Associates in Family Practice, P.A.

October 13, 2014Dear *** ***:I am in receipt of your letter dated October 6, regarding *** ***Due to the nature of the complaint (medical office visit) and the confidentiality that is implied, I am not sure how much information I am allowed to provideThe
patient did come to the office on the dates that he stated in his letter, For the first visit of his complaint, which he states he was billed $67,(that is the contracted rate for *** that we adjusted from the actual charge of $100.00)The insurance information that the patient presented when he arrived for his visit was not active at the timeAfter submitting the claim and receiving a response from ***, he patient was informed of this and billedAfter multiple attempts to collect this amount, the patient was billed a final time in August The second visit in question contains protected health informationUnless I have a signed release from the patient stating I am able to discuss the details of his visit, I am notable to comment on this allegation other than to say the patient was referred to the ER for symptoms that he presented while in the officeMsS***'s office note was reviewed by the senior physician in the office and determined that the correct protocol was followed.I can discuss the visit in more depth once I have a signed medical release form from the patientIf you have any questions, or if you require any additional information, please do not hesitate to contact my office
Thank you,
Christine P
Practice Manager

Review: I received a bill from the office of Associates in Family Practice, P.A. dated 9/8/14. The bill is in the amount of $262.84, and stems from two separate office visits.

The first visit was a standard office visit on 2/1/13, it concerned my high blood pressure, and I was billed $67.19 for this visit (My insurance at the time was [redacted].) The doctor’s office filed their claim to the insurance company extremely late, more than a year later, on 5/20/14. It was for this reason most likely that [redacted] did not cover my visit in full.

The second visit was on 6/4/14 and I was billed the amount of $195.65. The doctor’s office filed the claim to my current insurance; [redacted]. This visit was also because of my high blood pressure, and the fact that the medication my doctor always prescribed me was not lowering it. I was having severe heart palpitations with my blood pressure reaching 170/110, and I was having strong heartburn episodes.

On the day of 6/4/14, I was treated very harshly at the office of Associates in Family Practice, P.A. I requested many times to have my blood pressure medication changed and they refused. I was told to go to the emergency room if I had heart problems. I pleaded for lab work to be performed, but was refused. All the office personnel did was to perform a basic EKG on me. Finally after I begged them, they also changed my medication, but I had to recommend the appropriate medication.

Later, I went to another doctor’s office (The [redacted] Medical Clinic), where they happily prescribed blood-work, a stool test and an echo-cardiogram of my heart. The echo-cardiogram showed that I have an enlarged heart due to prolonged high blood pressure. The stool test and blood-work resulted in my being diagnosed with the bacteria: H. Pylori, which if left untreated can result in stomach cancer.

I am extremely disappointed that the office of Associates in Family Practice would deny me basic services necessary for my health, and at the same time send me an astronomically high bill for the most elementary services rendered. I am also upset with my insurance: [redacted], for not covering a basic office visit to my family doctor, for which I paid my copay in full before being seen.Desired Settlement: I want the doctor's office to waive all charges against me.

I wish for a letter of apology from the doctor's office.

Business

Response:

October 13, 2014Dear [redacted]:I am in receipt of your letter dated October 6, 2014 regarding [redacted]. Due to the nature of the complaint (medical office visit) and the confidentiality that is implied, I am not sure how much information I am allowed to provide.The patient did come to the office on the dates that he stated in his letter, For the first visit of his complaint, which he states he was billed $67,19 (that is the contracted rate for [redacted] that we adjusted from the actual charge of $100.00). The insurance information that the patient presented when he arrived for his visit was not active at the time. After submitting the claim and receiving a response from [redacted], he patient was informed of this and billed. After multiple attempts to collect this amount, the patient was billed a final time in August 2014. The second visit in question contains protected health information. Unless I have a signed release from the patient stating I am able to discuss the details of his visit, I am notable to comment on this allegation other than to say the patient was referred to the ER for symptoms that he presented while in the office. Ms. S[redacted]'s office note was reviewed by the senior physician in the office and determined that the correct protocol was followed.I can discuss the visit in more depth once I have a signed medical release form from the patient. If you have any questions, or if you require any additional information, please do not hesitate to contact my office. Thank you,Christine PPractice Manager