Lake Norman Pulmonary & Sleep, PA

What should have been a simple CPAP check turned into nearly $250 in unexpected charges. I’m leaving this review to share an honest account of my recent experience at Lake Norman Pulmonary & Sleep, which was unfortunately very disappointing. Over the summer, I contacted the office because my CPAP machine didn’t seem to be working correctly. Their technician, Chip, told me the machine was still under warranty until October and advised me to bring it in so he could evaluate it. I later called back to schedule an appointment specifically to see him. When I arrived, I was told Chip wasn’t there that day and was working at another office. This was surprising given that I had scheduled the appointment expressly to have him look at the machine. Instead of a quick equipment check, the visit became a full doctor’s appointment — blood pressure check, exam room, and a consultation — even though I had only come in so the technician could determine whether the device was malfunctioning. During the visit, the physician assistant (Lesa) looked over my CPAP and said everything appeared to be functioning correctly. She also noticed that my hose and equipment were worn, and she provided a replacement hose. At no point was I told that this would generate an additional charge, and the way it was offered made it seem like a courtesy replacement. Months later, I received a bill for the doctor’s appointment, despite the fact that I had not intended to schedule or receive one. More recently, I received another bill for the hose they gave me. The first hose they provided didn’t fit, so I came back for the correct one — again thinking this was simply part of resolving the CPAP issue. When I went to the office today to discuss these charges and explain the misunderstanding, the staff dismissed my concerns. I was essentially told that I should not have expected anything to be complimentary and that the charges would stand. In total, I’m now being billed nearly $250 for what was supposed to be a technician visit to check whether my CPAP machine was defective — a visit I never would have scheduled had I known it would be treated and billed as a medical appointment with additional equipment charges. I left feeling misled, poorly communicated with, and unfairly charged. Based on this experience, I cannot recommend this practice.

Dr.Surdulescu is extremely knowledgeable, very kind, patient, and listens to your concerns and provides clear answers to questions. He takes his time to discuss results and goes over every possible option, explaining the pros and cons of each, giving his professional advice but not making you feel pressured to pick one over another. He is definitely one of the best Doctors, regardless of specialty, both in knowledge and character. The staff here are the friendliest, most helpful and highly professional in any clinic. Missy, Chris, Cassidy and Heidi (and more) all complement and reflect Dr.Surdulescu's professionalism and warm spirit.

I believe three stars is appropriate for the quality of service I received from LNPS. The people were generally nice, although the front desk lady insisted on arguing with me over whether one of the PA/NPs called me to tell me how expensive the sleep study would be. I pulled out my phone and showed her that I had not received a call from the office, but that I was happy to pay the $300. She continued looking for an argument saying that there was a note that someone had called, again I showed her my phone and let her know I was happy to pay the amount. A very odd encounter. The sleep study didn't show anything and rather than sending a message through mychart they made me come in to tell me that there was nothing there. It was just an opportunity for them to bill my insurance for a "visit". Overall, I wouldn't strongly recommend going here, but it's not the worst place.

I gave an extra star assuming that the medical expertise is in there somewhere, but I don't know because I was never able to navigate the front office staff, pre registration mixups, bad information and miscommunications. Lost confidence in their process and asked the Doc for a different referral.

So it's Wednesday night at exactly 10:30 PM. I arrived at 8:30 p.m. for my sleep study. I was the first patient to arrived. I was greeted by a big guy who rolled around in an office chair. I said hello and he said, "where is the $600?" I'm like ooook. I begin to explain that somehow their billing department made it so that I would be billed for my insurance deductible, that way the remainder of my consults would have co-pay. A little annoyed at the big guy's interpersonal skills, had I driven myself I would have immediately walked out. I was told to go into a room and be would be with me. I saw a patient check in and big guy began to give an overview of what would transpire and he began to install the EEG probed onto his head. At 9:00PM I went to bathroom and he was still working the patient, suddenly another patient came in and big guy begins to work with patient. I really need the study, so I continue to be patient. At 10:10 I'm still sitting there. No one has checked in with me or anything. I took my 9 o'clock medication and was extremely sleepy and perplexed. I could not imagine why it would take almost 2 hours to circle back to me, besides I arrived at 8:30, the time the office advise me to be there. There was no one ahead of me. I just sat there while 2 other patients were serviced before me. I am a patient that do not be to adequately ventilate and I really needed this study. My life literally demanded this medical study and intervention. I cannot believe this is happening. So, it is now 1050 PM and I have to inconvenience my family to travel so far to return to pick me up. Because of this dudes neglegance, I am sitting in a dark, cold lobb on a cold winter's night waiting to be picked up. I am in disbelief. I am frustrated and as angry as can be. This experience is not good for my health. vvvwould have immediately walked out. would have walked out