Neurology Center of Fairfax

Wait time is long. I don’t think I’ve ever been seen on time. But Dr. Simarian is well worth the wait. I’ve also never had a rude staff member, which is saying something. I visit many many many different doctors offices and this one pretty frequently so that’s saying alot. It’s pretty darn awesome they have an infusion center in the office major plus. Make sure you take your shoes of for Dr. S

Very Un organized they scheduled my appointment on a different date then what i was told over the phone and when i attempted to re schedule they said they would not be able to unless the 75 $ no show fee that wasnt my mistake to be in place from the beggining was paid the office coordinator is very rude and disrespectful and also said he would not waive the fee i am not paying it and is going to file a civil suit against this matter!!! They care more about their money then the health of their patients.

I would recommend that anyone who cares about their identity steer clear of this Neurology Center of Fairfax. They REQUIRE you to provide your social security number before even making appointment. They have no stated policy on how they will protect your information. When asked how they will use the information, they tell you it is for scheduling so they can determine that it is really you. When I offered alternatives, I was told that there was not another option and that they wouldn’t schedule an appointment until I provide it. They say that only the schedulers have access to the information, but there is no way they can guarantee that. The doctors may be fabulous, but that is a very dangerous way of using very sensitive information simply for their own convenience. In this day and age of rampant identity theft, I can’t believe that any practice would still operate in this way.

I highly recommend the Neurology Center of Fairfax. I accompanied a patient there yesterday & was really impressed. The staff was friendly & polite, & we were taken back to an exam room after waiting less than 5 minutes. Dr. Kurtzke arrived almost immediately & had a terrific bedside manner. He conducted most of the testing himself, explained everything, & made us feel very comfortable (or as comfortable as one can feel while receiving electrical shocks & pinpricks…) We were in & out in under 45 minutes with preliminary results & a promise of a letter to the insurance company to help appeal their decision not to pay for further testing. Thanks, Dr. Kurtzke & NCF!

I go to the office in reston which is down the street from where I live. When I was told to go to fairfax for an EEG I was a little annoyed bc it’s out of the way. But I went anyways. I had an ok experience until it came to paying my copay. The woman at the billing desk was very rude and not friendly. Not once did she crack a smile. When I left I said thank you have a good day and got no reply. I will be sticking to the Reston office from now on.

I started seeing Dr. Simsarian when I first moved here 2 years ago. My first impression was this man has lost his mind… He didn’t want to prescribe the meds I was currently on, he was ordering all of my diagnostic tests over again and he put me through a long, long exam. I told my husband I wasn’t sure if I liked him or not but I would give it a try as he was well known and having Multiple Sclerosis, it is VERY VERY hard to find a quality doctor.
When I returned, having completed all of his tests, labs and feeling like I jumped through a hoop or two, we sat down and he took my hand and we talked in great detail about a plan of attack for the way the MS was attacking me, and he informed me he likes to do his own tests and not trust anyone else’s notes and diagnosis, and with MS being so tricky, you can never be too careful.
Now, I trust him with my life!!! I also see Meghan Adamson, Nurse Practitioner, she is an ANGEL… Dear God she has pulled me out of some really dark places…
In the past 2 years, we have had to switch medications, IV steroids, MS crisis, falls that caused concussions and fractured ribs, migraines… these people are truly my medical saviors! I trust them completely and I am so glad that I did not walk away 2 years ago like I started to.
If nothing more comes of this review, I get the chance to say Thank You!

Everyone at the practice really realty cares about you. They go above and beyond to make sure your issues are being treated. They are human but simply must just all be super-​humans! They will not accept defeat or failure. I have been seeing Dr. Amy Stone for about five years for chronic migraines. She has been sweet, kind, caring and wonderful the entire time. She sees me in the infusion center even when I do not have an appointment with her! And, the nurses in the infusion center are gemstones. The Neurology Center of Fairfax will see me through to the end of my migraines. I have faith in that.

Good doctors. Terrible /​unfriendly staff, especially on the phone. Inconvenient system for the patients.

DO NOT GET BOTOX HERE. When they quote you a price for botox, it could be WAY off (they quoted me $ 200, but I wound up paying over $ 500 when all was said and done). They also don’t tell you that no matter how much botox they inject, you will be paying for all that they order. Dr Churchill kept pushing me to try Botox, so I finally did and during the surgery there was a mistake where the top of the needle came off and got Botox all over my face and in my hair. Yep, I had to pay for that wasted Botox, too. And there weren’t any notes in my chart about the mistake. Although Dr Churchill is a good doctor, the staff in the office is unbearable and unfriendly. I have called to cancel appointments several times and they just didn’t take it off on their end, then sent me a no-​show bill. If the doctor’s support team sucks, sometimes it doesn’t matter how good the doctor is.

Went through a lengthy procedure and they said I was OK. Dr recommended a follow-​up several months later, which made little sense to me. I said I’d call to set appt and I never did. They called me three months later to remind me of the appt I never set. I called them to say I was not coming. I was then billed for not coming. I called and the billing person was rude and unwilling to accept my explanation. I’ll never set foot in that place again.
GOOD DOCTORS BUT LOUSY BILLING STAFF

FRUSTRATED TO THE MAX RIGHT NOW!!! I came when asked which was 30 minutes before my 9:00 appointment, I had already filled out paper work online which I thought would help… NOPE there where 5 patients behind me when I came in and now those 5 patients are all gone. More patients keep coming in and leaving and I’m still in the damn waiting room waiting to be called. FINALLY I was called back but I WILL NOT BE COMING BACK it was a waste of my morning and time. I HATE this office!!!

This center wins all the awards… well, it just seems that way. When you visit the website or enter the office you’re greeted with a long list of accolades many of the neurologists at the center have received like: Best Doctors in America 2013, Northern Virginia’s Magazine’s list of Top Doctors (2013), The Washington Post Magazine Super Doctors 2013. All of this recognition means that it’s particularly difficult to secure an appointment here but chances are when you get here you’ll get the care you’ll need.
Staff
While the doctors are widely renown and highly regarded, dealing with the staff here can be a hit or miss. Sometimes they’re really friendly, knowledgeable and patient. Other times you’re more of a number that needs to be herded off to the next station or step rather than a human. I guess it’s just a toss up which one you get. However, I will say that my paperwork is always spot on, I’ve never had any billing errors or misadventures, and I don’t deal with magically disappearing appointments here like I have at other doctors offices so one enthusiastic fist pump for that. I haven’t dealt with some of the technicians here but hopefully they’re better than some other techs I’ve had the displeasure of interacting with at other Neuro offices.
Doctors
Appointments can behind here and you might be abandoned in an waiting room after getting your vitals checked. However, the doctor will treat you like a humanoid and take their time with your appointment (and maybe apologize for the wait). The doctors here are patient, investigative, knowledgeable and aren’t dismissive of your requests, comments and questions. I also had an Electromyography (EMG) here with Dr. Kurtzke who was funny, easy going and tried to put me at ease while conducting the test… Which, by the way, kinda feels like you just lost an epic slap fight with Electro. So you can’t be completely at ease in a test like that.
–Note–
You cannot self refer — you HAVE to have a doctor’s referral and it has to be written on a prescription pad from your referring physician stating WHY they’re referring you. After you clear that hurdle the next one is getting an appointment. And boy is it difficult to get on the books. When you are successful with securing a spot, whatever you do, don’t cancel! Hold on to that appointment like the ‘Hang In There’ kitty from the classic motivation posters! Rescheduling can be tricky. Possible, but tricky. I think everyone’s schedule here is booked beyond booked — for good reason, many of the docs here ARE great at what they do but yeah… not fun.

Dr. Kurtze has been amazing with my mother. Making an appointment with him takes patience as he is often not available for months at a time. However, once you get your alone time, he makes the wait worth it. He is very smart, patient, and caring. His bedside manner is the best that I have ever encountered. And if he gives you his word, you can best that he is going to honor it.
My mother really likes him and often travels from SC just to be under his care. I honestly don’t doubt that other doctors are just as competent. We once worked with Dr. Stephenson and also received stellar service.
The office, like most doctor’s office is closed during lunch. But I have come to learn that this just means they stop answering the telephone for lunch hour. The staff is still just as busy working and the doctors are still seeing patients. Therefore, I would recommend making an appointment before lunch time so you can ensure that the doctor spends ample time with you, if needed.
The office building has plenty of parking in the front and in the back of the building, however, there always seems to be a fight for handicap spots.

This review is of the support staff– NOT A REVIEW OF THE DOCTORS
I understand that this place can be very busy since they have about ten doctors on staff. I understand that to support these doctors you need staff and probably a practice manager. I will never know if the doctors here are good because some of staff are just plain rude when I tried to book an appointment.
I was cut off mid sentence when I wanted to know first if they had any availability. I was interrupted and talked down to when I tried to give my reason about why I needed a neurologist. And I was spoken to like I was from a different planet when I described to the scheduler the form of blue cross blue shield that I have. You don’t have to speak to me like I’m a mentally handicapped four year old if you are unfamiliar with my particular insurance plan.
Since this practice seems like a large scale production– this review will probably fall through the cracks and this will be chalked up as «a potential patient having a bad day» However, the office manager needs to confront the personality doing the scheduling and get her off her entitled high horse and needs to address this lady’s attitude. A little friendliness goes a long way. Just because we patients don’t fall into line and give the EXACT answer you are looking for at lightning speed when scheduling over the phone– this is no reason to cop an attitude. I definitely don’t want to gamble going through this pissy gatekeeper if I need additional follow ups in the future so I am looking elsewhere. I’ve called this office before and had a very polite and informative person talk to me– but I understand there is more than one scheduler on staff and there are definitely some bad apples in there.
Maybe she was having a bad day or maybe they are just overworked over there. Who knows.

Dr. Churchill is very friendly and knowledgeable.
The support staff is just plain unfriendly. They were unresponsive when another doctor’s office to which I was referred to tried to request a copy of my records. They acted put upon and annoyed when I called myself to try and get a status of the request.

Dr. Churchill is a wonderful doctor. He listens to you and seems to truly care. He has a very gentle demeanor and speaks softly, which I like. He is conservative in his treatments and gives all the options available. I would bring my kids to him if I had to, that is how much i trust him.

The staff is very friendly, helpful and hardworking here.
Dr. Churchill belongs to one of those rare breeds of doctors who sits with you, listens to EVERYTHING you have to say, doesn’t rush at all, actually cares about his patients and tries to find solutions to problems/​questions/​concerns. I feel like I can trust him with my life which actually, I am. He is veryt intelligent and current about what’s out there in the medical field.
He’s an example of a truly GOOD DOCTOR.