Chuck C. Joo, DMD

October 21, 2013

Attn: Revdex.com of Virginia

720 Moorefield Park Dr #300

Richmond, VA 23236

I am writing to file a complaint against Dr. [redacted] and his practice, Fair Oaks Dental Care located at [redacted], VA [redacted].

? Double Billing. I went to Dr. [redacted] for a routine teeth cleaning and an Invisalign consultation on September 24, 2013. However, at the end of the visit he asked me to pay $45 because he said his assistant applied a fluoride paste on my teeth that he said my insurance plan would not pay for. He never informed me that this 2-minute procedure would cost me an extra $45. I had no choice but to make this payment. However, not only was I charged for this paste but turns out my insurance company was also billed for the same service in the amount of $78 a clear case of double billing.

? Billing for a complimentary consultation. Dr. [redacted] billed my insurance company $169 for full-mouth x-rays which were needed for Invisialign consultation. This was unexpected because at the time I made the appointment his receptionist had confirmed to me that the consultation would be complimentary. It also contradicted what was claimed prior to the consultation that they would honor an “Invisalign consultation deal” from this practice on Amazon the terms of which indicated that this consultation was complimentary. One of the big reasons I went to this practice was because of a complimentary consultation. However they billed my insurance company for it and my understanding is that this amount counts against the annual benefit I am allowed during the year from my health plan.

? Aggressive sales tactics. At the end of the visit he aggressively pushed me to sign up for the Invisalign special offer. He said I could take advantage of the Amazon pricing, however, that offer is good for “today only.” He asked me to make full payment for the treatment and said he would be happy to accept credit card in the amount of $3,899, which was $1,000 more than what he had offered on Amazon. While this felt like a bait and switch equally troubling was witnessing a dental practice acting in ways completely unexpected from a professional office.

? Frivolous charges. After the cleaning, my gums hurt for almost three days. I decided to get a second opinion about the cavities that were claimed by him I had (the professionalism of this practice was a little suspect in my eyes) I called his office last week to borrow the X-rays he took (not the Invisalign but the “regular” X-rays which are needed as part of routine cleaning). Dr. [redacted] said that he charges $50 to make a copy. I asked him why since the X-rays will be paid for when he bills my insurance company. He said he cannot afford to give these X-rays since he had recently invested in a $50,000 digital X-ray machine. This reasoning is hard to follow since it implies that patients can be slapped with frivolous charges just because the doctor has invested in new equipment?

? Excessive billing. The total he billed for this routine cleaning + complimentary Invisialign consultation totaled $567 (confirmed by [redacted] rep [redacted], employee id [redacted] on October 14, 2013) plus the $45 I paid for the fluoride paste treatment, which appears to be egregiously high.

? Incompetent oral analysis. According to Dr. [redacted]'s exam I have at least 5 cavities some of which need immediate attention and another 3 which were potential cavities. Since I never had any kind of issues with my teeth I decided to get a second opinion. I went to see another dentist in Alexandria who told me that she sees 0 cavities at this point in time. She did however say that she saw incipient lesions on 3 teeth that require me to clean them thoroughly each day. She also noted on her diagnoses that to watch these during the 6-month cleaning visits. I would be happy to provide a copy of her diagnosis.

? Balance billing. I have full coverage for dental cleaning and x-rays. As stated above, he billed an excessive amount for this service in addition to billing for what should have been a complimentary Invisalign consultation. My insurance company has already made a payment to him in the amount of $240 in addition to the $45 I paid him at the time of visit. He is now trying to collect the remainder of the bill from me ($282)! Dr. [redacted] is part of [redacted]'s in-network provider and as such he cannot seek to collect the difference between his billed charges and the amount that the insurance company paid on this claim. He needs to stop sending these bogus invoices.

Thanks.

Sincerely,

[redacted], VA [redacted] Email: [redacted]

Phone: ###-###-####

Cc: [redacted], MD

Consumer Protection, Attorney General’s Office, VA