Alaska Foot & Ankle Specialists

Unfortunately, the individual who is filing the complaint was not aware that what he received upon checking out was an estimate of chargesWe cannot finalize billing until the chart note is completed and reviewed by our certified coders and billersAll claims must go through a final approval/auditing processThe $in question is not an overcharge, but rather an adjustment in the level of service received We are also contracted with the patient's insurance company and cannot issue a refund or partial refund of the balance as we have billed the insurance and received final payment for the claimI explained to the patient how sorry I was for the misunderstanding, but that we would work to ensure that patients are better informed from this point on Thank you

Complaint: [redacted] I am rejecting this response because:Final balance for the claim was paid by me, not the insurance company I am the customer who asked for the service, received the service, and paid for the service AFAS tried to inflate the billing to the maximum allowable amount with the insurance company after the fact and without my consent or notification The claim was not covered as it went towards deductible I am the customer, not the insurance company.Sincerely, [redacted] ***

In an effort to better serve Alaskans and to help contain costs, we are one of the few surgical practices in Anchorage that have become Contracted Preferred Providers with (his) insurance companyIn that regard, we do not set coding or billing/pricing procedures and are contractually bound to insurance conventionsDeviating from those insurance conventions would then be considered fraud.
We would be more than happy to try and create another way to a resolutionWe would even be willing to apply a credit on the account to be used toward custom orthotics or another over the counter podiatric item, not generally covered by insurance to make up for the inability to issue a refund.
Thank you

Unfortunately, the individual who is filing the complaint was not aware that what he received upon checking out was an estimate of charges. We cannot finalize billing until the chart note is completed and reviewed by our certified coders and billers. All claims must go through a final...

approval/auditing process. The $75 in question is not an overcharge, but rather an adjustment in the level of service received.
We are also contracted with the patient's insurance company and cannot issue a refund or partial refund of the balance as we have billed the insurance and received final payment for the claim. I explained to the patient how sorry I was for the misunderstanding, but that we would work to ensure that patients are better informed from this point on. 
 
Thank you.

Complaint: [redacted]I am rejecting this response because:Final balance for the claim was paid by me, not the insurance company.  I am the customer who asked for the service, received the service, and paid for the service.  AFAS tried to inflate the billing to the maximum allowable amount with the insurance company after the fact and without my consent or notification.  The claim was not covered as it went towards deductible.  I am the customer, not the insurance company.Sincerely,[redacted]