Dr. Pankaj Merchia, MD

Saw him ONE time over 5 years ago. My insurance company has received well over 1000 (no that is not a typo) claims from him Many of the claims are over $50,000. For a CPAP machine? REALLY? When added up, the claims came to over $5 million. Fortunately, my insurance company has not paid, but it still costs them money to process all of these fraudulent claims - and guess who picks up that bill!

Years after care - still get bills for services never received

I'm an early patient of Dr. Merchia and was a frequent visitor to the practice during 2011 and 2012. I had a couple of sleep studies, and saw other folks at the same practice for help with weight loss. Because I was at the office so frequently for personal training, I became close with the staff. The practice grew a great deal during the time I was a patient, and I think some of the complaints in the other reviews are not without merit- on a couple of followup visits I wound up waiting longer than I would've like, and the office was sometimes a little chaotic. However, after leaving the area and finding another sleep specialist, it's much clearer to me what was special about Dr. Merchia's practice. His credentials are of course impressive, but I haven't encountered many other specialists who are so focused on their specialty. You don't get his grade of fluency in citing and explaining the literature kind unless you really care about it, and the advice regarding details like… mask and machine models means more when it comes from someone who uses them, and Merchia was always comfortable talking to me about his own Apnea. I was also struck several times by his level of personal attention and devotion to the practice itself; late visits to the office would usually find Dr. Merchia there working on something, late evening emails were often answered within minutes, and this while the practice was expanding and adding locations routinely. I also had to grin once we he mentioned that he'd decided to write his own software for managing the practice because he couldn't find one that satisfied him. It was easy to forgive the occasional wait for an appointment after I realized how much work it was to build a practice from the ground up. I'm not sure I could do it and get any sleep myself. So anyhow, I'm a very satisfied patient who had his life genuinely changed by good sleep medicine and Dr. Merchia's practice. Whatever rough edges you may see as the practice grows are, I think, worth it when you consider the caliber of expertise you're getting, and the aim of the practice to simplify apnea treatment by offering equipment and supplies in addition to the diagnosis itself. This turns out to be a lot more ambitious than I would have expected, I had no idea what a convenience it is until I moved out of the area and wound up with a conventional DME supplier, argh.

I was diagnosed with sever obstructive sleep apnea 4 years ago. I did not have the standard symptoms. I went to several â??sleep doctorsâ?? and by far Dr. Merchia was the best. He made an effort to carefully read the exact results of the sleep study and carefully adjusted my machine until it worked perfectly. There was some waiting, but in this field it can be very hard to find someone who will adjust the CPAP machine to fit your needs. Many just hand you a machine and that is it. I recommend him 100%.

This doctor refuses to bill my primary insurance. Continues to bill the secondary, which company writes him that he will have to bill Medicare first. My secondary has sent me 175 EOBs over a three-year time period with the notation that they will not pay until they receive a statement from Medicare stating how much Medicare has paid. Medicare states that they have never been billed by him. I have contacted him numerous times asking him to bill Medicare. I have told him that Medicare suggests he send me a bill for my submission to them but he hasn't done that either. If you have Medicare I would suggest you use another doctor.

I went to Dr. Merchia based on a referral from my primary care physician. I have had sleep problems all my life. I found Dr. Merchia to be very interested in resolving my sleep difficulties. He is interested in me in a holistic manner - primarily all aspects of my life that affect my sleep. Recommend highly.

This is the most disorganized medical practice that I have ever encountered. Not only do you have to wait an average of 45 minutes to 1 hour to see Dr. Merchia, he does not file insurance claims until the end of the year, making it very difficult to work out any discrepancies in insurance reimbursement issues. His staff is constantly changing and is undertrained - if he can't even keep his own staff around how can he expect to keep patients? I will give him credit, he knows what he's doing when it comes to sleep medicine, it's just a shame that he can't get his act together. Save your time and money and go to a better, more organized doctor.

I went to see Dr. Merchia for insomnia I have had for over 30 years. Dr. Merchia asked me questions, then explained his plan of " treatment" very clearly. He typed the report of my visit into his laptop,and afterwards gave me a printed copy of it with clear instructions of what he wanted me to do after I left his office, and for the follwing 2 weeks. That night, and the following days I followed the instructions faithfully, and FOR THE FIRST TIME, I fell asleep, slept well, and awoke refreshed. He used behavior therapy, and it worked! I am very grateful, and relieved both mentally and physically!The first sleep specialist I had seen sent me home with prescription for antidepressants, and sleepin pills, and told me to keep a diary for a month of my sleep patterns before I could see her again. I trust Dr. Merchia totally, and have emailed friends who also have insomnia. I am deeply grateful. The other nice thing is that Dr. Mercia has an office in Frederick, MD as well.

For the past year, i have struggled with falling asleep. my primary care gave me ambien. my psychiatrist put me on ambien. these worked for a few weeks, and then I was walking the halls at night or just staring at the ceiling. Instead of drugs, Dr. Merchia worked with me. He helped me to understand how and why I sleep. He helped me to change how I think about sleep with what he called "CBT", cognitive behavioral therapy. Now, I don't need any drugs and I can sleep through the night. thank you!

after years of not understanding why i was tired and seeing doctor after doctor, Dr. Merchia diagnosed my sleep apnea. using CPAP has absolutely changed my life. my wife once again sleeps in the same room since i don't snore any more. i don't have to struggle to stay awake while driving. i was especially surprised at how quickly i went from first being seen to being setup on a cpap. all in 1 week.