Sacramento Dentistry

On 10/07/we saw *** ***; she was scheduled for a comprehensive examAt that visit we presented Ms*** treatment options explaining the risk, costs, benefits, and alternatives as well as the consequences of no treatmentMs*** decided to move forward with some of the
treatment, treatment plan and consents were signedIf Ms*** has a question regarding what we billed to her insurance, she is more than welcome to contact us or her insurance. We pride ourselves on sustaining a high quality facility dedicated to patient careI am sorry to hear Ms*** had a difficult experience and I hope that we can move forward and find a solution Best Regards,*** *** | Office Manager

I am rejecting this response because:I told the man who came in to review the treatment plan that I was not sure If I would be able to get all that work done, because I didn't know if I would be able to afford it and he brushed off what I said that it would be fine and we would figure it out later, making me sign the paperwork regardless of what my concerns were,Without asking me any questions or letting me ask questions. This was not high quality treatment I was given, I was treated like a ignorant patient and brushed off. I believe this has to do with some form of discrimination, I will not accept this or the bad service. My doctor(Dr.[redacted]) walked out after my appointment  without saying a word, or that she was done. I'm not sure what professional would just do that but this is treatment is not okay.

Review: I called [redacted] to inquire about what the fee would be for cleaning and x-rays. She stated they had a new patient fee of $79.00. I also mentioned that they were on the list of dental providers from our insurance carrier [redacted]. I mentioned to the receptionist that I would have to check with [redacted] (the new patient) to see what would be a good date for his appointment.

I told [redacted] about the new patient fee and he said that sounded great. I called back and set up the appointment for 8/15/14 @ 8:00 A.M. [redacted] went to his scheduled appointment on 8/15 and after sitting in the chair for almost an hour [redacted] asked what is this going to cost me? A staff individual came in the room to request permission to contact [redacted] regarding coverage. He stated my wife will not be happy if this is going to be expensive and was told by a staff member I have to deal with people like that all the time.

Because [redacted] was concerned about the cost the receptionist said she would not charge him for the panoramic dental x-rays. [redacted] was also concerned about the flouride treatment and the hygienist said you need this treatment for your future treatments with us.

When he finally got out of the chair and went to the counter was the first time he was presented with a bill of $467.00 and informed that his insurance would only cover $151.80 and he was required to pay $315.20 before he left the office. (From $79.00 to $467.00 is a real sticker shock.)

I received the Explanation of Benefits from [redacted] and noticed that they only paid $108.90. I also noticed that the provider charges totaled $644.00. That is a big difference from the statement [redacted] walked out of the office with showing a total amount charged of $467.00. [redacted] with [redacted] was kind enough to go over the charges item by item and stated some of the treatments were unnecessary so they were not covered by the plan. She also stated that [redacted] Group is under a contract with them and could only charge the patient $278.10 and if they charged more they were in violation of the contract with [redacted].

I called the morning of 8/15/14 and spoke with the receptionist and after discussing my concerns regarding the charges she said she would refer this to [redacted] the office manager.

[redacted] called back later and that phone conversation did not go well. At the end of the phone conversation all she said was to send her the $42.90. Just place the $42.90 in the mail. (4 times)

When I called [redacted] back Dr. [redacted] answered the phone. I explained our situation to him referring to the EOB. His response to me was how would you like it if we accepted the patient responsibility amount of $278.10. I said I would cry. Dr. [redacted] also stated that the full list of treatment was not submitted to [redacted] because there were 3 items on the list of services that would not be covered by the plan. How is it that when [redacted] walked out of the office with a copy of the statement of services rendered was for a total amount of $467.00 and the EOB shows provider charges of $644.00. After a couple of telephone conversations with Dr. [redacted] his final response was [redacted] signed the expense for so he is responsible for all charges. Dr. [redacted] stated that [redacted] approved of the charges at 9:02 A.M. [redacted] did not get of the chair until almost 10:30 A.M. and signed the form then. I don't believe [redacted] is the one lying as Dr. [redacted] implied.

[redacted] called to schedule a treatment appointment for [redacted] and I stated we couldn't afford to go there. She said we could set up a payment plan and my response was if I can't afford it now how will I be able to afford a payment plan.

I called back later to cancel the appointment scheduled for November 2014.

A couple of days later I received the bill for $42.90 the amount denied by [redacted] for the duplicate treatment.Desired Settlement: I would like to see a credit of $80.00 - the difference from the $315.20 paid with discover card and the $278.10 patients responsibility per [redacted] - ($37.10 + $42.90 = $80.00) The $42.90 is the amount [redacted] did not pay because the treatment was a duplicate.

Consumer

Response:

Customer states: We did receive our refund but the remaining difference we will not pursue.