Dr. Stephen C. Brown DDS

I went in to have 4 wisdom teeth extracted, with anesthesia. When I called to make the appt, they asked me to bring in $300 with me; when I asked how much my expense would be totaling, they advised that they had never seen anyone pay more than a total of $600 out of pocket as long as they had insurance. We arrived the day of surgery, paid the $300, and were told that each tooth costs just under $200 before insurance. Upon receiving the bill, we were shocked and disgusted. They charged me $1293, more than double their original quote, and also received over $600 from insurance. I called to discuss it; the first time they were in their other office and said they couldn’t discuss it that day. The second time I called, she assured me that she would look into things and call back- she never did. I mailed them $300 3 weeks ago with a letter explaining that I would not pay the other $693 on the bill because I feel like I was lied to and they over billed. The woman called after receiving payment and stated that we mislead them about our deductibles, which couldn’t be true even if she wanted it to as we watched her call our insurance company and verify our plan and amounts. I feel as if I’ve been intentionally duped and am filing a complaint with insurance as well for their fraudulent charges. They also billed for an extra increment of anesthesia (billed per 15 minutes) at a rate for $200 per 15 minutes. Upon contacting the dentist that referred me here, they explained that they’ve had several patients coming in with stories just like mine from that dentist.

I went in to have 4 wisdom teeth extracted, with anesthesia. When I called to make the appt, they asked me to bring in $300 with me; when I asked how much my expense would be totaling, they advised that they had never seen anyone pay more than a total of $600 out of pocket as long as they had insurance. We arrived the day of surgery, paid the $300, and were told that each tooth costs just under $200 before insurance. Upon receiving the bill, we were shocked and disgusted. They charged me $1293, more than double their original quote, and also received over $600 from insurance. I called to discuss it; the first time they were in their other office and said they couldn’t discuss it that day. The second time I called, she assured me that she would look into things and call back- she never did. I mailed them $300 3 weeks ago with a letter explaining that I would not pay the other $693 on the bill because I feel like I was lied to and they over billed. The woman called after receiving payment and stated that we mislead them about our deductibles, which couldn’t be true even if she wanted it to as we watched her call our insurance company and verify our plan and amounts. I feel as if I’ve been intentionally duped and am filing a complaint with insurance as well for their fraudulent charges. They also billed for an extra increment of anesthesia (billed per 15 minutes) at a rate for $200 per 15 minutes. Upon contacting the dentist that referred me here, they explained that they’ve had several patients coming in with stories just like mine from that dentist.

In June 2013 I visited [redacted] for a wisdom tooth extraction. In spite of the fact that I had two insurances, they insisted on payment on the order of $400. They did file with one insurance company, but seemed not to communicate with the other. I followed up by phone several times, but finally sent a claim to the insurance company that had no record of a claim. That resulted in an overpayment, as the one who hadn't paid yet was primary and won't coordinate benefits. When I sent a letter to the office to request a refund for myself and advise them that I would send the insurance company who'd paid first and EOB from the one who had just paid so they could coordinate benefits and request a refund, there seemed to be a LOT of anger! I got a letter from the office, signed by the doctor, that scolded me for getting involved at all and assuring me that they would send me another bill once they had to pay back the overpayment. They did promptly send me my refund check, however. It seems that most people either don't follow up or don't assure that there's no overpayment, judging by the level of venom I received for ensuring that they got paid (but only what they were owed). Oh, they also tried to charge as a separate line item something that was covered under the extraction. Both insurance companies denied it as a result, and the office manager told me that if the insurance company wouldn't pay anything on it the dental office wouldn't honor the negotiated price and would charge their going rate. I haven't investigated whether that's appropriate (but I will!).