Widmeyer Vein Center

Review: I am formally disputing of the invoice received from the Widmeyer Vein and Cosmetic Solutions Center, Statement ID [redacted], in the amount of $231.74 pursuant to the following:

Firstly, when I originally called to make the appointment for the consultation, I specifically asked for the any cost(s) associated with the appointment, to which the woman responded that it was a 'Free Consultation.' I restated, "Oh, it's free?" and she confirmed, stating further the only thing for which I would pay was the actual procedure, should the determination be that it was necessary.

Once I arrived, the woman at the check-in window asked for my driver’s license and insurance card, which prompted me to ask again for confirmation that this was a FREE consultation. The woman nodded in response, stating "Yes, this is just a consultation and it's free." She explained that my insurance would be on-file in the event the Doctor determined that one or both of my legs required treatment covered by my insurance, otherwise I would have to pay out-of-pocket $400 dollars per leg to received treatment.

In the consultation room, I met with the Doctor who asked me a few questions and evaluated the veins in both of my legs, first by sight, then by ultrasound machine. After applying ultrasound jelly on both legs, he applied the ultrasound wand to the left leg, squeezing at the veins site 2-3 times while observing its behavior on the ultrasound screen. He then performed the same evaluation on the right leg. He verbally confirmed that the veins in my left leg were not functioning properly and required treatment, which would be covered by insurance, but that the veins in the right leg did not and I would have to pay out-of-pocket for that.

The entire interaction and evaluation was completed within 15 minutes, at the most. Once I left the consultation room, I proceeded back to the check-in window where I asked the same woman who had checked me in if there was anything left I needed to do, specifically asking again if there was any cost associated with the day's consultation. She again confirmed "no, you don't have to pay anything for the consultation." She then advised that in order for my insurance to consider coverage of the recommended procedure for my left leg I would have to purchase and wear a specialized compression stocking consistently for 6 weeks, after which the determination would be made for whether or not the procedure was still necessary. I acknowledged her advisement, purchased the appropriately sized $75.00 stocking out-of-pocket from her, and left the premises.

Approximately 30-45 days later, I received a bill stating I owed $231.74, after insurance. I immediately called the office to question the bill and, after reminded her of the multiple confirmations that the consultation would be free, she explained that "there is a difference between a 'free consultation' and a 'consult'. I said that didn’t make any sense, but she would not provide further explanation nor budge on the point. As the argument had become futile, I ended the conversation.

For the reasons put forth herein, I hereby formally appeal the invoice billed to me for alleged ‘service rendered’ on 08/17/2015 and request that all collection actions taken on this account cease and desist.Desired Settlement: Clear account and remove all collection actions.

Business

Response:

I am happy to respond to the inquiry/complaint ID [redacted]. I dispute the claims this person put in the letter. First, the customer states that they "called to make the appointment for the consultation". It was claimed that my office staff replied that "...it was a Free Consultation". This was my first clue that this account was not accurate. I do offer Free Varicose Vein Screening exams. This is a very brief screening evaluation that does not involve ultrasound. My staff is always very clear to not mix the terms "consultation" and "screening"; and "free" and "consultation" are never used together. The two terms have very specific meanings, and are never interchanged. As a matter of fact, my staff and I are meticulous on this point to avoid any confusion, and this is the first time in years that anyone has had a complaint such as this. When someone comes in for a free screening, I do a brief visual examination of the leg, and educate the patient about vein disease. Based on that visual inspection, if I feel that they have enough evidence to proceed further, I recommend that they come back for a full consultation. That is the full examination with ultrasound, which is appropriately billed to insurance. Insurance information is never even collected with a free screening appointment. Despite the claim of brevity of my ultrasound exam, I have documentation of the completeness of the exam that I did. The second red flag in this account is that support stockings were prescribed for the 6 week period of conservative therapy in preparation for the definitive minimally invasive procedure that this patient needed. This action is never taken on a free screening - only on full consultations. Before I ever get to the discussion of support stockings with a patient, I have had a detailed discussion of the nature of the problem, details of the procedure and risks and benefits of the procedure. All of this is never discussed in a free screening exam.The account that this patient has submitted has numerous inconsistencies that makes me think they made up the account of the discussion with my staff. I have been in solo vein practice for almost 11 years, having treated thousands of very satisfied patients. I would not have the reputation for excellence that I have by tricking patients into paying for my services. The free screenings that I offer are many times simply giving people peace of mind about their circulation, and do not lead to a patient who needs my service. This patient called and asked for a consultation, and received a detailed, expert evaluation of their problem, along with a plan for treatment, and their insurance was appropriately billed for services rendered. I am recognized as the expert in vein care in this region. I don't need to trick and deceive people, and I never would. The very words they quoted in the letter are the evidence that this account of events is fabricated. From the supposed statement from my staff about a "free consult", to the prescribing of stockings and the plan for conservative therapy in preparation for surgery, this is in absolute conflict with our standard operating procedure for free screening exams. I unequivocally refute the accusations made in this complaint.Jeffrey H. Widmeyer, MDWidmeyer Vein Center[redacted]

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response 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.It is nothing short of insulting for this business to accuse me of "making up" my account and to what "inconsistencies" they may be referring, it is unclear. I did not accuse anyone of trickery, being a fraud, and/or purposefully lying to me, only that it was led to understand one thing and it turned out not to be the case.Like the practitioner, I am meticulous in asking both initial and follow-up questions prior to moving forward with any procedure and did so in this case. I did not claim that nothing was done during my visit, nor am I complaining about the quality of services rendered; I only stated it was told to me on multiple occasions that the consultation was free.It is clear this business will not be reasonable and/or admit the staff made a mistake, and they hold all the cards in this instance, so I am left with no options but to pay the bill. I will make payments as I am financially able, but wholeheartedly maintain the rejection of the business's response.

Begrudgingly,