Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2017/01/19) */
To: Revdex.com of Northern Indiana
Subject: Employer response to Revdex.com Case: XXXXXXXX
Dear Revdex.com:
I am the COO for Endodontic & Periodontic AssociatesIn reviewing the history of
conversations that our staff had documents in the record, Ms*** stated to our Office Manager in Dyer that she had seen two dentists prior to us who could not help herThe second dentist, Dr*** referred her to us as we are specialists in root canal treatmentMs*** has Delta Dental Insurance with an annual cap of *** and a copay of *** Our charge of this service is *** which well exceeds her annual allotment from Delta and she had already used some of that up by seeing the two other dentistsOur *** in our computer system show that we quoted Ms*** a *** deposit, which is our standard *** of chargesWe do not quote the exact amount of out of pocket expense as we do not know that until we submit the invoice to the insurer and they send us back the Explanation of BenefitsWe have eight offices and providers with tens of thousands of patients seeing us each year going on years in businessThis process is not unfamiliar to us and we try to make it as transparent and patient friendly as possibleThe receptionist who made the appointment and saw Ms*** the day of her treatment is actually our Office Manager and has many years of experience quoting feesShe assures me she would never have quoted *** for a *** procedure and her notes made that day in our computer system document the discussionAll I can think of is that Ms*** took the deposit to mean it was to be her total out of pocket expense and since Delta pays at *** that would put the total cost at *** No Endodontist Specialty I am aware of in Indiana or Illinois charges anywhere near that low amount for a molar root canal
Like most specialty practices, we collect a deposit up front and then send an invoice for the balance after the insurer sends their paymentWe do at times call the insurer upon a patient's request prior to treatmentBut even then, insurers will only provide us an "estimate" of what the patient might owe after insurance has paid because they have usually not received and adjudicated all the claims from the patients referring dentist/s who sent the patient to us
I dispute entirely the references to our conversation such as "he just kept arguing with me" and "he will send my bill to collections"However, I do understand that this can be frustrating for a patient who may be expecting us to know the exact amount of their out of pocket expenses up frontI hope this response helps to explain how that is not always possibleIf Ms*** would like to call me and discuss further, we may be able to discount the balance somewhat in a good faith effort to resolve this issueI can be reached at XXX-XXX-XXXX
Thank you,
*** ***
COO
Endodontic & Periodontic Associates
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (2000, 7, 2017/01/20) */
(The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.)
I feel there response is fair and reasonable
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2016/06/10) */
Contact Name and Title: [redacted] COO
Contact Phone: XXXXXXXXXX
Contact Email: [redacted]@endoperio.com
Ms. [redacted]. [redacted] was seen January 6th, 2016 for a root canal evaluation and had two subsequent follow-up visits on the January...
13th , and February 15th (not just one follow-up as stated in her note). The follow-up visits are to check progress and are at no charge to the patient.
Ms. [redacted] was referred to Dr. [redacted] an Endodontist, by her general dentist who tested her tooth #31 and determined it possibly required a root canal. Dr. [redacted] following standard of care, tested tooth #31 and also determined it was the likely source of her discomfort. The root canal was thus performed. The patient returned a week later for the first follow-up appointment and expressed continued discomfort in that area of her mouth. Dr. [redacted] retested the area and performed a hot/cold test and determined that tooth number 32 might also be causing the discomfort. It is not uncommon for multiple teeth to be involved and it is often a combination of two teeth that causes the pain to be too much for the patient to bear. Dr. [redacted] stated to Ms [redacted] that they could either perform the second root canal at that visit to get her out of pain or monitor the area to see if the pain subsides. Ms. [redacted] chose to monitor the area instead of perform the second root canal. However, Dr. [redacted] never stated that it would take 4 months to get better. Ms. [redacted] subsequently called our billing department and stated she wanted her money returned. Our office manager called her multiple times to find out why but her calls were never returned. It is not clear what additional treatment Ms. [redacted] had and on what tooth but it sounds as if tooth #32 also had a root canal.
We feel that we followed standard of care and treatment was perfectly appropriate, however we are more than willing and happy to discuss the exact circumstances behind her subsequent treatment and dissatisfaction with our services. Ms. [redacted] can call me direct at XXX-XXX-XXXX.
Thank you,
[redacted]
Chief Operating Officer and Practice Administrator
Endodontic & Periodontic Associates, LTD
XXXXX S. [redacted]
[redacted] XXXXX
O) XXX-XXX-XXXX
[redacted]
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 16, 2016/07/06) */
July 5, 2010
To Whom it May Concern,
arn writing in response to the letter written by [redacted] There is very little truth to that letter First of all Dr. [redacted] DID tell me it would take up to 4 months for my tooth to feel better_ Second, he never offered to do another root canal. That option was never given to me.
Third, I was never scheduled follow up appointments, Dr. [redacted] sent me back to him TWICE
There is nothing wtong with tooth #32. As proven by the letters wntten by Dr. [redacted] to Dr. [redacted] it was tooth #31 that was causing me problems.
Fourth, I never called their billing department. I notified Care Credit of the situation because I had paid Dr, [redacted] in full on the first day I saw him using my Care Credit Card.
If there is any other documentation needed please let me know.
Sincerely,
Final Consumer Response /* (2000, 28, 2016/08/09) */
Ms. [redacted] contacted our office indicating she has accepted the company's offer of 1/2 the amount for [redacted]
Final Business Response /* (4000, 26, 2016/08/15) */
8/9/16
Dear Revdex.com,
Today we received the requested dental records of Ms. [redacted]'s dental treatment with the other Endodontist. Upon review, and as a gesture of goodwill, Dr. [redacted] has offered a return of [redacted] of the charges for the original root canal. I spoke to Ms. [redacted] today and she found that to be a satisfactory compromise. We are working on that return of funds now.
We thank Ms. [redacted] for her patience with our review and wish her well.
[redacted]
COO and Practice Administrator
Endodontic & Periodontic Associates, LTD
XXXXX S. [redacted]
[redacted] XXXXX
O) XXX-XXX-XXXX
C) XXX-XXX-XXXX
[redacted]
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2017/01/19) */
To: Revdex.com of Northern Indiana
Subject: Employer response to Revdex.com Case: XXXXXXXX
Dear Revdex.com:
I am the COO for Endodontic & Periodontic AssociatesIn reviewing the history of
conversations that our staff had documents in the record, Ms*** stated to our Office Manager in Dyer that she had seen two dentists prior to us who could not help herThe second dentist, Dr*** referred her to us as we are specialists in root canal treatmentMs*** has Delta Dental Insurance with an annual cap of *** and a copay of *** Our charge of this service is *** which well exceeds her annual allotment from Delta and she had already used some of that up by seeing the two other dentistsOur *** in our computer system show that we quoted Ms*** a *** deposit, which is our standard *** of chargesWe do not quote the exact amount of out of pocket expense as we do not know that until we submit the invoice to the insurer and they send us back the Explanation of BenefitsWe have eight offices and providers with tens of thousands of patients seeing us each year going on years in businessThis process is not unfamiliar to us and we try to make it as transparent and patient friendly as possibleThe receptionist who made the appointment and saw Ms*** the day of her treatment is actually our Office Manager and has many years of experience quoting feesShe assures me she would never have quoted *** for a *** procedure and her notes made that day in our computer system document the discussionAll I can think of is that Ms*** took the deposit to mean it was to be her total out of pocket expense and since Delta pays at *** that would put the total cost at *** No Endodontist Specialty I am aware of in Indiana or Illinois charges anywhere near that low amount for a molar root canal
Like most specialty practices, we collect a deposit up front and then send an invoice for the balance after the insurer sends their paymentWe do at times call the insurer upon a patient's request prior to treatmentBut even then, insurers will only provide us an "estimate" of what the patient might owe after insurance has paid because they have usually not received and adjudicated all the claims from the patients referring dentist/s who sent the patient to us
I dispute entirely the references to our conversation such as "he just kept arguing with me" and "he will send my bill to collections"However, I do understand that this can be frustrating for a patient who may be expecting us to know the exact amount of their out of pocket expenses up frontI hope this response helps to explain how that is not always possibleIf Ms*** would like to call me and discuss further, we may be able to discount the balance somewhat in a good faith effort to resolve this issueI can be reached at XXX-XXX-XXXX
Thank you,
*** ***
COO
Endodontic & Periodontic Associates
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (2000, 7, 2017/01/20) */
(The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.)
I feel there response is fair and reasonable
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2016/06/10) */
Contact Name and Title: [redacted] COO
Contact Phone: XXXXXXXXXX
Contact Email: [redacted]@endoperio.com
Ms. [redacted]. [redacted] was seen January 6th, 2016 for a root canal evaluation and had two subsequent follow-up visits on the January...
13th , and February 15th (not just one follow-up as stated in her note). The follow-up visits are to check progress and are at no charge to the patient.
Ms. [redacted] was referred to Dr. [redacted] an Endodontist, by her general dentist who tested her tooth #31 and determined it possibly required a root canal. Dr. [redacted] following standard of care, tested tooth #31 and also determined it was the likely source of her discomfort. The root canal was thus performed. The patient returned a week later for the first follow-up appointment and expressed continued discomfort in that area of her mouth. Dr. [redacted] retested the area and performed a hot/cold test and determined that tooth number 32 might also be causing the discomfort. It is not uncommon for multiple teeth to be involved and it is often a combination of two teeth that causes the pain to be too much for the patient to bear. Dr. [redacted] stated to Ms [redacted] that they could either perform the second root canal at that visit to get her out of pain or monitor the area to see if the pain subsides. Ms. [redacted] chose to monitor the area instead of perform the second root canal. However, Dr. [redacted] never stated that it would take 4 months to get better. Ms. [redacted] subsequently called our billing department and stated she wanted her money returned. Our office manager called her multiple times to find out why but her calls were never returned. It is not clear what additional treatment Ms. [redacted] had and on what tooth but it sounds as if tooth #32 also had a root canal.
We feel that we followed standard of care and treatment was perfectly appropriate, however we are more than willing and happy to discuss the exact circumstances behind her subsequent treatment and dissatisfaction with our services. Ms. [redacted] can call me direct at XXX-XXX-XXXX.
Thank you,
[redacted]
Chief Operating Officer and Practice Administrator
Endodontic & Periodontic Associates, LTD
XXXXX S. [redacted]
[redacted] XXXXX
O) XXX-XXX-XXXX
[redacted]
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 16, 2016/07/06) */
July 5, 2010
To Whom it May Concern,
arn writing in response to the letter written by [redacted] There is very little truth to that letter First of all Dr. [redacted] DID tell me it would take up to 4 months for my tooth to feel better_ Second, he never offered to do another root canal. That option was never given to me.
Third, I was never scheduled follow up appointments, Dr. [redacted] sent me back to him TWICE
There is nothing wtong with tooth #32. As proven by the letters wntten by Dr. [redacted] to Dr. [redacted] it was tooth #31 that was causing me problems.
Fourth, I never called their billing department. I notified Care Credit of the situation because I had paid Dr, [redacted] in full on the first day I saw him using my Care Credit Card.
If there is any other documentation needed please let me know.
Sincerely,
Final Consumer Response /* (2000, 28, 2016/08/09) */
Ms. [redacted] contacted our office indicating she has accepted the company's offer of 1/2 the amount for [redacted]
Final Business Response /* (4000, 26, 2016/08/15) */
8/9/16
Dear Revdex.com,
Today we received the requested dental records of Ms. [redacted]'s dental treatment with the other Endodontist. Upon review, and as a gesture of goodwill, Dr. [redacted] has offered a return of [redacted] of the charges for the original root canal. I spoke to Ms. [redacted] today and she found that to be a satisfactory compromise. We are working on that return of funds now.
We thank Ms. [redacted] for her patience with our review and wish her well.
[redacted]
COO and Practice Administrator
Endodontic & Periodontic Associates, LTD
XXXXX S. [redacted]
[redacted] XXXXX
O) XXX-XXX-XXXX
C) XXX-XXX-XXXX
[redacted]