Boston STD Clinic

Feb 2019

Boston STD clinic is a great place for fast, free, and confidential testing. The front desk staff (especially Grace) is always extremely kind and helpful. The counselors are very comfortable to be around- I am usually shy talking about personal topics, but I felt like I was in a safe place. It is really easy to book an appointment and you can usually get it really soon! I definitely recommend coming here- I don't know any place that is so easy and FREE!

Nov 2017

Quick to schedule an appointment. Also impeccable bedside manner by the attending doctor and the testing staff. Two major issues with them. 1) They don't follow up at all. I went in for lab work, I was told I'd get results "within a week", both by the front desk and by their website. The day after I got an automatic email with a web-based account (mychart.bmc.org), where I could check my results when they were ready. Awesome & efficient, I think. 2 weeks later there were no results online (and still aren't 3 months after my visit). I called, and they gave me my results on the phone, with an attitude like they were just sitting on them for the last few days waiting for me to do exactly this -- call them when I thought they might be ready. I don't know what's worse -- making patients wait extra time to find out results, or how crappy it would be for someone with some major disease to have the front desk confirm their name on the phone and then give them their results in earshot of anyone waiting in the lobby ("Oh Mrs. Jane Doe? Last four digits of your social? 5555...let me check...yes, you came back positive for HIV. When can we schedule a follow up appointment?") What's the point of your online system if you don't use it? I still don't have any official lab results from my visit, either online or mailed to me, so if a partner wants you to show them a clean bill of health you are S.O.L. if you come to get tested here. Keep that in mind. 2) They are outrageously priced. The testing work is indeed free (I think), but that's it. I got an invoice after my visit showing they tried to collect over $60 from my insurance, got $40 (i.e. the MAXIMUM REASONABLE AMOUNT insurance thinks it should cost), and were billing me for the remainder. When I checked on it, the bill was actually for pharmacy services -- a single dose antibiotic to be exact, with a common retail price of $8-$10 in most pharmacies, but over $60 from them. I have no idea why it is so much higher. Maybe they insist on using brand name instead of generic, it wasn't discussed and I wasn't really given an option when they gave me the drugs in the clinic so I can't say. So just be mindful of this if you receive any treatments in the clinic, which is regular practice to do for common STDs before lab results are completed if you are high-risk -- i.e. you had contact with a partner who later informed you they found out they have an STD, which is probably why you're going to get tested in the first place. If you get treated there, you'll pay through the nose, especially if you came in without insurance because you thought it was all free. Maybe you'd be better off asking for a prescription for any drugs they want to give you, taking it to a pharmacy and paying 85% less -- do you really need a doctor coaching you on how to take a pill? Great medical staff, but an administrative cluster-F.

Jan 2015

I've come to the clinic a few times and the councilors are great. I came in a nervous wreck and they were able to give me great information and put me at ease. I went in and was greeted by a nice lady at the front and there the wait wasn't bad at all even though the waiting room was full. I wish there were more free places like this to get tested.