ForwardDental

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.I am so disappointed in how this company has managed this transaction. Very disheartening. Never never will use this company again. Is there usually not a better discount offered when no insurance is available?
Regards,
Jennifer [redacted]

While your frustrations are certainly understandable, we did everything possible on our end to obtain an accurate financial estimate for you. As previously stated, we contacted your insurance company and were told the procedure would be covered by your dental insurance. If the insurance company had let us know that the procedures would have instead been billed under your medical insurance we would have let you know that we were not in network with them and that you would have been responsible for the balance in full. We have a case number that your dental insurance company provided us with if you would like this.It states in our financial policy, which you signed on 12-10-16, “I recognize and accept responsibility for payment of services not covered by insurance benefits.” We are willing to give you a 20% discount as a courtesy on the remaining balance if it is paid by October 31, 2017.

When a patient has dual insurance, the claim is first submitted to the primary insurance for payment, and then to the secondary insurance. Both of your dental insurance companies have a maximum benefit amount (they will only pay x amount total in a calendar year). These maximum allowed amounts are determined by the type of dental plan purchased by an employer or individual, not by ForwardDental. The estimates we have received from both of your insurance companies indicate that you will exceed your available benefits through both plans, which means they will not pay the entire balance. As stated in our Patients’ Rights and Responsibilities a patient has the right to receive charge information for any individual procedure offered by the provider as well as good-faith estimates from insurance companies for total out-of-pocket costs for a procedure, which ForwardDental and your dental insurance companies have provided to you. It also states the patient has the responsibility to make payments due for services received according to established terms. The established terms indicate that the estimated remaining balance is due at the time of service. As previously stated, we do have some financing options available if you are interested.

We deeply regret that your expectations were not met at your recent visit to our office. Please know that our treatment recommendations are based upon what is best for our patients’ dental health, not what their insurance will cover. You did consent to all procedures that were completed. If we had received the radiographs from your previous practice, and they were current and diagnosable, your dentist may not have recommended the full series that he did. This would have required you to contact your previous provider and authorize them to send them to us though.While charges for services rendered were appropriate, as a courtesy measure we are willing to reduce your balance to $55.00. Upon review of your dental record even if you had provided a full series of diagnosable x-rays that were taken on the date you indicated you last had x-rays, a smaller set of films would have still been recommended to be able to provide you with a comprehensive dental examination.  The cost of these films would have been $55.00. It is hoped that this represents a solution to your concerns.We thank you for bringing this matter to our attention and will use this moving forward to improve our processes.

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
I reject this response from Forward Dental. Again they show lack of interest or concern to listen to the patient and what I have said many, many times. But one more time. The Doctor, Dr. Jay, and the dental assistant, Debbie, gave me false information before, during, and after the procedure. False information which led me to believe the procedure would be covered by insurance. Furthermore, my insurance does cover calcification if it is indeed present. MetLife’s review of the X-rays found that there was no calcification shown in the x-rays, which is where the Doctor’s information is misleading. A review of the X-rays by a new dentist did not show any calcification, hence why they are not reimbursing for this procedure. I understand that dental offices cannot control whether insurance companies pay for a procedure, but when I am misled to believe that there is damage to my teeth and informed that this damage is covered by my insurance, this is fraudulent. Even having received the pre-authorization back likely would not have been helpful. I suspect that it would have shown that the procedure would be covered since it was being submitted as a fix for the calcification issue. However, once the actual claim was submitted along with the x-ray “proof”, the insurance company determined there was no issue. At no time did I express interest to the Doctor or the Assistant prior to them pointing out a gap in my teeth. Only after they pointed out the gap, saying we could improve your smile. I couldn’t have cared less about the gap until someone said something to make me feel ashamed about it, which is what led to the whole complaint we are in now. I would have told someone else at the office if I felt comfortable there. But I would have no clue who to even talk to at the office. A receptionist? Or the doctor who basically made me feel worse when she mentioned my dated bridges. Saying that they look bad and we can put in much nicer ones. Of course I didn’t complain then because what are they going to do? Apologize and send me on my way? The damage was done at that point. So I went out of my way to switch insurance coverages to get the bridges done as well. All of which I had appointments for at Forward Dental. All work I can attribute to being shamed into having done.These responses keep coming from a Quality Assurance Department but I don’t see much quality in the response. I see a great lack of concern by not listening to the patient. How much quality goes into this response when they further the complaint by not resolving it? Why on earth would I return to Forward Dental to have the work removed after the shame and embarrassment I have suffered, all of which are caused by them? How could I trust them to remove what they did without further damaging my teeth? And what recourse would I have if they did damage my teeth? They had to grind my teeth to apply the filling, so I don’t see how they could return them exactly as they were.With all these questions looming and no way to answer them I cannot return to Forward Dental. I simply want a refund of the nearly $400 so I can move on from this very bad experience. While the amount I have paid for this procedure, after receiving threatening letters stating the account would be turned over to a collection agency if I did not pay immediately, is a large sum of money to me, I suspect that it is barely noticeable in the grand scheme of things for a company as large as Forward Dental. If they are willing to put more staff time and resources into removing the fillings in order to refund the procedure cost, I am unable to see how they wouldn’t be willing to just forgive the amount so that everyone can move on from this. I am certainly not trying to get something for nothing; I paid the co-pay portion of this balance at the time of service. Instead, I am simply trying to be treated fairly by Forward Dental following what I was told and led to believe by the staff during and after my appointment.
Regards,
Paul [redacted]

Response to Revdex.com complaint ID [redacted]Upon review of your account, your claims have been processed correctly. Unfortunately it takes quite a bit of coordination for claims to go through two separate insurance companies. Until both companies make payments on the account, your account balance will...

not show zero and you will continue to receive statements. In our financial policy, which you signed, it states that we will assist you with insurance claims; however it is a contract between you (the policy holder) and the insurance company. It also states that the anticipated amount to be paid by your insurance company may be charged to your account until we receive a payment from them.  It goes on to read that in the event that your insurance company is slow to pay or disallows a claim, payment of your account is your full responsibility.We did receive the check you wrote for $200 and it is in a patient hold until your secondary insurance processes your pending claims. The $200 will then be applied to the remaining balance which will result in either a zero balance, a refund, or a balance on the account depending on the insurance payment amount.Please direct any future questions in regards to claims/statements to our ForwardDental- Glendale office manager, [redacted]. She will be able to best assist you. You may also reach out to your secondary insurance to determine the status of your claims.

Response to Complaint ID [redacted]You were told prior to the procedure that we did not have an insurance pre-authorization back, so we did not know if the insurance would cover the procedure, or what amount they would cover if they did. You agreed and consented to proceed with the procedure knowing this. You also signed our financial policy which states you are responsible for any balances.While the x-ray taken does not show the decalcification of your teeth (due to the surfaces involved), the intraoral photos taken do. As previously stated, I would be happy to send you these upon your written request for you to appeal your insurance company’s decision to not cover the procedure you had completed.When you contacted our office with your concerns, you were directed to our office manager who spoke with you. When she was unable to resolve your complaint to your satisfaction, she requested you send a letter to our Quality Assurance Department. This is our grievance policy. When your written complaint was received, your case was reviewed by our Quality Assurance department, which included another dentist’s review. The standard of care was found to have been followed, and no refund was granted. You received a letter indicating this.As previously stated, your options are to appeal the claim with your insurance company, or return to have the fillings removed and we will refund you. A very small amount of filling material will be left to cover the small amount of tooth structure that was prepared thus returning your smile to what it was prior to the procedure.

[A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response.  If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]
Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.  However please note that in human error your receptionist never did mention anything about bringing X-rays in on their first appointment and I truly did only approve the bite wings.  If you look at my chart that is all they did on me.  I do appreciate you adjusting my account balance to zero.  I wish this was resolved in office and I felt like my family where valued patients at Forward Dental.  
Regards,
Jennifer [redacted]

We thank you for bringing this matter to our attention. We apologize that our services have not yet met your expectations. We look forward to working with you on a solution. Due to Wisconsin privacy and HIPAA regulations, I am unable to respond to this complaint on behalf of ForwardDental without...

proper authorization from the complainant directing ForwardDental to reveal protected health information (PHI) to the Revdex.com.  Upon receipt of a signed release form from the patient, ForwardDental would be able to respond to the Revdex.com. I would also be happy to respond to your husband directly if you would prefer.

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.The office was fully aware of the estimate I received from my insurance company because on May 31, 2017 I brought in a copy of the benefits estimate from my insurance company, your office scanned it into my record and never said that it differed. if you did not like the amount you had ample time to contact the insurance company. In the past, when your original estimate differed from the one I received from my insurance company you said you honor what the insurance company says.  It's been almost a month that you have kept my $110, still no refund. You knew you overbilled my and yet did nothing, you have lied about the information you have by stating you never saw the estimate I received, yet you do have it in your records. Why is it so difficult for you to refund my money and accept your error?
[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, we would like to know your view on the matter.]
Regards,
Joseph [redacted]

Dear Mr. [redacted] As per our office’s formal grievance policy, you have already written a letter to our Quality Assurance Department which is currently being reviewed. You should have received a letter from us indicating this. We will continue to respond to you directly. You can expect to receive...

a response within one week. We constantly monitor our service to our patients, and we very much appreciate you bringing this matter to our attention.

[A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response.  If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]
Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
Regards,
[redacted]

Thank you for providing a signed release. Our Quality Assurance Department has reviewed your concern. You were strongly advised at your appointment in April 2016 to proceed with removing several teeth that had severe decay to avoid potential adverse effects such as pain, swelling, and infection which can affect your overall health. At your filling appointment on 5-9-16 two x-rays were taken of the teeth which had been evaluated by your dentist as the most urgent to be removed. This was the next item in your recommended treatment plan. X-rays prior to treatment are considered to be the standard of care and allow the dentist to properly diagnose and treat dental disease.It is important to note that dental insurance benefits and limitations do not determine what dental treatment is appropriate for the patient. Our doctors make treatment recommendations based on what is necessary for the patient, regardless of any third party payer relationships.It is also important to note that you still have several areas of concerns in your treatment plan that should be taken care of as soon as possible. If cost is a factor, please contact our office to assist you in finding options for payment, or even a dental school or other option that can provide you with necessary care for a much reduced price. The care was determined to have been appropriate; however as a courtesy and good faith gesture, we will adjust your account for your out-of-pocket expenses in the amount of $31.

Response to Revdex.com complaint ID [redacted]Thank you for your continued communication regarding this matter.  We are in the process of retraining staff and look forward to providing you with an improved experience in the future.Please direct any future questions in regards to claims/statements to our ForwardDental- Glendale office manager, Michele. She will be able to best assist you. You may also reach out to your secondary insurance to determine the status of your claims.

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.I have been a patient of Forward Dental since 2011 and never paid anything out of pocket until it was paid out of my [redacted] double insurance first. I called [redacted] today 5/22/2017 and they told me to have Forward Dental to call them and verify this process. They also told me payment is made immediately with [redacted] and [redacted] pays the difference the same week of service so why would I pay and submit for the same service twice create more paperwork and a payment I can't afford.Now I'm being threatened that I can no longer come to the same Forward Dental because of a billing dispute completely unfair if we can't come to a resolution and you terminate my patient rights I will have no alternative to contact J.S. online and also file contact a complaint with Contact 6 as well. You are also throwing away $10,000 in work as well. Aurora Healthcare accepts a double insurance with open arms and are much more progressive then Forward Dental
Regards, [redacted]
Dean [redacted]

Review: Apparently I didn't pay this company fast enough because they sent my bill to a collection company called Integrity solutions services. I was clearly making some monthly payments while they sent this bill to collection. I just called them and asked why there was a different charge on the bill I owed to the collection bill and they stated they charged me $150.00 service fee. I asked them where this letter was stating they were charging me this money if it went to collections. They couldn't come up with an answer. I am not paying this fee, but will pay my bill of 627.00. My teeth still have work that never was completed. They are about money and not about providing a service for my teeth.Desired Settlement: I am willing to pay the 627.00 and not the $150.00 fee they are charging me.

I went here because I was new to the area and my coworker said she goes to this dentist. I had been to a dentist in my previous home town around 6 months before and they informed me I had a cavity. I did not have time to get it filled and therefore went to this new dentist to do so. They did a teeth cleaning and checked for cavities and told me I did not have one cavity, that I had 7 cavities. I asked how one could turn into 7 in 6 months and the dentist asked me if I drink coffee or soda. I told her I did occasionally and that was all the answer she gave me. They said they would fill the largest one that day, and although I was leery as to the 7 cavities I knew I had at least one so I agreed. I gave them my insurance and they said they ran it though and I still owed 110$. A few weeks later the tooth they filled still hurt, I couldn't chew on the right side of my mouth. I went to my home town dentist and he told me that I did not have 7 cavities, in fact I had zero cavities. They filled something that wasn't even a cavity yet, it was a "watch". He tried to adjust the bite and it still hurt so he did several tests on it and said he could take out the filling and try a temp filling or I'd have to get a root canal. He did the temp filling and it still hurts, and will have to go back for a root canal in the next month or so. On top of all of this I checked my claims in my Health Equity account and I saw that they over charged me $60 and when I asked for a copy of my receipt a few weeks ago they said they would mail it to me and never did. This business is incredibly sketchy and has caused me a lot of pain and money.

Review: I made a appointment and cancelled it and they took it upon themselves to make me another without my permission or knowledge and charge me a fee for not coming in for it. Then next thing I know they are trying too collect a fee for it. I have a totally clean credit report and need this fixed. It is a very small amount but it is not about the money. I need it off my credit report so I think I am gonna pay it because I plan too buy a home. But I want my money returned to me . Please help me too right this wrong. I never tried anything like this before I am hoping it will be worth it.Desired Settlement: my money returned in full

Business

Response:

We regret that the patient is dissatisfied with the charge for the missed appointment. As stated on the patient registration and the office policies that were signed by Mr. [redacted], the office may charge a fee if an appointment is missed or if less than 24 hour notice is given for cancellation of an appointment.

Review: I made an appt late last year for a filling. We received notification in the mail that our insurance will not cover the filling. So, I cancelled the appt. For the next few months, I received a total of 3 phone calls from the office asking me to reschedule for the filling. I said "no" on the first two calls. On the third call, the office said I would only have to pay $25. So, I agreed to the appt, had the filling and paid the $25. Now I have received a bill for $147 for the filling. I contacted the office after receiving the bill for $147 and explained the situation. The office said they cannot do anything about it because we went over our insurance limit. I explained that is why I cancelled the appt and said "no" to the first two phone calls from the office. The office said we have to pay the $147.Desired Settlement: For our account (#98034)balance to be zero dollars.

Business

Response:

The dental office provides estimates regarding insurance coverage. However, the dental office cannot guarantee insurance coverage. Upon further review it was detemined that as a courtesy, an adjustment will be made on the account. The patient will not be responsible for the $147.00 balance. It is hoped that this provides a satisfactory resolution.

Consumer

Response:

[A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response. If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.

Review: Dental office not sending my bill to my insurance company but instead sends me overdue invoices and threatened legal action against me if the bill is not paid. I've told this dentist office they need to send the bill to my insurance company many times.