Complaints

• Initial Complaint

  07/17/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I was a patient o* this practice and had a consultation on 3/8/2023. The practice o* the o**ice as noted in their *inancial policy stated that payment *or service was due at the completion o* service. When I le*t at the end o* that appointment I asked i* there was anything else or an amount due and they said there was nothing else. I returned 3/27/2023 to get an estimate *or *uture service. At the end o* that appointment, again nothing was mentioned about a due balance. On 5/23/2023 I received a text message asking to contact the o**ice about a past due balance. I asked what balance and they said *or the service on 3/8/2023. I told them I have not received a bill and with *oul language, I know wasn't need, asked *or one to be sent. I got no response a*ter that beside a signature required letter "*iring" me the practice. Sometime at the end o* May or beginning o* June the account was sent to collections as I recieved a letter *rom them on July 6. On June 20th I dropped o** a payment to the o**ice, which they mailed back to me. I again dropped o** the payment on 6/25. On 6/26 they called the police to get a no trespassing order. I made a good *aith attempt to settle the account without receiving a bill at any time. I used the EOD *rom insurance company to see guess what was owed. They billed insurance 3/21. 6 days be*ore my second appointment where they could have asked *or the amount due at that time but *ailed doing so. The account was post due no more than 60 days it was sent to collection without notice and without a billing statement a*ter asking *or one as one was never received. The only things I have received *rom them has been 3 pieces o* mail and those can be veri*ied as they were sent certi*ied, or signature required. Even in his seven (7) page letter to me dated 6/25/2023, they still *ailed to provide a billing statement several docs and a doc that states communication is key with past due accounts..which is what occurred but they stopped

  Business response

  07/18/2023

  To Whom It May Concern,

  Please consider this my written response to the *alse complaint *iled by Nathaniel ******.  I have noted that in your noti*ication, that you have obtained HIPPA consent *rom Mr. ******.  This is clearly an attempt by Mr. ****** to harass, de*ame, and take retribution toward me due to his illegal behavior.

  Mr. ****** was seen *or a consultation on 8 March 2023, at which time he was provided and acknowledged our o**ice *inancial policies (please see attached *orms).  Prior to that consultation, when he made the appointment, he provided dental insurance in*ormation, indicating dual coverage with Delta Dental.  On 20 *ebruary 2023, my sta** veri*ied dental bene*its *or Mr. ****** under both dental insurance plans, these worksheets are enclosed in the attached documents.  As Mr. ******** case was complicated, we asked him to return *or presentation o* the treatment plan.  Since he had dual dental insurance coverage, coordination o* bene*its was required, and we *iled appropriate claims.  Until receiving the EOBs *rom the insurance plans, we did not ask *or payment *rom the patient, as his insurance veri*ication indicated that both plans would cover the contracted rate.  On 21 March 2023, Mr. ****** was sent a statement *or $426.00, indicating that dental insurance had not responded to our claims *iled.  Mr. ****** was provided a treatment plan, by my o**ice, on 27 March 2023.  Although Mr. ****** claims that the cost *or treatment is "obnoxiously high", the *ees *or treatment are contracted rates, set by Delta Dental.

  A*ter receiving all EOB's related to Mr. ******** consultation and imaging on 6 April 2023, Mr. ****** was sent a new statement, with an updated balance o* $62.00.  No response *rom Mr. ******.   On 25 April 2023, Mr. ****** was sent another statement *or $62.00 with a cover letter requesting immediate payment o* his balance due.  No response *rom Mr. ******.  On 23 May 2023, Mr. ****** was sent another statement *or $62.00 with a cover letter indicating that i* the balance was not paid, we would *orward the account *or collections.  We also contacted Mr. ****** by text that day, at which time he responded with pro*anity, re*used to pay his balance and told us to "How about you send me a. Actual ******* bill be*ore you contact me again."  At this time, I made the decision to *orward his account to Coachella Valley Collection Service (CVCS) and to dismiss him *rom my practice.  On 2 June 2023, Mr. ****** received a letter dated 23 May 2023, by certi*ied mail, dismissing him *rom my practice, as required by the Cali*ornia Dental Practice Act.  Mr. ******** account was *orwarded to Coachella Valley Collection Services on 1 June 2023.

  On 22 June 2023, as noted by my sta**, Mr. ****** “stormed into o**ice threw check at the *ront o**ice and turned around to walk out and said "go **** yourselves".  The check was returned back to Mr. ****** through mail, as the account had been *orwarded to collections.  We in*ormed Mr. ****** that he must contact Coachella Valley Collection Service to settle the debt, as we could no longer collect, since the account had been turned over.

  You returned to my o**ice on 27 June 2023 with the check and a letter.  I have enclosed that letter in the attached documents.  In the letter, Mr. ****** claimed to have made a video o* my sta** inside my o**ice.  I am sure that the Better Business Bureau is aware that videotaping a person without consent in a place where one could expect reasonable privacy, such as in a medical or dental o**ice, is illegal in the state o* Cali*ornia.  I encouraged Mr. ****** to delete that video.  I also returned Mr. ******** check with my response letter, so that he could settle his debt with Coachella Valley Collection Services.  I again in*ormed Mr. ******, in writing, that once we *orward an account to collections, by contract, we can no longer accept payment.  I believe that you have a copy o* these certi*ied letters.

  Based on Mr. ******** threatening behavior toward my sta**, his re*usal to *ollow the *inancial agreements to which he consented and his illegal videotaping, I reported him to the Riverside County Sheri**'s Department and asked that he be admonished not to trespass in my o**ice, which was done on 28 June 2023.  I have provided the documents *rom this incident.  We have had no *urther contact with Mr. ******.

  It is amazing that Mr. ****** seems to only be able to receive certi*ied mail, or that he was still able to receive my certi*ied letter dated 28 June 2023, in spite o* claiming in his letter o* 25 June 2023 that he was no longer at the address we had on record.

  *rom the EOBs provided by Mr. ******** insurance carriers, he was well aware o* his debt.  He was provided multiple statement *rom us regarding his debt.  Any accusation on Mr. ******** part o* unethical, unpro*essional, or *raudulent behavior *rom mysel* or my sta** is inappropriate.  Our interactions with Mr. ****** are well documented and pro*essional.  The only unpro*essional, con*rontational, or rude behavior is *rom Mr. ******.

  To be clear, Mr. ****** may contact Coachella Valley Collection services and settle his debt, i* he has not already.  The charges are well explained on the patient's explanation o* bene*its *rom his dental insurance companies.  Any accusation that statements were not sent is untrue, as documented in our records, which I have provided.

  I expect that this complaint will be expunged *rom any records that the Better Business Bureau has regarding my practice, as this is clearly a matter o* harassment and de*amation by Mr. Nathaniel ******.

  Respect*ully,

  ***** ***** ***

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩