We reviewed the original email sent to this patient The word "estimate" for cost was used When the patient or any patient has a mole removal or Botox or any procedure- I always give them the exact cost before proceeding The patient can either proceed or decline I have seen patients from other practices who were not given prices beforehand and had "sticker shock" when they went to pay At The Mandell-Brown Plastic Surgery Center we pride ourselves and strive to provide excellent and compassionate careProviding fees before a procedure is standard for us and email estimates are only "estimates"Since this patient was given an exact fee once she was evaluated in person- we do not feel she was misled
Our patient coordinator sent the patient that email which unfortunately has not been updated in several years.However, when the patient came in I examined the mole and quoted them BEFORE any procedure was performed that to remove that particular mole it would be $ At that point the patient has the choice to proceed or not to proceed.I also spent time with the patient discussing various options including : shave excision, complete excision, or observation I go through the benefits and risks including : scar, indentation, redness, infection, bleeding, further treatments such as microneedling or microdermabrasion to improve the contour if required There are additional fees for those extra treatments Complete excision is more expensive because the Operating Room is required with sutures, nurses, and more surgical time.The patient was NOT charged a consultation fee of $ I also informed the patient that if pathology is important for their verification-- those fees would be billed by the hospital and can be an extra $to $ The patient signed a pathology waiver and chose not to have the specimen sent.Until the patient actually is evaluated, an exact fee can not be promised I always give them the option to think about it as they can always reschedule.If they felt the fee was excessive, they could have declined the procedure and they would not have been charged for the consultationThe patient also could have gone to an Urgent Care or primary care physician for removal However, the patient sought a higher skilled plastic surgeon We also do not charge for a follow up visit if the patient has any concerns about healing.We strive to provide honest, excellent care for our patients I have built a reputation on being honest with patients, only recommending procedures when they are helpful, and providing skilled care This patient may have felt that they were misled but an email estimation without seeing the mole/moles is hardly realistic I have asked my staff to change the wording and that final costs can only be determined at the time of consultation However, I have removed thousands of moles over the past years This is the only time a patient complainedThat speaks for itself
Hi ***,Attached is the email estimate Mandell-Brown sent meThe actual bill is also attachedI feel that I was misled because the estimated price that I based my decision to go to Mandell-Brown on was less considerably less than the price they actually offered for the mole removal servicePlease let me know if you need anything elseThat address for me is correct, but I did not see this original correspondenceThanks, [redacted]
We reviewed the original email sent to this patient The word "estimate" for cost was used When the patient or any patient has a mole removal or Botox or any procedure- I always give them the exact cost before proceeding The patient can either proceed or decline I have seen patients from other practices who were not given prices beforehand and had "sticker shock" when they went to pay At The Mandell-Brown Plastic Surgery Center we pride ourselves and strive to provide excellent and compassionate careProviding fees before a procedure is standard for us and email estimates are only "estimates"Since this patient was given an exact fee once she was evaluated in person- we do not feel she was misled
Our patient coordinator sent the patient that email which unfortunately has not been updated in several years.However, when the patient came in I examined the mole and quoted them BEFORE any procedure was performed that to remove that particular mole it would be $ At that point the patient has the choice to proceed or not to proceed.I also spent time with the patient discussing various options including : shave excision, complete excision, or observation I go through the benefits and risks including : scar, indentation, redness, infection, bleeding, further treatments such as microneedling or microdermabrasion to improve the contour if required There are additional fees for those extra treatments Complete excision is more expensive because the Operating Room is required with sutures, nurses, and more surgical time.The patient was NOT charged a consultation fee of $ I also informed the patient that if pathology is important for their verification-- those fees would be billed by the hospital and can be an extra $to $ The patient signed a pathology waiver and chose not to have the specimen sent.Until the patient actually is evaluated, an exact fee can not be promised I always give them the option to think about it as they can always reschedule.If they felt the fee was excessive, they could have declined the procedure and they would not have been charged for the consultationThe patient also could have gone to an Urgent Care or primary care physician for removal However, the patient sought a higher skilled plastic surgeon We also do not charge for a follow up visit if the patient has any concerns about healing.We strive to provide honest, excellent care for our patients I have built a reputation on being honest with patients, only recommending procedures when they are helpful, and providing skilled care This patient may have felt that they were misled but an email estimation without seeing the mole/moles is hardly realistic I have asked my staff to change the wording and that final costs can only be determined at the time of consultation However, I have removed thousands of moles over the past years This is the only time a patient complainedThat speaks for itself
Hi ***,Attached is the email estimate Mandell-Brown sent meThe actual bill is also attachedI feel that I was misled because the estimated price that I based my decision to go to Mandell-Brown on was less considerably less than the price they actually offered for the mole removal servicePlease let me know if you need anything elseThat address for me is correct, but I did not see this original correspondenceThanks, [redacted]