Carnicella & Associates

Review: I keep getting outrageous bills from this dentist. I'm paid in full then a couple months later I get a bill that's $300 to $800! It's like she's over charging my insurance so she can pocket more. There's no reason for that much to still be paid after a normal six month dentist visit. This has been and a regular thing with getting these crazy bills and I'm finally sick of them.Desired Settlement: I just don't want to have to pay these bills that come six months later after a cleaning and I paid in full after my insurance and I have already sent in a check for what was owed.

Business

Response:

9-30-2013

To Whom It May Concern:

In January of this year Mr. [redacted] had fillings done. He paid his copay that day. The

insurance checks are sent to the patient with his type of insurance plan. We are very generaous

at our office, and do not make the patient pay for the full bill at the time of service, we only make

them pay their copay. However, when the insurance check comes to the patient in the mail, they

are then to bring the check into our office, or mail it in. That is what the insurance is paying

towards their services. Thepatient will not get a bill from us, becasue we do not send bills out until

all of the insurance money has been collected. So if the patient is not bringing us the checks in,

we have no way of knowing that the insurance is "back", because the checks went to the patient

not to our office. It is a stupid and ridiculous way of doing things, but that is not our choice, it is

the iunsurance company's. So Mr. [redacted] did not get a bill, but he did get his checks back in

the mail. He had in the past brought them in, and should have known to do so again. It wasn't

until we were running other reports at our office that we realized he got the checks back in the

mail, which is why our "reminder bill" was late in coming. This was not a bill for additional money

out of his pocket, it was simply a reminder to bring the insurance checks into the office.

As you can see on his transaction list, he was never "paid in full", his portion, yes, but not

the outstanding insurance. That was still owed.

He did not bring the insurance checks in until May, 4 months later. Having said that, I am

not a participating doctor, my associate was who passed away in Dec. All patients were informed

of this, yet he still chose to have treatment done with us at this office. Part of his bill was an

insurance write off that I did not have to make because I do not participate. However, I still agreed

with my billing specialist [redacted], to make that write off for him, to zero out his balance, and then I get

a letter like this.

I find it very insulting that he did not bring in checks for 4 months that were rightly ours,

and then we generously make an insurance write off that we don't have to make, and still a

complaint can be filed. I hope this letter and the transaction sheet puts this matter to rest. Please

feel free to send any of these correspondances to Mr. [redacted].

Nicole M. Carnicella, DMD, PC

Family Dentistry

212 Kenlee Drive

Bellefonte, PA 16823