of network?" I work as a graduate level clinician. I am well aware of how paying for healthcare works if my insurance does not cover a cost. I suspect that if I had not been a petite, young-appearing woman of color, I would have been spoken to as a fellow healthcare professional, rather than an uninformed child. After a few minutes of back and forth and her continuing to incorrectly advise me that my plan was out of network, she finally ended up running my insurance to check, and--of course--it was approved and went through. Why not check this before misguiding a new patient? Our negative encounter could have been entirely avoided by simply verifying my insurance first before incorrectly advising me of something and acting as though I had not taken the necessary steps to check everything. This was a reflection of her error, not mine. And I do not appreciate how this was handled at all. I say all of this as humble feedback. If I had been a young person navigating the process of becoming a new patient for the first time, this could have been a very stressful and disheartening experience. To not only be told (incorrectly) about something, but to also then be the recipient of excessive incredulity when I was, in fact, correct the whole time. I would strongly encourage and advise that all front office workers please refrain from making strong statements (especially about billing or insurance) without actually taking the necessary steps to ensure that what they are saying is, in fact, correct. The process of going to a physician's office is already stressful. As someone who has her own caseload of patients, I can say with confidence that this experience would certainly have been troubling for many people I serve if they had been on the receiving end of this encounter. It is fortunate that I do have confidence in myself and a willingness to point out when someone is wrong. But not everyone is this way, so I would hope that this feedback is received in such a way that future/similar experiences are avoided and training opportunities are explored with staff regarding proper ways of handling this type of situation. Again, with all of this being said, Dr. Wingler is phenomenal, and I am looking forward to receiving ongoing care at this location. If it had not been for this negative encounter, I would have given this visit five stars. But knowing that staff can be so poorly trained/prepared to navigate these conversations leaves quite a bad taste in my mouth. I would be apprehensive to recommend this location to my patients or peers. But due to my positive experience with the physician, himself, I will remain a patient here.

Jill Bell

Wow!! Dr Cody Wingler is the BEST!! He took time to listen to my concerns about my health and well-being. He is easy to talk to. The staff is VERY friendly. If you are looking for a new Dr and clinical staff, Catawba Valley Family Medicine is the place to go.

Carol Fox

Wonderful practice with doctors and staff that always take good care of our family! Thank you!

Michelle Ellwanger

Our family of six has been going to Bethlehem Family Practice for the past 20 years. I have nothing but compliments and thanks. Mark Faruque is an excellent physician that I trust and his staff are friendly and helpful. I highly recommend Bethlehem Family Practice to anyone looking for a quality general practice.