NOVA Pain & Rehab Center

Pros:
–Easy parking
–Friendly administrative assistants
–Good hours
–Dr. Davis and Dr. Jeannie are professional and helpful
Cons:
–My appointments were rescheduled on short notice. An appointment was once rescheduled the day-​of, meaning I’d taken time off of work for no reason.
–I came in for an appointment, only to discover that they’d scheduled me with the wrong doctor.
–I ordered orthotics and had to check up every day for a week before they were actually ordered because it kept slipping through the cracks.
–Appointments were rushed, and I had to push to get more information on how to stay healthy.
–Dr. Ward can be abrasive and callous. I would try to avoid meeting with him.

The entire staff at NOVA Pain and Rehab were extremely professional and amazing. I’ve only been coming for a short while, but in that time I’ve had unbelievable progress. Dr. Ward and Dr. Davis were focused on my healing and well being while the physical therapy team worked to give me the exercises and stretches I need for long term health.

I’ve been coming here for a long time and I’m honestly amazed the place isn’t constantly overbooked. Dr. Ward is the best chiropractor I’ve been to (and I’ve been to a lot — good l’ football!) and his team are super knowledgeable, ultra-​friendly, and just an amazing experience every time. It’s enormously inaccurate that these guys are rated only 2.5 stars. Couldn’t be farther from the truth. They’re the best, my family all goes and they agree, and Dr. Ward is top-​notch!!! Thanks for all the help Doc

They moved from Ballston mall a couple of miles away to a location with no parking, no space, and after six weeks of visits, the chiropractor (whom I’m sure owns the place) who had my file right in front of him worked on the wrong shoulder for 10 minutes and looked at me incredulously after I told him that, no, that’s the wrong one. If you had looked at your file, or better yet, felt a real inclination to help people, then I wouldn’t have to sit there for half an hour to have five minutes of attention (I was there when I scheduled). He knows what he’s doing, no doubt, but he needs to, I don’t know, care about wanting to help your patients instead of phoning it in. After ten weeks I hadn’t made any progress and just got the bill… unbelievable.

Dr. Ward and Dr. Azad were extremely professional and helped me in recovering quickly from a neck injury. I enjoyed my visits to Nova Pain as well as getting to know their wonderful staff!

My wife was tired of hearing me whining about my desk-​related injuries, so she dragged me into this little operation hidden in the sports club on the upper level of the Ballston Common. And now, I’m no longer whining about my desk-​related injuries. So that’s Job One done, then. They reliably fixed things that were making my life miserable before, including a minor little ache that was so irritatingly persistent my doctor lost her nerve and sent me for CT scans and stuff.
My biggest endorsement? They do more to accommodate your schedule and timeline than any other medical practice I can currently think of. They do after-​work hours, which is a must for me. As somebody who works long and unpredictable hours (see: desk-​related injuries), the fact that they cheerfully reschedule for you, even if you call 6.3 minutes before you’re supposed to be there, is both refreshing and much appreciated. That is literally the rule — call ahead of time and it’s all good. That’s how I end up getting into my weekly physical therapy sessions but can’t ever seem to make the dentist.
You’ll notice it’s a small outfit. They don’t have a lot of space or a lot of resources and they have to send me to other locations for most diagnostic assessments more complex than «Does that hurt there?» Somewhat as a result, you feel like they just treat the problems you complain about until you stop complaining about them, and that’s both a plus and a minus.
Ultimately, I can imagine there might be problems they’re not equipped to deal with, but I don’t have them. For what I do have, they know what they’re doing and they do good work. They are easygoing about dealing with my insurance, which is a nice change. For some reason (I suspect the water) they all seem happy all the time. The office is easy to get to from Metro. Finally, I think they may also be the
Nicest.
People.
Ever.

I have mixed feelings about writing this review, so I hope to make it as fair as possible. After 3 – 4 months of twice-​weekly treatment, the staff at NOVA are like family. However, a lot of errors were made during my time there. I pointed these errors out and some were corrected. However, others were just too egregious to let slide and have prompted me to write this mixed review of the practice.
Pros:
— Very friendly staff
— Very convenient location (for me)
— Easy scheduling (after the initial appointment)
Cons:
— Inconsistent (and sometimes quite lengthy) appointment lengths
— Billing errors — I got a random charge for $ 53 charged to my credit card. Another time I was charged my $ 40 co-​pay event though I had signed up for their «concierge plan» to pay monthly.
— Insurance confusion and inattention — I was told different things by different staff about my insurance coverage and was not told when I was reaching/​passing my limit of sessions.
— Inconsistent follow-​through — I was told that I needed orthotics and then they seemed to forget about it. Until many weeks later, when I brought it back up.
— Overcharging and wasted money — I was charged 100% mark-​up for my orthotics. When NOVA quoted my price, they said that it was my insurance co-​pay. When I got my bill from BlueCross, I saw that my co-​pay was HALF the cost. They are obviously making good money because of all of the fancy (and unnecessary) equipment in their office: several flat screen TVs, Keurig coffee maker, electronic food scanner machine, iPad, etc.
— Misleading advertising — This is a chiropractic clinic, not a physical therapy clinic. I was new to PT, so I didn’t figure this out until too late. You see the physical therapist once at the start of treatment for an assessment and then once several months later for a (hopefully) final assessment. You meet each appointment with PT tech people (gym trainers) to do exercises and then with a chiropractor to do adjustments. The boss is a chiropractor. If you are like me and are looking for PT, go elsewhere. This is a chiropractic clinic.
— Egotistical boss — The boss is very controlling about paperwork (ex. he must write all work excuse letters or copy your medical records) and then shows no sense of urgency for his customers. He never admitted that he was confused about my diagnosis or why my treatment wasn’t working.
— Unethical, inaccurate medical records/​notes — This might be the most egregious. After my condition did not improve after 3+ months, I decided to get a second opinion and asked for a copy of my medical records. I expected simple photocopies of what they had on file. Instead what I got seemed to be a Word document written after my request with notes copied and pasted for each appointment. Each week, it noted pain (with patient ratings) in areas that I never had. One appointment, in which I had added last minute due to a completely separate muscle pull, was noted just as the rest without mention of the muscle pull. When I pointed out these errors to the egotistical boss, he argued with me saying that I did have pain those areas (I NEVER did).
My treatment was ineffective and I think they misdiagnosed my problem. I know my diagnosis was confusing, so others may have better results. However, they should have noticed this earlier and rather then ignore my complaints, they should have made changes or referred me elsewhere if they did not know what was going on.
Again, it is with a heavy heart that I post this. Aside from the boss, I really enjoyed the staff at NOVA Pain & Rehab.

I came to NOVA Pain and Rehab at the recommendation of a friend. I couldn’t be happier with their services. The front desk staff greets me with a smile and always asks me how I’m doing. Drs Ward, Amir and Davis are always helpful with their recommendations and the adjustments have helped me feel so much better. Their comprehensive practice of MD, Chiropractors, Physical Therapist and Trainers make it so easy to start feeling better.
They recommended a lawyer to help with my personal injury case as well.
I highly recommend this practice. They are awesome.

I came to Dr. Ward after struggling to get better at a massive orthopedic practice in DC. My injuries were not serious (no herniated discs or tears), but the pain was keeping me out of Crossfit and away from many of the athletic endeavors I enjoy. I got a cortisone shot at the old place, but eventually my pain came back. I found Dr. Ward through my Crossfit gym and boy was I lucky. Here’s a rundown of my time here this year:
1) Making appointments is super easy and Ronald (at the Ballston location) is one of the nicest, most accommodating desk staffers I have ever encountered at a doctor’s office.
2) Came in for my evaluation, which was followed by Xrays in the South Arlington office. Dr. Ward made a few chiropractic adjustments with my back then did pressure point stuff with my shoulder on this first visit – I immediately noticed a difference. Great start Dr. Ward.
3) I saw Dr. Ward twice a week for the next few weeks and did some physical therapy beforehand with their PT people. At every appointment, we discussed movements/​positions that caused the pain and how I should be strengthening the small muscles to prevent injury. The training and mobility tips I learned from Dr. Ward were invaluable.
4) After about six weeks, I just noticed that my various aches and pains had dissipated almost completely. When I would feel pain, I also could understand what I did to cause it and what mobility techniques I could use to treat and prevent it moving forward.
I’m sure you can tell by the review, but Dr. Ward is an excellent source for athletes (especially crossfitters). He is level 1 certified so he knows what you mean when you say, «Gee Dr. Ward, my shoulder really hurts after doing an AMRAP thruster WOD…». In summary, give Dr. Ward a try if you want to get better and stay better for the long term.
ALSO – One of the huge bonuses of choosing this practice is the on site physical therapist, Jeannie. I had a consultation with her after coming to the practice about a week (you usually do physical therapy with one of her assistants). I think she is a huge part of the reason why I have stayed injury and pain free. She completely revamped my desk posture, urged me to order a more ergonomic desk configuration (which my office actually installed), and talked to me for a long time about literally EVERYTHING I do that could be causing my pains. In 40 years, my healthy back and not-​hunched-​over-​shoulders will thank her…

The only good thing about this place is Dr. Ward, he could really crack your back well. The other chiropractors were just not very good, in fact one lady cracked my back and left me in pain the next day. The clinic is not run very well when dealing with your insurance. In fact I got flat out lied to that my secondary was picking it up on multiple occasions and then got hit with a bill 4 months later. If I’d known that they were going to do that I would not have continued to go. I would frequently ask when I went in to make sure that the secondary was picking it up and they always replied with absolutely, they are covering it. I feel like their office workers really dropped the ball on my behalf and screwed me over. I would never go back someplace, like this, that lies to my face about how much money I am going to owe.

I’ve had a great experience with NOVA Pain and Rehab Center. I’m seeing Dr. Ward, and the therapy plan he’s working with me on is clearly working.
The fact that he is Crossfit Level 1 certified really helps, from an athlete’s perspective. He «gets» what I’m talking about, in the language that I’m talking.
The office staff at the two locations I’ve gone to (Ballston and S. Glebe Rd.) are SO courteous and nice. They really are customer service based, always willing to fit in a last minute schedule. The PT Assistants are very professional and knowlegable. I go to Ballston most often, and Ronald and Trung are so great!
Really, really happy with the service of Dr. Ward and his staff.

I have only been here once, so I don’t have a ton of experience, but 1) they kept me waiting a decent amount of time which is a huge pet peve 2) the work I had done was actually very good and helpful 3) I thought it was odd that they overchange and then get reimbursed by insurance and leave the rest as a credit to your account… seems like they are kinda making you come back for a second time because they already charged you for part of it. So, all in all, I’d give it another try… especially since they already have my money

I started going to NOVA Pain and Rehab in the spring for neck/​shoulder/​upper back pain. At first, I was not sure if treatment was working, but then after changes in the office, I started seeing Dr. Ward and I began to get better. I have almost no pain now, which is priceless. I have never had issues with insurance/​billing. I have great insurance, fed blue cross blue shield. The PT assistant at the glebe location seems very unhappy, but she does her job and is respectful. Everyone at the front office staff is very friendly, caring, and try to help patients as best they can, which I really appreciate. I do not understand some of the comments from people being upset for being billed when they had to wait. Yes, I wait sometimes too, but every single person’s time is worth money, so if you are seen by their staff, you should be charged. I mean this with all due respect. If I were providing professional services, I would want to get paid for my time too, especially after all the investment in training and education. I do admit however that the negative of NOVA Pain and Rehab would be the wait times. Longest I have waited is probably around 30 minutes, but I have also waited as litle as 0 minutes. It is usually somewhere in the middle… Nothing and no one is perfect, but overall, due to my reduction in pain by a significant amount and the above, I give them a ⁴⁄₅.

The staff, specially in the back are great. The only issue I have for the majority of my visits is the wait time. It can get streamlined had there been adequate space at the therapy area.

Surprised at all the negative comments. Been going here for over a month, and have never had a problem. They even went out of their way to bump up my schedule. Informative, professional and the treatment works.

I was seeing a chiropractor for about six months before he was fired, I’m told in part because he wasn’t properly keeping patient records. I tried to transfer my records to another chiropractor, and there was simply nothing to transfer, because he didn’t keep any progress notes. How can another doctor make sure I continue my track of progress if they don’t know what direction I am going? I wouldn’t do business there again.

Update: In regard to the comments from NOVA below, answer me this, Unilocalers: Does a reputable health care provider contact you through Unilocal and tell you that IF you will take down your review THEN they would be happy to assist with any billing issues? I don’t think so.
Don’t go here. Not only are their treatments and diagnoses questionable, their billing and other practices are too. Based on my «diagnosis» I sought advice from a chiropractor friend that I have known for a long time. I was told to «run, not walk away from this practice,» which I did. I called the Nova office and requested to have my x-​rays sent to the new, above board, chiropractor I was scheduled to see and was told that I would have to come in to retrieve my x-​rays and could only do so once I received a bill or explanation of benefits from my insurance. That was over 6 months ago and I have yet to receive anything because apparently Nova’s billing practices are very behind schedule. This office obviously does not care about patients receiving the care that they need. They are there to provide you with alarming diagnoses so that you will agree to all of the unnecessary services they want to provide you so that they can make more money. I guess I will expect the bills to begin arriving in the next 18 months as the other Unilocaler has experienced.

To respond to the owner comment…
Dr. Ward and his staff BOTH assured me that I was completely covered. I understand how insurance works, thank you. He specifically told me that I had a certain number of visits that would be completely covered, and that my copay would be $x, which was my in-​network copay (the out of network one is higher).
Was I naïve to believe him? Should I have called the insurance company myself and/​or checked their web site? Sure. Should NOVA have been more upfront with me instead of LYING and assuring me that I was covered? Um, yeah.

I had a very irritating experience at this location and, after reading some other reviews, I think I’m on target for what a typical experience is like there.
First, Chiropractor (Dr) Ward is condescending to patients as well as to their physical therapist (who, frankly, has more true medical experience that a chiro would). A perfect example would be when he interrupted her work with me to tell her he wanted to train her on something in particular and on her day off. He made her tell him how she would change her plans and talked through logistics whilst I just sat there waiting to continue treatement. Rude, unprofessional, inappropriate and degrading to say the least. Who does that?
Dr Ward often ignored my doctor’s orders and didn’t offer any true PT — just ultrasound, strange practices and taping. (Then there was the odd young man who seemed to be really clueless — didn’t even take correct orders or read my chart for what the good «doctor» or PT had prescribed. When I tried to participate in the management of my care, Dr. Ward was quite irritated and exclaimed that I didn’t want to get better and wouldn’t unless I did what he said. I held my ground. He was also quite irritated when I had to remind him on my second visit that he had already done a full assessment on me the first visit — he didn’t even look at all the completed info in my chart. And, as many of you have also pointed out, you wait, wait, wait, to be seen for the consultation that means nothing… but he does need to bill for it!
Dr Ward also was pretty snarky about telling me first he needed the «measurements» from my prior PT group, for which I had to sign a release form so they could get them. When I returned for the next treatment, he said he never got those measurements (his receptionist said he never asked for them) — AND that he «wouldn’t take the measurements of another provider anyway». Really? Inconsistent? Waste of my time?
Needless to say, I am an active consumer in my care, a highly educated professional and someone who should be treated with respect. Good olé Ward didn’t get that and was trying to manipulate the situation to bill as many «treatments» as possible to my health care insurance provider.
Disappointing experience at best.

So now they are still trying to send me bills from 2 years ago… for what sitting in your waiting room and taking up space???

Went for sciatica which got progressively worse over 6 months. When I first went in I thought the owner would be seeing me. Not the case. I was then set up with a different chiropracter. Owner just «sells» the center. Went continually for chiropractic adjustments and they didn’t set me up in a timely manner for a review of my case. It wasn’t until I was in severe pain after an adjustment that I was advised to get an MRI. Once the MRI was reviewed, I was still told, «I think we can work with this.» Two doctors opinions confirmed I needed surgery for a severly herniated disc. I was also told by the owner there were «no guarantees that surgery would help» At that point what they were doing was just exasperating the inflamation and herniation. It was recommended I see their physical therapist and it would be billed just fine under my plan. Not the case, had to pay out of pocket for out of network. The physical therapist was very nice. Also told to make appt with their MD, also billed for that. The surgery saved me as I got to the point of not being able to even walk. Can’t say I would recommend this facility to anyone although I have a friend who thinks they are great.

Been to chiropractors for a few years on and off. Went for several months last year and received excellent care from both Dr. Moses and Dispenza. I wasn’t there for anything severe so no x-​rays, but I got e-​stim every visit and a very thorough adjustment each time, as well as strengthening exercises and some brief manual therapy on my neck.
First class chiropractic care in the area.
Fairly flexible schedules.
Nice location but limited parking.
Reasonable rates.