04/08/
The patient complained that she had contacted our office in Pocono Summit to inquire about the price of an examShe stated that she was quoted a price of $85.00, but that much more than that was charged to
the insurance when both she and her husband were seenShe also complained that the doctor had scheduled a follexam with her and she did not see the need for it and did not want to pay the copay for the visitIn addition, she stated that she had contacted the office a few times with questions but that no one returned her call.There are different levels of service that are charged to patients depending upon the chief complaint that is documented at the time of serviceBoth of these patients had medical issues that were addressed at the examTherefore, the doctor charged for a Comprehensive Eye Exam rather than an Intermediate level of serviceBoth patients were also charged a refraction feeThat is for the portion of the exam that determines the eyeglass prescription, a service that is billed separately to insurancesWe understand the patients' frustration at being quoted one price and charged anotherHowever, it is difficult to know the exam’s level of complexity until the patient is actually in the officeWe have cautioned our staff to be very careful in the future when asked about the price of an examThey should give a range rather than stating a definite priceThe doctor had prescribed a medication to the patient at the time of the original service and had scheduled a follfor four weeks laterThis is the standard of care when treating patients with the condition the patient hasBecause the patient did not see the need or the value of this follservice, we have agreed to adjust off the cost of this visitOn February 21, the Pocono office suffered a devastating flood due to water pipes that had burstThe entire office had to be renovatedWe were able to set up a make-shift office in another unit in the Pocono Summit Plaza just to continue seeing patients who were in need of follcareThe staff had limited access to phones and computersThe patient stated that she had called the office with questions for the doctor but that the doctor did not return her callI agree that this was unacceptable, that the patient call should have been communicated to the doctor and that she should have had a response to her questionsI have spoken to the staff about this as well, but I understand the difficulties they experienced while working under these conditionsOn Monday, March 30th, the office re-opened and I am confident that all patient inquiries will be addressed.
Both the doctor and I have spoken to the patientThe doctor answered her questions regarding her treatment and I assured her that the balance for her follvisit would be adjustedShe still questioned the discrepancy in the price quoted and price chargedAgain, I have told the staff that they should be careful when discussing price with a patient because it can vary dependent upon the level of service requiredNoreen B***, Administrator
*** *** ***
Pocono Summit, PA ***
*** ***
04/08/
The patient complained that she had contacted our office in Pocono Summit to inquire about the price of an examShe stated that she was quoted a price of $85.00, but that much more than that was charged to
the insurance when both she and her husband were seenShe also complained that the doctor had scheduled a follexam with her and she did not see the need for it and did not want to pay the copay for the visitIn addition, she stated that she had contacted the office a few times with questions but that no one returned her call.There are different levels of service that are charged to patients depending upon the chief complaint that is documented at the time of serviceBoth of these patients had medical issues that were addressed at the examTherefore, the doctor charged for a Comprehensive Eye Exam rather than an Intermediate level of serviceBoth patients were also charged a refraction feeThat is for the portion of the exam that determines the eyeglass prescription, a service that is billed separately to insurancesWe understand the patients' frustration at being quoted one price and charged anotherHowever, it is difficult to know the exam’s level of complexity until the patient is actually in the officeWe have cautioned our staff to be very careful in the future when asked about the price of an examThey should give a range rather than stating a definite priceThe doctor had prescribed a medication to the patient at the time of the original service and had scheduled a follfor four weeks laterThis is the standard of care when treating patients with the condition the patient hasBecause the patient did not see the need or the value of this follservice, we have agreed to adjust off the cost of this visitOn February 21, the Pocono office suffered a devastating flood due to water pipes that had burstThe entire office had to be renovatedWe were able to set up a make-shift office in another unit in the Pocono Summit Plaza just to continue seeing patients who were in need of follcareThe staff had limited access to phones and computersThe patient stated that she had called the office with questions for the doctor but that the doctor did not return her callI agree that this was unacceptable, that the patient call should have been communicated to the doctor and that she should have had a response to her questionsI have spoken to the staff about this as well, but I understand the difficulties they experienced while working under these conditionsOn Monday, March 30th, the office re-opened and I am confident that all patient inquiries will be addressed.
Both the doctor and I have spoken to the patientThe doctor answered her questions regarding her treatment and I assured her that the balance for her follvisit would be adjustedShe still questioned the discrepancy in the price quoted and price chargedAgain, I have told the staff that they should be careful when discussing price with a patient because it can vary dependent upon the level of service requiredNoreen B***, Administrator