Blue Ridge Dental Group

We wish to begin this response by thanking you for your service to our country. At Blue Ridge Dental Group, we are grateful for the brave men and women of uniform who have made tremendous sacrifices to protect and serve our nation so selflessly. Many of our patients are veterans and we sincerely...

appreciate every single one of them. In fact, we have a working relationship with the VA and provide discounted services to VA patients. We in no way would turn you or anyone away from our offices for the reason you stated. It is our legal and clinical obligation to inform our patients of the importance of radiographs and our hygienist was doing her job by trying to explain this to you. This is a requirement of the Virginia State Board of Dentistry and the American Dental Association. We have an informed consent form that we require anyone refusing radiographs to sign prior to an examination; we would not have that form if it were our policy to not see someone refusing this diagnostic service. Unfortunately, you did not allow our staff to reach the point of the conversation in which they felt comfortable that you understood the importance of the radiographs so the form was not presented to you. However, the reason you were asked to leave is due to your abusive language directed toward our hygienist. We have interviewed the hygienist and the doctor separately, along with other witnesses of the incident at our office. You were abusive to our hygienist, you interrupted repeatedly, your conversations were disrespectful and intolerant of reason towards her and our doctor- driven home by the point when you called her a [redacted]. We fully stand behind our doctor’s decision to ask you to leave our premises and seek care elsewhere. This behavior would not be tolerated by anyone, at any time. The oral health of our community is our top priority and we’ll defend vehemently the kind and caring nature of our teams.

As Customer Service Manager of Blue Ridge Dental Group, I am grateful for this opportunity to address your concerns.  Please know that I was given your information the date that you called and have attempted to contact you.  I left my information on your voicemail for you to contact me at...

your convenience.  We never deny the right of our patients to speak with a member of management; although we may not always be in the same location as we travel between our offices.  This statement from the Revdex.com is the only communication I have received.    Insurance fraud is not a term that is used lightly in our field, nor do we tolerate it.  Unfortunately, there are hundreds, if not thousands, of different types of insurance policies in existence.  As a courtesy to our patients, we process dental claims and we work diligently to give the best estimate for our patients’ out of pocket expenses.  We are not always certain what insurance will pay until we receive the explanation of benefits (EOB) along with the payment.  This is the nature of working with insurance as each policy is unique based upon the insuring company, the chosen tier of coverage, deductibles, yearly maximums, etc…  In your specific case there was a small portion of your account balance not paid by your insurance company.  I certainly apologize that we made an error when entering your address into our database, causing you to not receive the statements that we sent.  You should have also received a copy of your EOB from your insurance company; they are obligated to provide you with that document.  I sincerely apologize that you did not know that there was a small balance still owed.  Once an account in our offices is over 90 days past due, it is placed in “in-house” collections, and we attempt to contact the patient in multiple ways before sending on to an external collector.  This step in the process is designed to prevent folks from erroneously going to collections.  Despite the extra steps we have in place to prevent this, it appears that your account still slipped by incorrectly.  We have alerted the collection agency that we are no longer pursuing your payment and have cleared your account balance.  You will be receiving a certified letter from me, showing your account balance at $0.  If you have any other further questions or concerns, please contact me directly at any time. Sincerely,

I have reviewed the response offer made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
I'm sorry but your facts are severely misguided.   How can you do an investigation without ever speaking to me.   Additionally, I have already been a patient and have not had a problem in the past with regards to not having x-rays.    I had even made an appointment for my daughter (who was driving down from [redacted] to be seen at your establishment right after me) because I was so pleased with my last visit and the way I was treated when a tooth broke in half during chemo treatments.  I told the hygienist right out of the gate that I have had cancer 3x and my Oncologist at [redacted] has told me not to have any x-rays.  She then insisted on a reduced version of only taking 4.  I again informed her I understand the risks, and quite frankly only have 3 to 6 years to live and will not be having any x-rays, as my saliva glands have already sustained damage from radioiodine.  She then left the room, and the dentist returned and told me I needed to go elsewhere.  He informed me everyone loves her so it must be me,  I was shocked because at this point I was under the impression she had left the room to get the wavier form.  I got up and was leaving and asked for my cost which the hygienist took and hung up upon my arrival.  She was standing behind the dentist with a laughing smirk on her face, at which time I called her a [redacted], this took place after being thrown out of your establishment, not before.  There was not one harsh word uttered by me until that point.   But if you really cared to understand what happened at your establishment  you would of called and asked for my side.  I then stopped at the front desk and canceled my daughters appointment.  I have since seen a dentist, no x-rays, no forms, no hassles, no problems.  Your understand of the events that took place that morning are severely  misinformed.   
Regards,
[redacted]

Review: I received care form this office a little over a year ago. I had a toothe that needed to be extracted. I have insurance and was in network with this office. They have a policy where you pay up front. That is fine. I paid what my insurance would not pay up front before having the dental work. Had my tooth pulled and that was all. I called to make another appointment as it has been over a year. Was informed that I could not be seen as I had a past due balance that had been sent to collections. I was shocked as I had not received a bill. When talking to the front desk lady, she was rude and stated that they had mailed 3 statements out. The address they had on file was entered wrong. Instead of [redacted] they had entered [redacted]. So I never received a bill. I was told I had to contact the collection holder and pay the amount owed plus interest. and then prove I paid it before an appointment could be made. First, I had paid my bill up front. Second, they are charging more after the visit and causing false claims with insurance. I asked them to correct the their error and was told sorry. I looked at my paperwork and my address was clearly written as [redacted] not [redacted]. This business is refusing to fix their typo and refused to let me speak with a manager. How can a practice run your insurance first, collect your portion then send a bill for more after paid in full on the statement prior for service rendered. If billing different than what was ran and coded different than what was ran prior is insurance fraud.Desired Settlement: would like this practice looked into for not just my complaint but looked into to see if others have been treated this way. I want this removed from my credit and the bill resolved since this is a typo error on this business end and not on my end.

Business

Response:

As Customer Service Manager of Blue Ridge Dental Group, I am grateful for this opportunity to address your concerns. Please know that I was given your information the date that you called and have attempted to contact you. I left my information on your voicemail for you to contact me at your convenience. We never deny the right of our patients to speak with a member of management; although we may not always be in the same location as we travel between our offices. This statement from the Revdex.com is the only communication I have received. Insurance fraud is not a term that is used lightly in our field, nor do we tolerate it. Unfortunately, there are hundreds, if not thousands, of different types of insurance policies in existence. As a courtesy to our patients, we process dental claims and we work diligently to give the best estimate for our patients’ out of pocket expenses. We are not always certain what insurance will pay until we receive the explanation of benefits (EOB) along with the payment. This is the nature of working with insurance as each policy is unique based upon the insuring company, the chosen tier of coverage, deductibles, yearly maximums, etc… In your specific case there was a small portion of your account balance not paid by your insurance company. I certainly apologize that we made an error when entering your address into our database, causing you to not receive the statements that we sent. You should have also received a copy of your EOB from your insurance company; they are obligated to provide you with that document. I sincerely apologize that you did not know that there was a small balance still owed. Once an account in our offices is over 90 days past due, it is placed in “in-house” collections, and we attempt to contact the patient in multiple ways before sending on to an external collector. This step in the process is designed to prevent folks from erroneously going to collections. Despite the extra steps we have in place to prevent this, it appears that your account still slipped by incorrectly. We have alerted the collection agency that we are no longer pursuing your payment and have cleared your account balance. You will be receiving a certified letter from me, showing your account balance at $0. If you have any other further questions or concerns, please contact me directly at any time. Sincerely,

Review: I am a Navy Veteran who was exposed to radiation while serving and have had Thyroid Cancer, Male Breast Cancer, and Colon Cancer as a result. I have been advised by my oncologist to avoid x-rays. I made an appointment to have my teeth cleaned. When I arrived the desk staff were pleasant and professional, however the hygienist was a different story, she kept insisting on x-rays, and wanted to argue the point, saying they would modify the series to only 4 x-rays. I again said no x-rays, and even said "I get cancer like you get the cold". She went off and a dentist returned and said that since all his patients like her and I have a problem with her I should go elsewhere. I told him I did mot want an argument, I simply wanted my teeth cleaned, and understood that without x-rays they could not do a complete exam. He told me to leave. That's right people, this place turned away a veteran battling cancer from radiation exposure, because I would not let them expose me to additional radiation.Desired Settlement: An apology

Business

Response:

We wish to begin this response by thanking you for your service to our country. At Blue Ridge Dental Group, we are grateful for the brave men and women of uniform who have made tremendous sacrifices to protect and serve our nation so selflessly. Many of our patients are veterans and we sincerely appreciate every single one of them. In fact, we have a working relationship with the VA and provide discounted services to VA patients. We in no way would turn you or anyone away from our offices for the reason you stated. It is our legal and clinical obligation to inform our patients of the importance of radiographs and our hygienist was doing her job by trying to explain this to you. This is a requirement of the Virginia State Board of Dentistry and the American Dental Association. We have an informed consent form that we require anyone refusing radiographs to sign prior to an examination; we would not have that form if it were our policy to not see someone refusing this diagnostic service. Unfortunately, you did not allow our staff to reach the point of the conversation in which they felt comfortable that you understood the importance of the radiographs so the form was not presented to you. However, the reason you were asked to leave is due to your abusive language directed toward our hygienist. We have interviewed the hygienist and the doctor separately, along with other witnesses of the incident at our office. You were abusive to our hygienist, you interrupted repeatedly, your conversations were disrespectful and intolerant of reason towards her and our doctor- driven home by the point when you called her a [redacted]. We fully stand behind our doctor’s decision to ask you to leave our premises and seek care elsewhere. This behavior would not be tolerated by anyone, at any time. The oral health of our community is our top priority and we’ll defend vehemently the kind and caring nature of our teams.

Consumer

Response:

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

I'm sorry but your facts are severely misguided. How can you do an investigation without ever speaking to me. Additionally, I have already been a patient and have not had a problem in the past with regards to not having x-rays. I had even made an appointment for my daughter (who was driving down from [redacted] to be seen at your establishment right after me) because I was so pleased with my last visit and the way I was treated when a tooth broke in half during chemo treatments. I told the hygienist right out of the gate that I have had cancer 3x and my Oncologist at [redacted] has told me not to have any x-rays. She then insisted on a reduced version of only taking 4. I again informed her I understand the risks, and quite frankly only have 3 to 6 years to live and will not be having any x-rays, as my saliva glands have already sustained damage from radioiodine. She then left the room, and the dentist returned and told me I needed to go elsewhere. He informed me everyone loves her so it must be me, I was shocked because at this point I was under the impression she had left the room to get the wavier form. I got up and was leaving and asked for my cost which the hygienist took and hung up upon my arrival. She was standing behind the dentist with a laughing smirk on her face, at which time I called her a [redacted], this took place after being thrown out of your establishment, not before. There was not one harsh word uttered by me until that point. But if you really cared to understand what happened at your establishment you would of called and asked for my side. I then stopped at the front desk and canceled my daughters appointment. I have since seen a dentist, no x-rays, no forms, no hassles, no problems. Your understand of the events that took place that morning are severely misinformed.

Regards,

The Dublin office now keeps a DOG in the office. I won't be going to a dentist that has a Dog in it. Both me and my wife had to listen to the dog barking while getting our teeth worked on. (our appointments were weeks apart)

Unprofessional and very rude to treat patients this way. Been to going to this office for 10 years but due to the dog addition our family has switched dentists