REGIONAL GASTROINTESTINAL CONSULTANTS

From: [redacted] > Date: Sat, Nov 8, at 3:AM Subject: Re: You have a new message from the Revdex.com of Metro Washington DC & Eastern [redacted] in regards to your complaint # [redacted] To: [email protected] I have in no way been abusive towards Drf [redacted] My complaints are based on facts and personal experiences at Drf [redacted] 's practiceThe tests that Drf [redacted] is speaking of had been done at his request in the pastHis files may not be up to dateI had two studies doneOne at [redacted] Hospital and one at [redacted] ***'s HospitalI have been compliant with everything that I was told to doI have been scoped again and again at his practice over the past three yearsI have been early for every appointment like they have asked, even though I still wind up waiting two hours to be seenI have battled with them time and again over being wrongly billedIf you review a previous complaint two years ago with the Revdex.com, I quickly received an apology from his office and the bill was correctedI take great pride in having perfect creditI always pay my bills the second they arrive, even if they are not due for three weeksI am sure you can imagine my frustration when once again, I go through the same issues with the same practiceI am not intentionally complaining about his staffThey are only as good as the person who trains themIf they are instructed to not discuss billing or patient files, they should share that with the patients instead of saying they will take care of something and then doing nothingThe main reasons that I left this practice were the consistent billing problems and the awkward rushed consults after being scoped where I constantly felt like I was being reassured in a rehearsed thirty second speechI was not getting better and I was receiving denial of coverage letters from [redacted] for Drf [redacted] 's office billing them separately for the procedures that were performed in his officeThey said that they were part of one procedure and they would not pay for the use of his own medical suitesAs I said in our last correspondence, I have nothing to gain from thisI received an apology from [redacted] collection agency and [redacted] for being improperly billedI have only pursued this issue in hopes that DrF [redacted] 's office understands what their patients have been going through and hopefully learn something from it

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved]
 Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because: The response is an outright lie. I contacted Regional Gastroenterology for my records before I even started receiving bills from them. The tests that Dr. F[redacted] is claiming that he discussed with me is false. He must be confusing me with another patient. He performed three endoscopies on me in less than three months and then put me on an ineffective medication that made my issues worse. What I was told by Dr. F[redacted] was that I most likely needed orthoscopic surgery to repair my hiatal hernia, esophagus, and stomach. He wanted to send me to a specialist at [redacted] hospital in Philadelphia. I opted for a second opinion. I chose a doctor that had 5.0 reviews after seeing that Regional Gastroenterology had a lot of complaints and a 2.9 overall review. To my surprise, my new doctor not only disagreed with Dr. F[redacted]'s findings, but also added that he did not see a hiatal hernia or any reason to persue surgery. I began a different medication after the new doctor performed his own endoscopy and have been doing much better for the last several months. In regards to the billing issue, Regional Gastroenterology did nothing to help me. They said they would call me back at least seven seperate times and not once did I receive a response. I had to fight for myself with [redacted] collection agency and they said that Dr. F[redacted]'s office had incorrectly billed [redacted] Insurance. They said that it would have been covered so therfore, they were going to take care of it and zero out the balance. I once again had to take matters into my own hands because I could not count on help fron Dr. F[redacted]'s staff. They don't seem to have a clue whether they are coming or going. Every time I had contacted them, they would tell me that it wasn't their fault and that the previous staff was fired and they were still sorting through the problems that were left behind. I got this answer several times from the staff and was told not to worry and that they would take care of it. Four collection notices later, I contacted the Revdex.com for help.
Regards,
[redacted]

October 20, 2014
Dear [redacted]:In response to the letter of [redacted], these were statements put forth by our office manager and billing manager.1. The patient's accounts for both RGC and [redacted] have a zero balance as of 10/06/2014; in other words, he owes nothing to...

either corporation.2. We only use 1 collection agency ([redacted]), not multiple collections and he was not sent to same.3. The patient was never recommended for surgery. He was supposed to come back to me and be considered for a [redacted] capsule study and esophageal manometry to note the pressure levels in the esophagus and if there was constant free reflux of acid.4. The patient never formally requested records in writing, nothing was noted in the chart and he certainly did not request them from me.5. We are not a lab and we do not do lab work here.6. If the lab is billing for a biopsy, we are not profiting from that, it is solely what the lab fees are.I hope these responses adequately answer the complaint by [redacted], who l have not seen since 04/25/2014, when we were supposed to follow up on his chronic reflux by perhaps proceeding with the above-mentioned studies, but he did not follow up.If any other information is necessary, please feel free to contact me at your convenience.Sincerely yours,Andrew F D.C., F.A.C.G., F.A.C.P., F.A.C.F.E., A.G.A.F. ATF/ecm

From: [redacted]>
Date: Sat, Nov 8, 2014 at 3:05 AM
Subject: Re: You have a new message from the Revdex.com of Metro Washington DC & Eastern [redacted] in regards to your complaint #[redacted].
To: [email protected]
I have in no way been abusive towards Dr. f[redacted]. My complaints are based on facts and personal experiences at Dr. f[redacted]'s practice. The tests that Dr. f[redacted] is speaking of had been done at his request in the past. His files may not be up to date. I had two studies done. One at [redacted] Hospital and one at [redacted]'s Hospital. I have been compliant with everything that I was told to do. I have been scoped again and again at his practice over the past three years. I have been early for every appointment like they have asked, even though I still wind up waiting two hours to be seen. I have battled with them time and again over being wrongly billed. If you review a previous complaint two years ago with the Revdex.com, I quickly received an apology from his office and the bill was corrected. I take great pride in having perfect credit. I always pay my bills the second they arrive, even if they are not due for three weeks. I am sure you can imagine my frustration when once again, I go through the same issues with the same practice. I am not intentionally complaining about his staff. They are only as good as the person who trains them. If they are instructed to not discuss billing or patient files, they should share that with the patients instead of saying they will take care of something and then doing nothing. The main reasons that I left this practice were the consistent billing problems and the awkward rushed consults after being scoped where I constantly felt like I was being reassured in a rehearsed thirty second speech. I was not getting better and I was receiving denial of coverage letters from [redacted] for Dr. f[redacted]'s office billing them separately for the procedures that were performed in his office. They said that they were part of one procedure and they would not pay for the use of his own medical suites. As I said in our last correspondence, I have nothing to gain from this. I received an apology from [redacted] collection agency and [redacted] for being improperly billed. I have only pursued this issue in hopes that Dr. F[redacted]'s office understands what their patients have been going through and hopefully learn something from it.

November 4, 2014Dear Sir or Madam:
I have taken the time to review [redacted]'s recent letter regarding his history with our group and the endoscopies which have been done. I wish to point out that at that point in time the endoscopies were done to determine the extent of his reflux and to rule out the presence of Barrett's esophagus or eosinophilic esophagitis. The second endoscopy was done to remove a benign polyp which was noted at the cardioesophageal junction. A small hiatal hernia was noted as well. After the third endoscopy, and after multiple complaints regarding his reflux, we recommended that he be evaluated for possible hiatal hernia repair with Dr. [redacted], the Chief of Gl Surgery at the University of [redacted]. Prior to sending him for surgery, we were going to proceed with esophageal manometry, a [redacted] capsule study, and a gastric emptying study; these were never completed as he never returned.
I am not sure what [redacted] means by “constant complaints" regarding our practice. This is the only complaint I have had in my practice in the last 20 years. We try as a group to be consistent and to help people, and we are dedicated to same. I go out of my way for patients and we do not neglect any patients.
As far as his history with the practice, I understand that [redacted] was sent to [redacted] Collections because of a balance of approximately $50 which he owed the practice. I was not aware of this as I am not usually aware of what accounts have gone to collection; that comes from the billing agency that has been doing our billing for the last 18 months. In-office billing is not done and has not been done for the last 18 months. Therefore, my secretaries would have no knowledge of what to tell [redacted] and do not deal directly with [redacted] or any insurance agencies.As far as the medical records are concerned, I have instructed my secretaries to release and send to [redacted] copies of all of his medical records, no one ever holds back medical records. I have never done this in all the years l have been in practice, and I am certainly not going to start with him.
I am sorry that this problem keeps going on and on. I do not wish to be abusive or insulting to anyone, I try to do the best job I can possibly do at all times, but certainly I cannot please everyone. The girls in my practice are very hard-working and caring and they also try to help everyone all the time. I hope that your group understands that which had occurred, but again I will not resort to insults and abusive language in any letter to any agency at any time.
Andrew F D.C., F.A.C.G., F.A.C.P., F.A.C.F.E., A.G.A.F. ATF/ecm

Review: This is the second time I have had to file a complaint against this company for over billing people. They are so oblivious that I changed doctor's all together. They have incorrectly billed me again and again, so much that I now feel the need to file a complaint and contact an attorney. I have called their office several times and have been told that I have no balance and that they no longer handle their own billing but they will contact the proper people and have it taken care of and that I should again, disregard the letters that I have been receiving. Since the last time I spoke to them, I have received letters from two different collection agencies regarding unpaid balances from Dr. Andrew F[redacted]'s office(Regional Gastrointestinal). They are both stating that Dr. F[redacted]'s office has never contacted them and that if I don't pay the bills, they will be turned over to all of the credit bureaus and will damage my credit. When I stressed this concern two months ago when I first received a letter from one of these companies, Dr. F[redacted]'s office reasurred me that not only did I have no balance with them but that they never report anything to collection agencies even if there was a problem. They said they would always contact the patient to try to work something out first but I didn't need to worry about anything like that because I had no balance with them. To make things even worse, I went for a second opinion from another doctor because of how I was starting to feel about the incompetence this office. The surgical procedure that Dr. F[redacted] was recommending I have done was completely unnecessary and my new doctor suggested that I never go near their office again. Dr. F[redacted]'s office also would not release my records when I asked for them.Desired Settlement: I want the two bills from Dr. F[redacted]'s office corrected and removed. They need to contact [redacted] and have them correct and zero out the balance that they are contacting me and sending collection notices about on behalf of Dr. F[redacted].

Business

Response:

October 20, 2014Dear [redacted]:In response to the letter of [redacted], these were statements put forth by our office manager and billing manager.1. The patient's accounts for both RGC and [redacted] have a zero balance as of 10/06/2014; in other words, he owes nothing to either corporation.2. We only use 1 collection agency ([redacted]), not multiple collections and he was not sent to same.3. The patient was never recommended for surgery. He was supposed to come back to me and be considered for a [redacted] capsule study and esophageal manometry to note the pressure levels in the esophagus and if there was constant free reflux of acid.4. The patient never formally requested records in writing, nothing was noted in the chart and he certainly did not request them from me.5. We are not a lab and we do not do lab work here.6. If the lab is billing for a biopsy, we are not profiting from that, it is solely what the lab fees are.I hope these responses adequately answer the complaint by [redacted], who l have not seen since 04/25/2014, when we were supposed to follow up on his chronic reflux by perhaps proceeding with the above-mentioned studies, but he did not follow up.If any other information is necessary, please feel free to contact me at your convenience.Sincerely yours,Andrew F D.C., F.A.C.G., F.A.C.P., F.A.C.F.E., A.G.A.F. ATF/ecm

Consumer

Response:

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved]

Review: [redacted]

I am rejecting this response because: The response is an outright lie. I contacted Regional Gastroenterology for my records before I even started receiving bills from them. The tests that Dr. F[redacted] is claiming that he discussed with me is false. He must be confusing me with another patient. He performed three endoscopies on me in less than three months and then put me on an ineffective medication that made my issues worse. What I was told by Dr. F[redacted] was that I most likely needed orthoscopic surgery to repair my hiatal hernia, esophagus, and stomach. He wanted to send me to a specialist at [redacted] hospital in Philadelphia. I opted for a second opinion. I chose a doctor that had 5.0 reviews after seeing that Regional Gastroenterology had a lot of complaints and a 2.9 overall review. To my surprise, my new doctor not only disagreed with Dr. F[redacted]'s findings, but also added that he did not see a hiatal hernia or any reason to persue surgery. I began a different medication after the new doctor performed his own endoscopy and have been doing much better for the last several months. In regards to the billing issue, Regional Gastroenterology did nothing to help me. They said they would call me back at least seven seperate times and not once did I receive a response. I had to fight for myself with [redacted] collection agency and they said that Dr. F[redacted]'s office had incorrectly billed [redacted] Insurance. They said that it would have been covered so therfore, they were going to take care of it and zero out the balance. I once again had to take matters into my own hands because I could not count on help fron Dr. F[redacted]'s staff. They don't seem to have a clue whether they are coming or going. Every time I had contacted them, they would tell me that it wasn't their fault and that the previous staff was fired and they were still sorting through the problems that were left behind. I got this answer several times from the staff and was told not to worry and that they would take care of it. Four collection notices later, I contacted the Revdex.com for help.

Regards,

Business

Response:

November 4, 2014Dear Sir or Madam:I have taken the time to review [redacted]'s recent letter regarding his history with our group and the endoscopies which have been done. I wish to point out that at that point in time the endoscopies were done to determine the extent of his reflux and to rule out the presence of Barrett's esophagus or eosinophilic esophagitis. The second endoscopy was done to remove a benign polyp which was noted at the cardioesophageal junction. A small hiatal hernia was noted as well. After the third endoscopy, and after multiple complaints regarding his reflux, we recommended that he be evaluated for possible hiatal hernia repair with Dr. [redacted], the Chief of Gl Surgery at the University of [redacted]. Prior to sending him for surgery, we were going to proceed with esophageal manometry, a [redacted] capsule study, and a gastric emptying study; these were never completed as he never returned.I am not sure what [redacted] means by “constant complaints" regarding our practice. This is the only complaint I have had in my practice in the last 20 years. We try as a group to be consistent and to help people, and we are dedicated to same. I go out of my way for patients and we do not neglect any patients.As far as his history with the practice, I understand that [redacted] was sent to [redacted] Collections because of a balance of approximately $50 which he owed the practice. I was not aware of this as I am not usually aware of what accounts have gone to collection; that comes from the billing agency that has been doing our billing for the last 18 months. In-office billing is not done and has not been done for the last 18 months. Therefore, my secretaries would have no knowledge of what to tell [redacted] and do not deal directly with [redacted] or any insurance agencies.As far as the medical records are concerned, I have instructed my secretaries to release and send to [redacted] copies of all of his medical records, no one ever holds back medical records. I have never done this in all the years l have been in practice, and I am certainly not going to start with him.I am sorry that this problem keeps going on and on. I do not wish to be abusive or insulting to anyone, I try to do the best job I can possibly do at all times, but certainly I cannot please everyone. The girls in my practice are very hard-working and caring and they also try to help everyone all the time. I hope that your group understands that which had occurred, but again I will not resort to insults and abusive language in any letter to any agency at any time.Andrew F D.C., F.A.C.G., F.A.C.P., F.A.C.F.E., A.G.A.F. ATF/ecm

Consumer

Response:

From: [redacted]>

Date: Sat, Nov 8, 2014 at 3:05 AM

Subject: Re: You have a new message from the Revdex.com of Metro Washington DC & Eastern [redacted] in regards to your complaint #[redacted].

To: [email protected]

I have in no way been abusive towards Dr. f[redacted]. My complaints are based on facts and personal experiences at Dr. f[redacted]'s practice. The tests that Dr. f[redacted] is speaking of had been done at his request in the past. His files may not be up to date. I had two studies done. One at [redacted] Hospital and one at [redacted]'s Hospital. I have been compliant with everything that I was told to do. I have been scoped again and again at his practice over the past three years. I have been early for every appointment like they have asked, even though I still wind up waiting two hours to be seen. I have battled with them time and again over being wrongly billed. If you review a previous complaint two years ago with the Revdex.com, I quickly received an apology from his office and the bill was corrected. I take great pride in having perfect credit. I always pay my bills the second they arrive, even if they are not due for three weeks. I am sure you can imagine my frustration when once again, I go through the same issues with the same practice. I am not intentionally complaining about his staff. They are only as good as the person who trains them. If they are instructed to not discuss billing or patient files, they should share that with the patients instead of saying they will take care of something and then doing nothing. The main reasons that I left this practice were the consistent billing problems and the awkward rushed consults after being scoped where I constantly felt like I was being reassured in a rehearsed thirty second speech. I was not getting better and I was receiving denial of coverage letters from [redacted] for Dr. f[redacted]'s office billing them separately for the procedures that were performed in his office. They said that they were part of one procedure and they would not pay for the use of his own medical suites. As I said in our last correspondence, I have nothing to gain from this. I received an apology from [redacted] collection agency and [redacted] for being improperly billed. I have only pursued this issue in hopes that Dr. F[redacted]'s office understands what their patients have been going through and hopefully learn something from it.