Dr. Bryan McEachern AKA Childrens Health Care Center of Northern Virginia rip-off. Self-serving pediatrician does not care what happens to his sick patients, Manassas Virginia

After having met with Dr. McEachern several times I completely agree that, "Dr. Bryan McEachern says he is a caring pediatrician when you first meet
him, however he is a cocky, self-serving, arrogant, unprofessional." This is an accurate assessment of Dr. McEachern. I might add that he is irrational, unreasonable, and extremely disrespectful. I would not recommend this doctor to anyone who cares to be treated like a human being.

Now that all have stopped picking on my little brother, who is one of the most compassionate, finest human beings I know...this has become little more than a chat forum. You people need legal representation, and voicing your concerns on an article that maligns my brother, does nothing for you, him, or me.

My brother is a good person, and let ME apologize for any misunderstandings, and let's be done with it. Thank you. Robert McEachern

Melissa,
Sorry i havent checked this site in a couple of weeks, but I am sorry your going thru this crap. That kind of thing really burns me up. I dont know your laws there, but in the State of Texas, a Dr cannot with hold medical records due to mispayment. I would call your states Medical Board, the board of Pediatrics governing your state also. I would also call the Insurance Board, and the Insurance company you currently have. Let them know this doctor refuses your immunization record, your new insurance will be likely to be unhappy with this dr, as they do not want to pay for more immunizations. If he takes many plans, good chance he is on the plan you have now. Also, call your State board of health, child services and immunizations. This is usually county...for instance mine would be Dallas County Health Department. If this Dr takes medicaid or partakes in any of thier immunization plans (in tx its VACCINES FOR CHILDREN) then they wont be happy about this either. The problem your going to have is not just the shot records for daycare, but you wont be able to travel, to enroll your child in public or private schools. After you let this hag at the office know what is going on and what you are going to do, then do it! I would also for grins call the police. Why not? Cant hurt? Make sure you send letters also, and pay the 2 dollars to make it registered. This way they cannot deny getting the letter asking for the shot record.

The one bad thing, is in my state you can be charged for the shot record...so having to pay up to 25$ is normal....however they belong to you and they can not be denied!

Good luck to you!

My son is 12 months old and has been seeing Dr. McEachern since the day he was born and I think that he is a great doctor and very ethical. My son always recieves the care that he needs and deserves. I believe this Dr is great and have even referred my sister and friends to his office.

My son is 12 months old and has been seeing Dr. McEachern since the day he was born and I think that he is a great doctor and very ethical. My son always recieves the care that he needs and deserves. I believe this Dr is great and have even referred my sister and friends to his office.

My son is 12 months old and has been seeing Dr. McEachern since the day he was born and I think that he is a great doctor and very ethical. My son always recieves the care that he needs and deserves. I believe this Dr is great and have even referred my sister and friends to his office.

My son is 12 months old and has been seeing Dr. McEachern since the day he was born and I think that he is a great doctor and very ethical. My son always recieves the care that he needs and deserves. I believe this Dr is great and have even referred my sister and friends to his office.

This is my situation- and i need some help. My son was being taken to Pediatric Associates in Chester, Pennsylvania. After calling for a few years and trying to have my sons medical records released to a new doctor i had no luck. yesterday while at work- my sons daycare called and said that the state was coming in and he needed to leave because i had no immunizations records for him. So i then called the office and had the office women behave very rude to me. They told me that i owed them 50 dollars and they wouldnt release or copy his immunizations untill i paid this balance. I explained to them that if i didnt get these records i would have to miss work- therefore they would be impeding me from making payment. i am a single mother who works very hard to take care of her child. i provide insurance through work and have never been in or on any government program. So after calling several more times and being hung up on and not having phone calls returned my mother offered to help me pay the bill. she called this morning to make payment and said they didnt have to talk to me and that they wouldnt accept payment from her it had to be from me. now they are saying the office manager is out of the office. It is now not about the money because payment could have already been made! And my son is now being babysat by my 85 year old mother who really isnt able to care for him? Tommorrow i dont know what i will do because i wont have daycare for him either! please advise what to do and if this is legal practice? im really in alot of trouble, and some good advice is needed!
Thanks-

It is true that Doctors are allowed to charge for copies made of an individual chart. In Texas even if the records are being supeoned (sp) they can charge for the copy. Its actually a great practice because this way the new Doctor "has" to communicate with the "old" doctor. What if there were problems regarding non compliance, esp with a child involved, or what about an adult who "doc-hops" to get drugs. It is an incentive to have your new doctor request the free copy then to pay upwards of 100$ for your records. Most are only charged 25$ at the offices i worked for, however, if you ask for those records again the price increases. It takes a good hour of someones time to break a chart down, copy and replace the chart. Not only the time, but then add in the paper, toner, and etc for the copier.

In our pediatricians office, the only copy you got for free of your kids shot records was if you requested them WHILE having a well child check up. If you requested them for lets say school records, the fee was 5$ per page. If you brought in a camp or school form, the charge was 25$ this included a copy of the shot record.

So its true its legal to charge for records, and i think its important that you let dr's communicate health matters.

Also let me tell you just because you ask for records dont assume you get a copy of EVERYTHING. NO NO NO you dont, you would NEVER get communication records between nurse and Dr, or even some or all of the triage calls made to the nurse. Those are concidered inter office records, and not a part of your property. What you get are your checkup pages, possible refill pages and test like blook, xray etc. You would be surprised to know you probably only get 75% of the actual chart as a whole.

I worked for a pediatrician who routinely charged $25 for up to twenty pages and $.10 a page over twenty for a copy of a patient's records. The office manager claimed that a Texas statute allowed this charge. If a patient wanted his/her/a minor's records, they had to pay. We were instructed to withhold the copy otherwise.

However, if another doctor's office or clinic requested the records, we usually provided them free of charge.

What is the legality of this practice?

Thank you for any information you can provide.

I stumbled upon this report, and tried to view the subject matter with a non-biased perspective. I am an attorney, and I tried for a moment to think about the situation and whether all of the reponses in this instance were justified. I can see that a mother would want only the best treatment for her child, and would want a copy of his/her medical records in order to provide any following physicians adequate medical history to make a proper diagosis. I have procured many records for clients in a variety of circumstnaces, and I do have an idea about the law in this situation. Yes, the law does require physicians to provide medical records to patients in order for them to get a second opinion, change physicians all together, or to even just review them at home. However, the patient is only afforded a COPY of the record, not the original. Even in situations where the records are required for documentation in a court case, only a copy is provided from a medical office. I have not yet encountered a physicians office which will surrender the complete medical history of a patient, and for good reason. This is done to protect the patient.

If your child's file was given to you, or your new physician, and the file was misplaced...your child's medical history would forever be gone.
As a person, I understand that you were frustrated by not being given the originals of your child's medical records, but do you honestly feel that it was necessary to attempt to ruin the reputation of a well established physician?

And if this was cause for reprimand, why did the Board not take action against the physician? I feel it was quite drastic to refer to Dr. McEachern with such harsh words.

I can tell you first hand, that pediatricians endure more than their share of hardship in their practice. They are on call throughout the night,they spend numerous hours at the hospital, they are one of the lowest paid in their profession, and the only reason they are in the profession is that they care for the welfare of children. When a person decides to be a pediatrician they must take on the burden of thinking of each child's life as if it were their own. The helpless child is laid at the mercy of the pediatrician. That is quite a responsibility to have. Was Dr.McEachern ever unprofessional with your child? Did he not treat your child with care while in his office? I think you must look at more than one incident, surrounded by misunderstanding, to pass judgment on an individual.

It appears this incident has been over for quite a while..I hope you and your child were able to move on successfully. It does not sound as if you had a case for unethical treatment or a law suit, but I must warn you that sites such as these can lead to numerous other problems. There are laws against slander and libel, and if reputational damage is derived from such speech, the consequences are more harsh than mindless chatter and name calling.

In order to be free from liability in your speech, the claim must be true, not a misrepresentation. I think we need to reevaluate the accusations and determine whether they were the product of high emotions, a slight exaggeration, or a statement with a convenient lack of clarity. I will not argue, I am an attorney and accustomed to being disagreed with. I just wanted to provide a bit of knowledge which seemed to be lacking from this posting...A word of wisdom...be careful what you post. Best Wishes to All!

I stumbled upon this report, and tried to view the subject matter with a non-biased perspective. I am an attorney, and I tried for a moment to think about the situation and whether all of the reponses in this instance were justified. I can see that a mother would want only the best treatment for her child, and would want a copy of his/her medical records in order to provide any following physicians adequate medical history to make a proper diagosis. I have procured many records for clients in a variety of circumstnaces, and I do have an idea about the law in this situation. Yes, the law does require physicians to provide medical records to patients in order for them to get a second opinion, change physicians all together, or to even just review them at home. However, the patient is only afforded a COPY of the record, not the original. Even in situations where the records are required for documentation in a court case, only a copy is provided from a medical office. I have not yet encountered a physicians office which will surrender the complete medical history of a patient, and for good reason. This is done to protect the patient.

If your child's file was given to you, or your new physician, and the file was misplaced...your child's medical history would forever be gone.
As a person, I understand that you were frustrated by not being given the originals of your child's medical records, but do you honestly feel that it was necessary to attempt to ruin the reputation of a well established physician?

And if this was cause for reprimand, why did the Board not take action against the physician? I feel it was quite drastic to refer to Dr. McEachern with such harsh words.

I can tell you first hand, that pediatricians endure more than their share of hardship in their practice. They are on call throughout the night,they spend numerous hours at the hospital, they are one of the lowest paid in their profession, and the only reason they are in the profession is that they care for the welfare of children. When a person decides to be a pediatrician they must take on the burden of thinking of each child's life as if it were their own. The helpless child is laid at the mercy of the pediatrician. That is quite a responsibility to have. Was Dr.McEachern ever unprofessional with your child? Did he not treat your child with care while in his office? I think you must look at more than one incident, surrounded by misunderstanding, to pass judgment on an individual.

It appears this incident has been over for quite a while..I hope you and your child were able to move on successfully. It does not sound as if you had a case for unethical treatment or a law suit, but I must warn you that sites such as these can lead to numerous other problems. There are laws against slander and libel, and if reputational damage is derived from such speech, the consequences are more harsh than mindless chatter and name calling.

In order to be free from liability in your speech, the claim must be true, not a misrepresentation. I think we need to reevaluate the accusations and determine whether they were the product of high emotions, a slight exaggeration, or a statement with a convenient lack of clarity. I will not argue, I am an attorney and accustomed to being disagreed with. I just wanted to provide a bit of knowledge which seemed to be lacking from this posting...A word of wisdom...be careful what you post. Best Wishes to All!

I stumbled upon this report, and tried to view the subject matter with a non-biased perspective. I am an attorney, and I tried for a moment to think about the situation and whether all of the reponses in this instance were justified. I can see that a mother would want only the best treatment for her child, and would want a copy of his/her medical records in order to provide any following physicians adequate medical history to make a proper diagosis. I have procured many records for clients in a variety of circumstnaces, and I do have an idea about the law in this situation. Yes, the law does require physicians to provide medical records to patients in order for them to get a second opinion, change physicians all together, or to even just review them at home. However, the patient is only afforded a COPY of the record, not the original. Even in situations where the records are required for documentation in a court case, only a copy is provided from a medical office. I have not yet encountered a physicians office which will surrender the complete medical history of a patient, and for good reason. This is done to protect the patient.

If your child's file was given to you, or your new physician, and the file was misplaced...your child's medical history would forever be gone.
As a person, I understand that you were frustrated by not being given the originals of your child's medical records, but do you honestly feel that it was necessary to attempt to ruin the reputation of a well established physician?

And if this was cause for reprimand, why did the Board not take action against the physician? I feel it was quite drastic to refer to Dr. McEachern with such harsh words.

I can tell you first hand, that pediatricians endure more than their share of hardship in their practice. They are on call throughout the night,they spend numerous hours at the hospital, they are one of the lowest paid in their profession, and the only reason they are in the profession is that they care for the welfare of children. When a person decides to be a pediatrician they must take on the burden of thinking of each child's life as if it were their own. The helpless child is laid at the mercy of the pediatrician. That is quite a responsibility to have. Was Dr.McEachern ever unprofessional with your child? Did he not treat your child with care while in his office? I think you must look at more than one incident, surrounded by misunderstanding, to pass judgment on an individual.

It appears this incident has been over for quite a while..I hope you and your child were able to move on successfully. It does not sound as if you had a case for unethical treatment or a law suit, but I must warn you that sites such as these can lead to numerous other problems. There are laws against slander and libel, and if reputational damage is derived from such speech, the consequences are more harsh than mindless chatter and name calling.

In order to be free from liability in your speech, the claim must be true, not a misrepresentation. I think we need to reevaluate the accusations and determine whether they were the product of high emotions, a slight exaggeration, or a statement with a convenient lack of clarity. I will not argue, I am an attorney and accustomed to being disagreed with. I just wanted to provide a bit of knowledge which seemed to be lacking from this posting...A word of wisdom...be careful what you post. Best Wishes to All!

I stumbled upon this report, and tried to view the subject matter with a non-biased perspective. I am an attorney, and I tried for a moment to think about the situation and whether all of the reponses in this instance were justified. I can see that a mother would want only the best treatment for her child, and would want a copy of his/her medical records in order to provide any following physicians adequate medical history to make a proper diagosis. I have procured many records for clients in a variety of circumstnaces, and I do have an idea about the law in this situation. Yes, the law does require physicians to provide medical records to patients in order for them to get a second opinion, change physicians all together, or to even just review them at home. However, the patient is only afforded a COPY of the record, not the original. Even in situations where the records are required for documentation in a court case, only a copy is provided from a medical office. I have not yet encountered a physicians office which will surrender the complete medical history of a patient, and for good reason. This is done to protect the patient.

If your child's file was given to you, or your new physician, and the file was misplaced...your child's medical history would forever be gone.
As a person, I understand that you were frustrated by not being given the originals of your child's medical records, but do you honestly feel that it was necessary to attempt to ruin the reputation of a well established physician?

And if this was cause for reprimand, why did the Board not take action against the physician? I feel it was quite drastic to refer to Dr. McEachern with such harsh words.

I can tell you first hand, that pediatricians endure more than their share of hardship in their practice. They are on call throughout the night,they spend numerous hours at the hospital, they are one of the lowest paid in their profession, and the only reason they are in the profession is that they care for the welfare of children. When a person decides to be a pediatrician they must take on the burden of thinking of each child's life as if it were their own. The helpless child is laid at the mercy of the pediatrician. That is quite a responsibility to have. Was Dr.McEachern ever unprofessional with your child? Did he not treat your child with care while in his office? I think you must look at more than one incident, surrounded by misunderstanding, to pass judgment on an individual.

It appears this incident has been over for quite a while..I hope you and your child were able to move on successfully. It does not sound as if you had a case for unethical treatment or a law suit, but I must warn you that sites such as these can lead to numerous other problems. There are laws against slander and libel, and if reputational damage is derived from such speech, the consequences are more harsh than mindless chatter and name calling.

In order to be free from liability in your speech, the claim must be true, not a misrepresentation. I think we need to reevaluate the accusations and determine whether they were the product of high emotions, a slight exaggeration, or a statement with a convenient lack of clarity. I will not argue, I am an attorney and accustomed to being disagreed with. I just wanted to provide a bit of knowledge which seemed to be lacking from this posting...A word of wisdom...be careful what you post. Best Wishes to All!

This is the mother who originated the report. First I would like to say thank you to Libby, you are exactly correct about the law and I have already reported the doctor to the AMA and Pediatric Association of Virginia for illegal and unethical conduct. They concurred that I had a valid complaint and the doctor was forced to release my sons records. As for Robert, I think the word biased comes to mind. And as for Mr. Pony, I would suggestthat he read what I wrote again carefully this time before making a rebuttal, as you obviously had not read the material carefullythe first time. Who ever said I didn't get my son care????? That is exactly the issue at hand, while trying to get him the care he required that he was not getting from Dr. M., is when this so called doctor refused to release much needed medical reports and history. His care was delayed because of Dr. M., can YOU SAY LAWSUIT?? But since he wouldn't, my son had to endure tests and procedures that would have otherwise been revealed in the information Dr. M. held hostage. And on my last note, there was NEVER an owed bill or balance of any kind. I have a $30 co-pay for sick visits and NO CO-PAY for well checks. It was Dr. M's office that misapplied the payments to well visits which created a bogus $30 bill. I have been working in the medical feild for over 15 years and I do not stiff doctors or write bad checks. But I say again that Libby is correct, it is ILLEGAL and UNETHICAL to with hold medical information for ANY reason. Also, maybe Robert should ask his brother is he was contacted and "spoken" to about his conduct?? If these were just unfounded rantings why was my complaint to the AMA taken seriously and investigated?

Why is everyone putting words into this moms mouth that werent spoken. she never said she didnt render care for her child, quite the opposite infact. Her child was hospitalized, and she did in fact follow up with a physician promplty. She never said anywhere that she didnt see that doctor with out the records. Infact im sure that doctor did see her, and she did follow up with this doctor as she was told. What im guessing (and ok, im putting words in her mouth now, only becuase i have seen this type of thing personally) is that she is unable to get proper medical care because of the months prior to this illness the other doctor saw and diagnosed this child with what ever child hood illness she might have had, not to mention the shot records and such that this child had previously. Most doctors do not accept a "copy of shot records" that most parent have, in this i mean the little booklets doctors give out to mom and dad with shot dates, height, wieght and head circumfences etc. They need the doctors official shot record, with the lot numbers, the dates the official stamps etc. Also, if this child had a significant health history, no doctor can feel comfortable guessing on the next step of business. all in all, this child could be forced to repeat all shots since birth, if no shot record is produced. This ofcourse means pain and suffering on the childs part, especially considering the fact that the very first set of shots at 2 months is 5 SHOTS! All in all an infant gets nearly 20 shots in his/her first year, counting the pneumococcal vaccines...would you want your child to have to repeat those? I didnt think so.

Parents like you have such a huge ego, that you let your ego take priority over such things as their child's health and wellbeing.

Regardless of whether or not you can get the medical records for your child, you deny your child's ability to see a doctor -- any doctor -- to receive treatment for the entire slew of health problems you claim that your child has.

It is clear that you do not like this particular doctor, and that you are bent on dragging his name through the mud 'til kingdom come. Whatever personal gripes you have against him, keep them separate from your primary concern, which should be caring for your infant!!!

Push your ego aside for just one moment, and get your child the medical care that it deserves! Perhaps if you take a better attitude with the doctor, he will be willing to work with you and release your child's medical records, despite your pending debt.

Remember, you will catch more flies with honey than with the vinegary diahhrea that so readily flows from your mouth. Perhaps a more respectful attitude toward the doctor will earn you more favorable results in the long run.

Robert,

While i can appreciate your loyalty, you imply that this person owes money. I only see where she states she doesnt owe money. Even if she did owe money, it is still against the law to withhold medical records. PERIOD! Even though your brother saw this patient, those records are owned by the parents, aside from the memos from the nurses or telephone conversations between nurses and mom (unless they are subpeoned) Any and all visits by this doctor, any xrays, labs, shot records all belong to the patient/parents, and cannot be nor should be withheld, even if she wrote a 500$ hot check to the doctor. I know it is hard to understand, and believe me i know from personal experience that most pediatricians are way under paid, of all drs in the medical proffession, they get the least amount for there work....but still...the law is the law is the law.

I am 12 years older than Bryan and a professional actor and member of the Screen Actor's Guild.
I have known my little brother all of his life, and I have come to a single conclusion about the vitriolic letter from this woman in Virginia.
The buzzword you should be looking for here is: she owed him money. That's apparent. I don't doubt that thorough investigation would reveal her to be a welcher...a non-bill payer, looking for an edge against a doctor. Lawsuit anyone? This is so typical of our deteriorating society, that a person can besmirch the good name of someone hoping to cash in down the road. Or the other scenario... a twisted, frustrated spotlight digger who probably hates the bag boy at her Food Lion, or the neighbor's gardener.
Secondly, my brother is highly trained in the ethics of his practice, and I have never, ever known him to disregard the letter of the law in his profession.

I have personally heard hundreds of testimonies that would belie the accusations leveled at Bryan by this sole entity who obviously has a chip on her shoulder.

Everyone would like to defend this "poor mother who was denied her sick son's medical records", but I am telling anyone who reads this, that this report is no more than the ranting of an obviously distressed housewife, who's time would be better served in seeking anger management therapy rather than tapping away on her keyboard with imflammatory accusations targeting at one of the sweetest human beings I know.

Eileen,

I am a registered nurse and for the past few years worked in a pediatricians office in Dallas, Texas. I am unsure what the laws are governing your state, but in Texas it is illegal to withhold pertinent medical records for ANY REASON. However, not that it is the right thing to do, but in Texas i believe by law you have 21 days to send those records. Holding those records, when in all actuallity they are your property is unethical in the least. Make sure you file a complaint with the medical board pronto. One other note.... this doctor on HAS to give you the babys shot record, any labs/xrays and sick visit and well check up sheets. Any nurses notes on coversations or physicians notes such as the one between you and that doctor on the day your child was ill doesnt by law have to be released.

Good luck, and Doctors like that should be run into the ground.