Beach Family Doctors

Follow up response - We saw patient in our office on 12/3/Patient provided us his insurance card to billThe doctors coded CPT a new patient visit at $We billed patients insurance, Blue Cross of CAOn 12/18/ patients insurance applied $to his deductible On 12/30/patient called with questions regarding the bill that was mailed to their home addressStated one of my front office girls quoted his wife $for a new patient visitPt was notified I was out of the office on vacation and would contact him when I return to the office On 1/15/I contacted patient regarding his concernsI apologized for the miscommunication and explained to patient that we do not quote prices because we have no way of knowing what the doctor will code for during the visitPatient started getting upset and yelling at meI apologized again, I went over his benefits with him, let him know he had a high deductiblePatient was very argumentative and rudeI ended the conversation letting him know I would speak with the doctor and get back to him After speaking with the doctors on 1/16/I called patient backI told patient the doctor was ok with reducing his bill by 20% due to the possibility there was a miscommunication and that we do not determine what patients insurance do or do not cover nor how much, that our price structure is the same for all patientsPatient started yelling at me saying he was not paying his bill because he was quoted $65.00, I asked the patient to please lower his voice and to stop yelling at me or I was going to hang up the phone Pt threatened legal actionPatient then stated the doctor better call him back or he was going to show up at our office and it would not be goodI ended the conversation due to his yelling at meThat same day the doctors called him back listen to his concerns, reiterated everything I told patient already and informed him he would not charge $for a new patient visit and if fails to pay he would be sent to collections I notified our billing office that the doctor would discount the bill by 20% and if unable to collect the discount would be removedOn 1/17/wife refused to pay so discount was removed On 1/23/I spoke with patient’s wife for minutesI apologized again for the miscommunication regarding her husband’s visitExplained we do not quote pricesWife asked what would happen if the bill was not paid, I told her it would be sent to collections and the family would be dismissed from our practicePatient’s wife started yelling at me stating she has good credit and she would take legal action against usAt that time I raised my voice so she could hear me speak and ended the call The doctor and I have both tried to resolve this matter with no luckPatient is to pay his deductible

Revdex.com: I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID 9901323, and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below In November, my wife had called this office to request an annual physical for myselfThe person she spoke with told her that before I could receive the physical I would need to schedule an appointment to meet with the doctorMy wife gave the person our insurance information and asked how much the co-pay would beShe was told this appointment would only cost $I went to the appointment as scheduled on the 3rd of December under the assumption I would be charged $for this visit and then would need to come back for my physicalI later learned that the office never scheduled the follow up physicalAfter the treatment I have received from this practice, of course I refused to schedule a new follow up physical The office manager states that the problem was "miscommunication" but this is an incorrect characterizationThis occurrence resembles extortion or exploitation more than a miscommunication, plain and simpleI was essentially lured to the doctor's office under the belief that my visit would cost $and then billed after for more than twice that amountAnd when I brought to their attention that I would have never showed up for the appointment, had I known it would not be $I was treated like a liar and cheatNo one in their office made me or my wife aware that prices could not be quotedWhether this was a training oversight or an intentionally misleading occurrence makes little differenceMy wife was explicitly given a price and the office should have honored thatAfter discussing the matter with the office manager on the phone a few weeks later, it was she who began to raise her voice in a rude and threatening tone and so engaged me in a heated discussion She explains that no one in her office quoted my wife $65, yet how can anyone in that office be trustedDuring my appointment, a member of her office staff carelessly handed me a packet with another individual's confidential informationI did not realize until I reached home that the file they had given me in order to enroll in an online database to track my own medical information, contained the medical and personal information of another patient named [redacted] This file included information such as her date of birth, social security number and addressI, personally, would never feel comfortable going back to a practice that would violate HIPAA so sloppilyThis incident only proves that this office shows a blatant disregard for the safety and security of its patient'sIf necessary, I can hand over the paperwork with this patient's information otherwise, I will shred it for her safetyI feel she should be notified that her information was treated with such careless disregard My wife then called to speak with the office manager to explain that $was the price quoted and if we had known it would be any different, we would have never scheduled the appointment in the first placeThis would be like telling a customer that an item is $5, then waiting until they purchase it and use it to charge their credit card $The office manager once again took an offensive tone, while my wife tried to calmly explain that not only were they treating the matter unfairly but also that they had violated HIPAA and she would be notifying CMS regarding this oversight This office has repeatedly shown its unprofessional and irresponsible behavior in regards to this entire mannerRather than owning up to the price someone in their office had given, they have simply made excusesJudging by the other violations that they have committed through this entire ordeal, I do not believe any member of their staff would be deemed trustworthyThey refuse to admit oversight or wrongdoing and make this right by the patient by resolving this issue Regards, [redacted] ***

Follow up response  - 
We saw patient in our office on 12/3/13. Patient provided us
his insurance card to bill. The doctors coded CPT 99204 a new patient visit at
$270.00. We billed patients insurance, Blue Cross of CA. On 12/18/13...

patients
insurance applied $161.02 to his deductible.
On 12/30/13 patient called with questions regarding the bill
that was mailed to their home address. Stated one of my front office girls
quoted his wife $65 for a new patient visit. Pt was notified I was out of the
office on vacation and would contact him when I return to the office.
On 1/15/14 I contacted patient regarding his concerns. I
apologized for the miscommunication and explained to patient that we do not
quote prices because we have no way of knowing what the doctor will code for
during the visit. Patient started getting upset and yelling at me. I apologized
again, I went over his benefits with him, let him know he had a high
deductible. Patient was very argumentative and rude. I ended the conversation
letting him know I would speak with the doctor and get back to him.
After speaking with the doctors on 1/16/14 I called patient
back. I told patient the doctor was ok with reducing his bill by 20% due to the
possibility there was a miscommunication and that we do not determine what
patients insurance do or do not cover nor how much, that our price structure is
the same for all patients. Patient started yelling at me saying he was not
paying his bill because he was quoted $65.00, I asked the patient to please
lower his voice and to stop yelling at me or I was going to hang up the phone.
Pt threatened legal action. Patient then stated the doctor better call him back
or he was going to show up at our office and it would not be good. I ended the
conversation due to his yelling at me. That same day the doctors called him
back listen to his concerns, reiterated everything I told patient already and
informed him he would not charge $65.00 for a new patient visit and if fails to
pay he would be sent to collections.
I notified our billing office that the doctor would discount
the bill by 20% and if unable to collect the discount would be removed. On
1/17/14 wife refused to pay so discount was removed.
On 1/23/14 I spoke with patient’s wife for 35 minutes. I apologized
again for the miscommunication regarding her husband’s visit. Explained we do
not quote prices. Wife asked what would happen if the bill was not paid, I told
her it would be sent to collections and the family would be dismissed from our
practice. Patient’s wife started yelling at me stating she has good credit and
she would take legal action against us. At that time I raised my voice so she
could hear me speak and ended the call.
The doctor and I have both tried to resolve this matter with
no luck. Patient is to pay his deductible.

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID 9901323, and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
In November, my wife had called this office to request an annual physical for myself. The person she spoke with told her that before I could receive the physical I would need to schedule an appointment to meet with the doctor. My wife gave the person our insurance information and asked how much the co-pay would be. She was told this appointment would only cost $65. I went to the appointment as scheduled on the 3rd of December under the assumption I would be charged $65 for this visit and then would need to come back for my physical. I later learned that the office never scheduled the follow up physical. After the treatment I have received from this practice, of course I refused to schedule a new follow up physical.
 
The office manager states that the problem was "miscommunication" but this is an incorrect characterization. This occurrence resembles extortion or exploitation more than a miscommunication, plain and simple. I was essentially lured to the doctor's office under the belief that my visit would cost $65 and then billed after for more than twice that amount. And when I brought to their attention that I would have never showed up for the appointment, had I known it would not be $65 I was treated like a liar and cheat. No one in their office made me or my wife aware that prices could not be quoted. Whether this was a training oversight or an intentionally misleading occurrence makes little difference. My wife was explicitly given a price and the office should have honored that. After discussing the matter with the office manager on the phone a few weeks later, it was she who began to raise her voice in a rude and threatening tone and so engaged me in a heated discussion.
 
She explains that no one in her office quoted my wife $65, yet how can anyone in that office be trusted. During my appointment, a member of her office staff carelessly handed me a packet with another individual's confidential information. I did not realize until I reached home that the file they had given me in order to enroll in an online database to track my own medical information, contained the medical and personal information of another patient named [redacted]. This file included information such as her date of birth, social security number and address. I, personally, would never feel comfortable going back to a practice that would violate HIPAA so sloppily. This incident only proves that this office shows a blatant disregard for the safety and security of its patient's. If necessary, I can hand over the paperwork with this patient's information otherwise, I will shred it for her safety. I feel she should be notified that her information was treated with such careless disregard.
 
My wife then called to speak with the office manager to explain that $65 was the price quoted and if we had known it would be any different, we would have never scheduled the appointment in the first place. This would be like telling a customer that an item is $5, then waiting until they purchase it and use it to charge their credit card $50. The office manager once again took an offensive tone, while my wife tried to calmly explain that not only were they treating the matter unfairly but also that they had violated HIPAA and she would be notifying CMS regarding this oversight.
 
This office has repeatedly shown its unprofessional and irresponsible behavior in regards to this entire manner. Rather than owning up to the price someone in their office had given, they have simply made excuses. Judging by the other violations that they have committed through this entire ordeal, I do not believe any member of their staff would be deemed trustworthy. They refuse to admit oversight or wrongdoing and make this right by the patient by resolving this issue.
 
Regards,
[redacted]

Review: I was first referred to your office by my wife. She had inquired with your staff about the cost of the visit and was told that I would only have to pay $65 out of pocket. My wife made the staff member aware of the family insurance policy and was assured the price would be as quoted. This seemed reasonable enough to me, so I scheduled my visit. When I received the bill for services, I was very confused. The office had billed my insurance company $270 for my 15 minute appointment and I was being made to pay about $161 of it. I thought there had to be a mistake because my wife had been assured that the appointment would only cost $65. I called the doctor's office and spoke with another staff member as well as you, yourself. The manager of the office became defensive with me and began to raise her voice, engaging me in an unnecessarily heated discussion. I was then told there was nothing that could be done, which didn't make sense to me because the practice was responsible for the charges, regardless of how much my health insurance was willing to cover. Eventually, I was told that the cost could be reduced to $125, a far cry from the original quote of $65.I am very upset with the unprofessional and inconsiderate attitudes and policies of this office. I was misled to believe that I was going to pay a certain amount for my appointment which was then doubled after the fact. Had I known it would cost me so much, I would have never agreed to set the appointment in the first place. And rather than setting the situation right, I was argued with and treated with disrespect. Universal best business practices dictate that organizations should honor their quoted prices. I was not even given an alternative to paying the bill because I had already received the service under a false pretense. If the staff member did not know what what the cost of the appointment would be, they should have said so; at least I would have been able to make a decision without being mislead. I believe that your office should be held accountable for the cost which was quoted me in the first place. At this point I would never even consider receiving treatment from your practice again and I am lodging a complaint with the Revdex.com. This is not the way that customers or patients should be treated and I hope no one else is treated this way again.Desired Settlement: I am willing to pay $65 as quoted before the appointment was scheduled.

Business

Response:

Follow up response -

We saw patient in our office on 12/3/13. Patient provided us

his insurance card to bill. The doctors coded CPT 99204 a new patient visit at

$270.00. We billed patients insurance, Blue Cross of CA. On 12/18/13 patients

insurance applied $161.02 to his deductible.

On 12/30/13 patient called with questions regarding the bill

that was mailed to their home address. Stated one of my front office girls

quoted his wife $65 for a new patient visit. Pt was notified I was out of the

office on vacation and would contact him when I return to the office.

On 1/15/14 I contacted patient regarding his concerns. I

apologized for the miscommunication and explained to patient that we do not

quote prices because we have no way of knowing what the doctor will code for

during the visit. Patient started getting upset and yelling at me. I apologized

again, I went over his benefits with him, let him know he had a high

deductible. Patient was very argumentative and rude. I ended the conversation

letting him know I would speak with the doctor and get back to him.

After speaking with the doctors on 1/16/14 I called patient

back. I told patient the doctor was ok with reducing his bill by 20% due to the

possibility there was a miscommunication and that we do not determine what

patients insurance do or do not cover nor how much, that our price structure is

the same for all patients. Patient started yelling at me saying he was not

paying his bill because he was quoted $65.00, I asked the patient to please

lower his voice and to stop yelling at me or I was going to hang up the phone.

Pt threatened legal action. Patient then stated the doctor better call him back

or he was going to show up at our office and it would not be good. I ended the

conversation due to his yelling at me. That same day the doctors called him

back listen to his concerns, reiterated everything I told patient already and

informed him he would not charge $65.00 for a new patient visit and if fails to

pay he would be sent to collections.

I notified our billing office that the doctor would discount

the bill by 20% and if unable to collect the discount would be removed. On

1/17/14 wife refused to pay so discount was removed.

On 1/23/14 I spoke with patient’s wife for 35 minutes. I apologized

again for the miscommunication regarding her husband’s visit. Explained we do

not quote prices. Wife asked what would happen if the bill was not paid, I told

her it would be sent to collections and the family would be dismissed from our

practice. Patient’s wife started yelling at me stating she has good credit and

she would take legal action against us. At that time I raised my voice so she

could hear me speak and ended the call.

The doctor and I have both tried to resolve this matter with

no luck. Patient is to pay his deductible.

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID 9901323, and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.

In November, my wife had called this office to request an annual physical for myself. The person she spoke with told her that before I could receive the physical I would need to schedule an appointment to meet with the doctor. My wife gave the person our insurance information and asked how much the co-pay would be. She was told this appointment would only cost $65. I went to the appointment as scheduled on the 3rd of December under the assumption I would be charged $65 for this visit and then would need to come back for my physical. I later learned that the office never scheduled the follow up physical. After the treatment I have received from this practice, of course I refused to schedule a new follow up physical.

The office manager states that the problem was "miscommunication" but this is an incorrect characterization. This occurrence resembles extortion or exploitation more than a miscommunication, plain and simple. I was essentially lured to the doctor's office under the belief that my visit would cost $65 and then billed after for more than twice that amount. And when I brought to their attention that I would have never showed up for the appointment, had I known it would not be $65 I was treated like a liar and cheat. No one in their office made me or my wife aware that prices could not be quoted. Whether this was a training oversight or an intentionally misleading occurrence makes little difference. My wife was explicitly given a price and the office should have honored that. After discussing the matter with the office manager on the phone a few weeks later, it was she who began to raise her voice in a rude and threatening tone and so engaged me in a heated discussion.

She explains that no one in her office quoted my wife $65, yet how can anyone in that office be trusted. During my appointment, a member of her office staff carelessly handed me a packet with another individual's confidential information. I did not realize until I reached home that the file they had given me in order to enroll in an online database to track my own medical information, contained the medical and personal information of another patient named [redacted]. This file included information such as her date of birth, social security number and address. I, personally, would never feel comfortable going back to a practice that would violate HIPAA so sloppily. This incident only proves that this office shows a blatant disregard for the safety and security of its patient's. If necessary, I can hand over the paperwork with this patient's information otherwise, I will shred it for her safety. I feel she should be notified that her information was treated with such careless disregard.

My wife then called to speak with the office manager to explain that $65 was the price quoted and if we had known it would be any different, we would have never scheduled the appointment in the first place. This would be like telling a customer that an item is $5, then waiting until they purchase it and use it to charge their credit card $50. The office manager once again took an offensive tone, while my wife tried to calmly explain that not only were they treating the matter unfairly but also that they had violated HIPAA and she would be notifying CMS regarding this oversight.

This office has repeatedly shown its unprofessional and irresponsible behavior in regards to this entire manner. Rather than owning up to the price someone in their office had given, they have simply made excuses. Judging by the other violations that they have committed through this entire ordeal, I do not believe any member of their staff would be deemed trustworthy. They refuse to admit oversight or wrongdoing and make this right by the patient by resolving this issue.