Village Chiropractic Sports & Family, PC

As office manager of Village Chiropractic Sports & family, PC, I, Sharon [redacted], am responsible for scheduling and billing practices in this office. I am in receipt of your letter dated June 7, 2017 regarding a patient complaint relating to a bill and am aware that the patient feels they should...

not be charged stating she arrived early for her scheduled 2:30 pm appointment while the office was closed for lunch with signage 011 the door (including clock) indicating time of return for 2:30 pm. The patient did not attend her designated appointment time, and according to office policy was mailed a bill for failure to show for her scheduled appointment time.She contacted the office on 03/28/17 at 2:50 pm and spoke with my self Sharon Mowry, regarding her bill for failing to attend her appointment at 2:30 pm on 03/24/17 totaling $20.00. I explained that office lunch hour runs from 1:00 pm to 2:30 pm, when the doors are opened and I tum the sign at 2:30 pm. The patient admitted "I did not see the clock for time of' return and just saw the closed sign".When I advised her that unfortunately she owed the $20.00 fee for the standard policy regarding failure to cancel appointment without 24 hour notice and not attending her reserved appointment time, she stated she was not happy with this. I apologized again and she hung up.Factual information regarding office operations:-Office reopens at 2:30 pm by satellite clock for accuracy.-The signage stating office is closed is the same sign with clock designating time of return.-There were no statements or excuses given regarding "running late to get back to the office" as lunches are taken in office break room.-Phone answering machine was on and is monitored for incoming messages from other doctor offices and patient messages, no messages were left by this individual.·-This office takes any complaints seriously, and will implement any changes necessary to maintain a high standard of care to avoid any future instances of appointment time confusion.Corrective Measures:Given the stated issues by the complainant, and confusion regarding door signage, a new sign with posted hours will be utilized, though there has not been any other complaints in 28 years of operation, using this type of signage. The issue has been brought to the doctor's attention, who concurs with this change.Determination:Though office protocol and policy was followed, the complainant can disregard her bill for $20.00 to resolve the issue. Referrals can be provided to other offices if necessary.Office Manager,Sharon [redacted]