Philip J Gross DDS PC

The customer who has filed a complaint about our practice came into our dental office on6/15/in response to our internet advertisement for a dental implant, abutment and implantcrown at a reduced fee from our usual and customary fee, as well as a complimentaryconsultation with x-raysAny
additional treatment necessary prior to implant placement wouldbe at our usual and customary fee for that serviceThis was disclosed to the patient verballyand in writing.We performed the exam, consultation and x-rays at no charge as advertisedWe provided athrough and accurate treatment estimate which included the advertised specified discountedfees for a dental implant, abutment and implant crown as well as usual and customary fees forthe additional treatment necessary prior to implant placement at 5% savings if paid in full onthe date of serviceWe explained that we do not double discount such that the 5% savings doesnot apply to already discounted proceduresWe also explained the timeline anticipated tocomplete the treatment planThis was disclosed to the patient verbally and in writing.While communicating with the customer about the total cost, the customer attempted multipletimes to negotiate a lower price and expressed a desire to know exactly what her insurancewould coverWe were not able to accommodate her request to further discount our fees and acost was agreed upon verbally and in writingWe also agreed to preauthorize her treatmentwith her insurance company.The patient expressed wanting the soonest appointment available but also expressed concernsabout wanting to know exactly what her insurance would pay for before schedulingWe offeredher appointment options as soon as weeks away and explained our office policy for holdingextensive blocks of procedure time requires a $refundable depositShe declined to makethe deposit to reserve an appointment at that time saying she would seek treatment elsewherefor a lower cost and sooner appointment date.She called several days later questioning an appointment date she believed she had made withour officeWe reminded her that no appointment had been made because a deposit wasnecessaryDuring that call she questioned the cost of the treatment, what her insurance wouldpay and why she needed to pay a deposit if she had insuranceShe also expressed a concernthat if she made a deposit we would perform treatment not agreed upon as a means to keepher depositWe reiterated the proposed treatment, fee structure, discount structure and officepoliciesShe declined to make a deposit to reserve time during this call reiterating her interestin going somewhere else for a lower cost and sooner appointment.On 6/26/17, eleven days after her initial visit, she called with questions about the cost of thetreatment, attempted to negotiate a lower cost, questioned whether we had received thepreauthorization back from the insurance company and expressed wanting the soonestappointment availableShe expressed that she was now willing to make a depositWe agreedon a date and collected her deposit.The day before her scheduled appointment she contacted the office questioning the exact costof our materials and expressed wanting to be charged less if only a small amount of materialswere usedShe expressed her opinion that our fees were too high and wanted to negotiate atime and materials fee structureShe asked to be assured we would honor the 5% savings onthe full fee servicesShe expressed concern that we were charging her unfairly based on "whoshe is"She expressed that a different dental office was going to charge her less for some of theproposed treatment and wanted to know why our charges were differentOur staff wasprofessional, courteous and reassuring throughout communications with this customer butrealized we were not going to be able to satisfy her needs and suggested that we were not agood fit and that she should seek treatment at another office that would better meet herneeds.She stated that she had a right to have treatment from our office and suggested we werediscriminating against her and asked for DrG*** to reconsider keeping her appointment andto call her backDrG*** took her request into consideration but decided to discontinue therelationshipWe called her back to notify her of this and promptly refunded her $deposit.With regard to her claim of bigotry, we have been in business for years in Portland and havepatients of record from every continent, many countries, many ethnicities, races and sexualorientations and religionsWe have never been accused of bigotry.We declined to treat this patient because we were unable to satisfy her continuousnegotiations and disapproval of our proposed treatment plan and fees