Chiropractic Arts Clinic

Complaint: ***
I am rejecting this response because:I stand by my statements I tried to resolve the issue with the office manager but she didn't want to disclose the $charge until I asked her more than onceThey were very rude as far as changing the price from my phone call and when I finished the paperwork to when I was waiting to be seen by the doctor This is why I contacted the Revdex.com I was not confusedIf the receptionist would have stated the $charge when I called and I would have gone to another chiropractor I will never go to this business again
Regards,
*** *** [To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, the consumer must give a reason why they are rejecting the responseIf the consumer does not provide a reason if he complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved]

July 17, 2015 Revdex.com New Mexico & Southwest Colorado 7007 Jefferson Street, NE Suite A Albuquerque, NM 87109 Re: ID [redacted] To Whom It May Concern: This is written in response to the complint ID referenced above which was received on 7/14/15....

We have investigated the allegation and we will address the details listed in the complaint to the best of our ability. Hopefully the following information will address any concerns you may have and clear up confusion regarding the events that occurred on the day in question. However, due to concerns about privacy issues concerning PHI, some details (specifically co-payments and policy specifics) regarding this complaint' will not be formally addressed until we receive a signed HIPAA release for such information to be divulged to the Revdex.com. 1. At no time did any staff, specifically the receptionist, the health insurance billing specialist or the office manager, tell the patient that the fee would be $45.00. First, there are no services provided with that fee. Second, the receptionist (nor any other staff) has no idea what services/procedures the doctor will provide and/or administer prior to the appointment so there is no way of knowing what the final bill will be. Third, the receptionist schedules appointments. She does not verify insurance benefits or co-pays, she receives that information from the billing specialist. Fourth, the only time "$45.00" was mentioned was in response to the patient's inquiry, when he called to make an appointment, as to what his co-pay was. The receptionist told the patient she did not know what his co-pay was and that co-pays can vary from $20 to $45 to $50 it just depends upon the individual's health insurance plan. She informed him that he could call his health insurance member services department to verify what his copayment was or that he could speak with our billing specialist, at no time did she tell the patient his co-pay or the fee would be $45.00. 2. When the patient arrived for his appointment, he filled out the patient information forms (including the financial policy) and he again expressed confusion regarding his co-payment. He met with the billing specialist who reviewed with him the details of his health insurance benefits including co-payments, deductibles and covered services.3. The patient was billed in accordance with the terms of his health insurance plan. In fact, a significant discount was applied to the patient's portion.Health insurance and reimbusement plans can some times be confusing. We have been, and will continue to be, available for the patient to further discuss the details of his insurance plan. We hope that this clears up any concerns. Should you have further questions please do not hesitate to contact us but again, we will not be able to divulge any confidential and/or protected PHI without a signed HIPAA form requesting such information. Sincerely, [redacted], Ph.D.Clinic Administratorcc:[redacted]

August 4, 2015 Revdex.com New Mexico & Southwest Colorado 7007 Jefferson Street, NE Suite AAlbuquerque, NM 87109 Re: ID [redacted] ([redacted]) Second and final response. To Whom It May Concern: This is the final response and refutation to the claimant's response to complaint ID [redacted] ([redacted]) received on 7/29/15. With respect to the stated fee, we stand by our original response. At no time was the patient told his fee would be $45.00. Again, we have no such fee for any service. Please refer back to #1 on letter dated 7/17/15 for complete details. With respect to the insinuation of some sort of a bait and switch or "smokescreen" regarding fees, we have one fee for a chiropractic adjustment: $89.60. By law, we are allowed to provide a time of service discount (colloquially referred to as a "cash" discount) to those individuals who elect to pay in full for services provided at that time. This time of service discount does not apply to those individuals who elect to use their health insurance and have us bill the insurance company directly. There is a significantly higher administrative cost associated with processing and posting health insurance claims as well as a delay in payment for services rendered. Prior to being seen by the doctor, the patient stated that he wanted to use his health insurance. He met with the health insurance billing specialist who discussed what his plan did and did not cover. At no time did he tell the receptionist or the billing specialist that he wanted to pay for the services and then submit the receipt to his insurance company himself for reimbursement. If that was his intent, that message did not get conveyed to, or at the very least understood by, the staff. If there was still ambiguity after meeting with billing specialist and he was confused (or if we confused him) we apologize. It is never our intention to leave our patients befuddled or frustrated and we do our best to try to resolve issues quickly. However, it is a bit disconcerting that the patient never contacted us (e.g., office manager, myself or even the doctor) to try to resolve this issue prior to reaching out to the Revdex.com. Should you have further questions please do not hesitate to contact us but again, we will not be able to divulge any confidential and/or protected PHI (including specifics about the patient's health insurance plan or treatments administered on the date in question) without a signed HIPAA form requesting such information. Sincerely,[redacted], Ph.D. Clinic Administrator cc: [redacted]