The Podiatry Center, PC

Now that [redacted] constraints allow us to response to the falsehoods in the complaint brought about by this person, we would like to emphasize that it is the policy of this office to work within the contracted agreements with all insurance companies which includes billing with the correct billing codes The codes and the payments are completely regulated through the insurance companies and [redacted] We have no leeway with co-pays, deductibles and co-insurance The patient was seen June 27, and was subsequently casted for custom [redacted] (orthotics) The code for those devices are [redacted] and [redacted] **, denoting a separate bill for right and left In addition to the orthotic Billing the patient was also billed for an office visit The patient picked up the devices on July 18, Satisfaction was noted at the time of pick up The patient was instructed to follow up in approximately 3-weeks The patient never followed upThe patient returned to our office on July 31, to request an additional pair of orthotics to be used with his athletic footwear At the time the patient stated that the orthotics alleviated his back and foot paint and when they were not used the pain returnThe patient requested that the bill be submitted to his insurance company, with the understanding that if they were rejected it would be his responsibility His insurance did cover the orthotics, however he does have a deductible that is his responsibility The insurance determined that the cost would be $for the right foot and $for the left footThe insurance also noted there was an office visit charge to be charged We have the [redacted] from the insurance company stating this As in our contract with the insurance company, we must charge what they have deemed appropriate If we do not that would be fradulence by our company We have contacted the insurance company (***) to see if there were any modifiers since this was a second pair We were told by the company that there were no such modifiers If you read the patient's complaint, he does not find any problem with the devices His solution is that we give them to him for free and the public should be warned about us There seems to lie the problem He does not feel he should pay the amount charged but we are doing what the insurance company has directed us to do When [redacted] was contacted to see if perhaps we had billed incorrectly, we were told that this was done correctly We even asked if the patient had called his insurance company to check and see if we had done as we should have, to which we were told that they were never contacted by the patient So how to resolve this solution? Please have the patient contact his own insurance company, which will hopefully explain to him his responsibility in this We can forward the [redacted] pertaining to this to show how we billed When the patient does understand his responsibility, we would appreciate his prompt payment and we ask that he cease and desist the slander and libel that he has put upon our company We have done nothing wrong but bill in accordance to his insurance His complaint should be with them This needs to end We are a small business which prides ourselves with our connection with our patients We go out of our way to work with our patients but again, please realize that we are contracted with the insurance company and so only have so much leewayWe thank you with any help you can provide to alleviate this explosive situation Please feel free to contact me with any other questions that may help to solve this problem [redacted]

Revdex.com:I have reviewed the offer made by the business in reference to complaint ID***, and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.I reject the response. The office visit on 7/31/was a follto the prior office visit on 7/31/14. There was no need to return to the office prior as the orthotics was working fine for the pair of shoes they were placed in. However, once that pair needed to be replaced, then a new visit was needed. My concerns on the devices not fitting other shoes was clearly expressed to the doctor during my visits as I was not going to buy a device for each pair of shoes I owned. There should be no office visit charge for the 7/31/visit as this was the “follow-up” free visit to the last order which I was entitled. When booking this appointment over the phone, I made clear that this was a follvisit otherwise I would not have visited this office againWhen booking the visit over the phone, I was told to come in rather then do a replacement order over the phone. When I met with the doctor at the office, he indicated since the orthotics were working nothing new was needed. No new exam or prescription was needed and there was no reason I even needed to come to the office. I was not informed that this was being considered as a NEW visit until I was leaving the office at which point my billing concerns were expressed. The doctor clearly stated to me that he charges $for new orthotics and $for replacements and that the visits are all inclusive of exam, orthotics, pick-up, and one follow-up. 2nd, I do not dispute what the billing codes are with Aetna nor do I have an issue with the insurance companyMy issue is with the Podiatry Center The business response does not address the fact that they offered the services at the $and $rate They do not address that nowhere does it state I had to use the follvisit within a specific timeline, they do not show that I ever approved the charges other then what was stated above. My issue is with the business not honoring the rates they advised and then changing it once submitted to the insurance company and advising they can bill what the issuance allows even after quoiting a different rate. The fact that the business submitted as office visits the two last appearances to their office has been reported as fraud to the insurance company as these were not office medical visits. The business does not also address the fact that while this issue is under dispute, the day after the last phone conversation with*** *** which was also heated for a second time when I agreed to pay the $I felt I owed on the account in which she refused, the full amount was maliciously turned over to a collection agency. I would have never went back to this office had I known that I would be paying the same amount over again as an initial visit. I am asking that this bill be reduced to $due to the time, aggravation, and frustration it has taken to deal with their office. I made it clear at the time of the visit that I would pay the $replaceable rate minus the $already paid. The $paid should never have been charged as the first visit should have been free, and the second was a pionly. As to the public being warned, there are other online complaints on the service and attitude of this office staff posted online. Reviews under Yelp as well as others indicate similar rude and discourteous service. In fact, I have made contact with one such Yelp reviewer person and advised them also to file a complaint with the ** *** *** As to the term malicious, the only ones who are malicious are those related to this officeTheir attitudes, non-willingness to see another’s point of view, their turning over a known disputed payment to a collections agency a day later, as well as my overall experience.My complaint stands and I reject the business response.Regards,*** ***

Now that [redacted] constraints allow us to response to the falsehoods in the complaint brought about by this person, we would like to emphasize that it is the policy of this office to work within the contracted agreements with all insurance companies which includes billing with the correct billing...

codes.  The codes and the payments are completely regulated through the insurance companies and[redacted].  We have no leeway with co-pays, deductibles and co-insurance.  The patient was seen June 27, 2013 and was subsequently casted for custom [redacted] (orthotics).  The code for those devices are [redacted] and [redacted], denoting a separate bill for right and left.  In addition to the orthotic Billing the patient was also billed for an office visit.  The patient picked up the devices on July 18, 2013.  Satisfaction was noted at the time of pick up.  The patient was instructed to follow up in approximately 3-4 weeks.  The patient never followed up.
The patient returned to our office on July 31, 2014 to request an additional pair of orthotics to be used with his athletic footwear.  At the time the patient stated that the orthotics alleviated his back and foot paint and when they were not used the pain return.
The patient requested that the bill be submitted to his insurance company, with the understanding that if they were rejected it would be his responsibility. 
His insurance did cover the orthotics, however he does have a deductible that is his responsibility.  The insurance determined that the cost would be $140 for the right foot and $140 for the left foot. The insurance also noted there was an office visit charge to be charged.  We have the [redacted] from the insurance company stating this.  As in our contract with the insurance company, we must charge what they have deemed appropriate.  If we do not that would be fradulence by our company.  We have contacted the insurance company ([redacted]) to see if there were any modifiers since this was a second pair.  We were told by the company that there were no such modifiers. 
If you read the patient's complaint, he does not find any problem with the devices.  His solution is that we give them to him for free and the public should be warned about us.  There seems to lie the problem.  He does not feel he should pay the amount charged but we are doing what the insurance company has directed us to do.  When [redacted] was contacted to see if perhaps we had billed incorrectly, we were told that this was done correctly.  We even asked if the patient had called his insurance company to check and see if we had done as we should have, to which we were told that they were never contacted by the patient. 
So how to resolve this solution? Please have the patient contact his own insurance company, which will hopefully explain to him his responsibility in this.  We can forward the [redacted] pertaining to this to show how we billed.  When the patient does understand his responsibility, we would appreciate his prompt payment and we ask that he cease and desist the slander and libel that he has put upon our company. 
We have done nothing wrong but bill in accordance to his insurance.  His complaint should be with them.  This needs to end.  We are a small business which prides ourselves with our connection with our patients.  We go out of our way to work with our patients but again, please realize that we are contracted with the insurance company and so only have so much leeway.
We thank you with any help you can provide to alleviate this explosive situation.  Please feel free to contact me with any other questions that may help to solve this problem
[redacted]

Review: This has been the foot doctor office from[redacted]. I have never experienced such rude and unprofessional staff and service as well as dispute the charges and their billing practices. The first issue has to do with the rude and useless staff. The doctor seems more worried about getting his money then he does customer service.

I went into this location a few months ago to reorder prosthetics for my shoes. On my original appointment about 11 months prior, the doctor sold me some tailored to my one pair of shoes as he said this was the best way. I regretfully agreed and went with his opinion however these were not transferable between shoes. I went back in this last time to request a reorder for the same I had prior which were smaller and interchangeable between shoes. The doctor did the reorder however charged me the full price as the initial office visit. When I questioned the fact that I was doing a reorder and no change to the prescription occurred, why I was being charged the full value the staff and even the doctor became hostile.

I refuse to pay the price charged and attempted several times to discuss the bill with them and the rude staff even hung up. A voice mail message left to me stated they were satisfied with their charges and would take collection efforts and seek action.

I would warn people not to ever go to this doctor’s office and request that a public alert be placed on his business.Desired Settlement: At this point, close out my bill and waive all charges for my overall experience as well as place a public warning on file for others to be alerted to the extremely poor service and questionable billing practices that this location.

Business

Response:

Now that [redacted] constraints allow us to response to the falsehoods in the complaint brought about by this person, we would like to emphasize that it is the policy of this office to work within the contracted agreements with all insurance companies which includes billing with the correct billing codes. The codes and the payments are completely regulated through the insurance companies and[redacted]. We have no leeway with co-pays, deductibles and co-insurance. The patient was seen June 27, 2013 and was subsequently casted for custom [redacted] (orthotics). The code for those devices are [redacted] and [redacted], denoting a separate bill for right and left. In addition to the orthotic Billing the patient was also billed for an office visit. The patient picked up the devices on July 18, 2013. Satisfaction was noted at the time of pick up. The patient was instructed to follow up in approximately 3-4 weeks. The patient never followed up.The patient returned to our office on July 31, 2014 to request an additional pair of orthotics to be used with his athletic footwear. At the time the patient stated that the orthotics alleviated his back and foot paint and when they were not used the pain return.The patient requested that the bill be submitted to his insurance company, with the understanding that if they were rejected it would be his responsibility. His insurance did cover the orthotics, however he does have a deductible that is his responsibility. The insurance determined that the cost would be $140 for the right foot and $140 for the left foot. The insurance also noted there was an office visit charge to be charged. We have the [redacted] from the insurance company stating this. As in our contract with the insurance company, we must charge what they have deemed appropriate. If we do not that would be fradulence by our company. We have contacted the insurance company ([redacted]) to see if there were any modifiers since this was a second pair. We were told by the company that there were no such modifiers. If you read the patient's complaint, he does not find any problem with the devices. His solution is that we give them to him for free and the public should be warned about us. There seems to lie the problem. He does not feel he should pay the amount charged but we are doing what the insurance company has directed us to do. When [redacted] was contacted to see if perhaps we had billed incorrectly, we were told that this was done correctly. We even asked if the patient had called his insurance company to check and see if we had done as we should have, to which we were told that they were never contacted by the patient. So how to resolve this solution? Please have the patient contact his own insurance company, which will hopefully explain to him his responsibility in this. We can forward the [redacted] pertaining to this to show how we billed. When the patient does understand his responsibility, we would appreciate his prompt payment and we ask that he cease and desist the slander and libel that he has put upon our company. We have done nothing wrong but bill in accordance to his insurance. His complaint should be with them. This needs to end. We are a small business which prides ourselves with our connection with our patients. We go out of our way to work with our patients but again, please realize that we are contracted with the insurance company and so only have so much leeway.We thank you with any help you can provide to alleviate this explosive situation. Please feel free to contact me with any other questions that may help to solve this problem[redacted]

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the offer made by the business in reference to complaint ID[redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.I reject the response. The office visit on 7/31/14 was a follow-up to the prior office visit on 7/31/14. There was no need to return to the office prior as the orthotics was working fine for the pair of shoes they were placed in. However, once that pair needed to be replaced, then a new visit was needed. My concerns on the devices not fitting other shoes was clearly expressed to the doctor during my visits as I was not going to buy a device for each pair of shoes I owned. There should be no office visit charge for the 7/31/14 visit as this was the “follow-up” free visit to the last order which I was entitled. When booking this appointment over the phone, I made clear that this was a follow-up visit otherwise I would not have visited this office again. When booking the visit over the phone, I was told to come in rather then do a replacement order over the phone. When I met with the doctor at the office, he indicated since the orthotics were working nothing new was needed. No new exam or prescription was needed and there was no reason I even needed to come to the office. I was not informed that this was being considered as a NEW visit until I was leaving the office at which point my billing concerns were expressed. The doctor clearly stated to me that he charges $300 for new orthotics and $250 for replacements and that the visits are all inclusive of exam, orthotics, pick-up, and one follow-up. 2nd, I do not dispute what the billing codes are with Aetna nor do I have an issue with the insurance company. My issue is with the Podiatry Center. The business response does not address the fact that they offered the services at the $300 and $250 rate. They do not address that nowhere does it state I had to use the follow-up visit within a specific timeline, they do not show that I ever approved the charges other then what was stated above. My issue is with the business not honoring the rates they advised and then changing it once submitted to the insurance company and advising they can bill what the issuance allows even after quoiting a different rate. The fact that the business submitted as office visits the two last appearances to their office has been reported as fraud to the insurance company as these were not office medical visits. The business does not also address the fact that while this issue is under dispute, the day after the last phone conversation with[redacted] which was also heated for a second time when I agreed to pay the $170 I felt I owed on the account in which she refused, the full amount was maliciously turned over to a collection agency. I would have never went back to this office had I known that I would be paying the same amount over again as an initial visit. I am asking that this bill be reduced to $0.00 due to the time, aggravation, and frustration it has taken to deal with their office. I made it clear at the time of the visit that I would pay the $250 replaceable rate minus the $80 already paid. The $80 paid should never have been charged as the first visit should have been free, and the second was a pick-up only. As to the public being warned, there are other online complaints on the service and attitude of this office staff posted online. Reviews under Yelp as well as others indicate similar rude and discourteous service. In fact, I have made contact with one such Yelp reviewer person and advised them also to file a complaint with the [redacted]. As to the term malicious, the only ones who are malicious are those related to this office. Their attitudes, non-willingness to see another’s point of view, their turning over a known disputed payment to a collections agency a day later, as well as my overall experience.My complaint stands and I reject the business response.Regards,[redacted]