ComplaintsforDentistry With TLC

• Initial Complaint

  02/22/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I was misled when I scheduled a consult for December 20, 2021 with you for a oral appliance for snoring. I was told that you were a Medicare provider. I was clear with your scheduler that I was on Medicare and looking for a Medicare provider. When in your office on December 20, 2021 your personnel was very defensive about my being told you were a Medicare provider. When I asked whether your schedulers were compensated based on the number of appointments the book they were again very defensive and denied that they were. Your office said that they could and would go back to my initial phone contact with your office to verify my claim. Your office has NOT followed up on whether they did that or not. You tried to coerce me to sign a statement that I knew you were NOT a Medicare provider. Of course I refused to sign such a statement. As a 67 year old Medicare recipient I felt deceived and taken advantage of because of my age. You need to remove this charge that was incurred under false pretenses.

  Business response

  02/23/2022

  Dr. ***** presented in my office on December 20, 2021 for a consultation concerning oral appliance therapy.  He agreed verbally and in writing that the consultation was $49.  Please see the attached financial form containing Dr. *****'s signature.  During the consultation Dr. ***** had a digital panoramic xray which shows all of his teeth and jaw.  He spent an hour with my assistant who thoroughly explained how different appliances work to treat sleep apnea.  I did a thorough evaluation of Dr. *****'s mouth, facial muscles and jaw patterns.  I personally examined and talked with Dr. ***** for over 15 minutes during his consultation.  After the consultation Dr. ***** sat at my financial coordinator's desk for over an hour, this is documented in his treatment notes, because he was unable to get his HSA card to work properly.  It is documented he said he would pay for the appointment later.  After over two hours in my office, an x-ray valued at more than $160, a thorough exam with the doctor and a three page report about his sleep conditions Dr. ***** stiffed me and didn't pay the $49 he agreed to pay verbally and in writing.  Dr. ***** has paid nothing for services rendered.
  
  
  Dr. ***** is now trying to distract from his unprofessional and rude behavior by calling attention to a completely different issue that has nothing to do with his refusal to pay an agreed upon price for services rendered.  He states someone on the phone told him I am a Medicare provider.  Whether I am or am not a Medicare provider has nothing to do with the $49 Dr. ***** agreed to pay for his consultation.  If he thought he didn't owe $49 for services rendered, why did he sit at my financial coordinators desk for an hour and try to run his HSA card to pay $49?  Why did he say he would pay it later?  Why didn't he tell me during the consultation he thought the appointment was free?  Why did he sign a paper acknowledging the consultation was normally $149, but discounted right now to only $49.  The logical reason is because Dr. ***** was fully informed that he was responsible for $49 for the consultation.
  
  
  In an effort to collaborate with Dr. ***** we did acknowledge his complaint and we did try to listen to the recorded call.  His call has been automatically deleted from the system due to its age. Dr. ***** states we did not follow up with him. This is inaccurate.  My assistant did call Dr. *****, talked directly to him and informed him the initial call is no longer saved.  Based on automatic documentation by our computer system I can see the employee who scheduled Dr. *****'s consultation is a veteran employee.  She handles calls like his all the time and would never tell a patient that I am a Medicare provider.  I have personally trained her to tell patients "Dr. Smith is NOT a Medicare provider.  However, many of our patients are on Medicare.  We do not discriminate against or towards a patient based on the type of health care plan they carry."  
  
  
  I personally told Dr. ***** during his consultation that Medicare will NOT pay for the sleep appliance and he is responsible for the full fee.  I'm confused why Dr. ***** would believe I am coercing him into something when I personally said to his face and I provided it in writing that I am NOT a Medicare provider.  I also do NOT "compensate schedulers based upon the number of appointments they book".  We have been only honest and open with Dr. *****.  He is the one who appears defensive about our answers.
  
  
  We provided exactly what we stated we would provide for Dr. *****.  Nothing was charged under false pretenses.  Dr. ***** was never charged for something he did not receive or agree to verbally and in writing.  Dr. ***** has been informed verbally and sent a letter yesterday stating that his account will be sent to collections if he chooses not to pay for services rendered.  It is documented in his notes that his response was "have fun" and he hung up on my employee.
  
  
  I am sorry Dr. ***** feels "deceived and taken advantage of" for any reason.  However, I don't see how a rational person can interpret their feelings this way when they are the one agreeing to cost of services in writing and then stiffing the provider for the care provided.  I would advise Dr. ***** to seek some care from his own profession to better interpret and identify his feelings and the way he relates to the world.
  
  

  Customer response

  02/24/2022

  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  
  I was deceived about their services from the start.

  I would have never come to this first appointment if I had known they were not a Medicare provider. But they told me they were.

  This is true regardless of all the forms I signed in their office. 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ****** * *****

  Business response

  02/28/2022

  The burden of proof lies on Dr. ***** to prove I am a Medicare provider.  He can not.  I can prove in writing and with witnesses that I told him I am NOT a Medicare provider.  He acknowledges I personally told him and put in writing that I was NOT a Medicare provider.  I am equally offended that Dr. ***** came to my office and wasted two hours of our time when he was told on the phone I am not a Medicare provider.  Every employee in my office agrees that no one would ever tell a patient on the phone that I am a Medicare provider.  I agree this could be a simple misunderstanding.  Maybe Dr. ***** was hoping I was a Medicare provider and subconsciously heard what he hoped to hear instead of what my employee actually said.  If this were true, then why didn't he leave as soon as we told him I am not a Medicare provider?  Why did he stay for two hours and choose to have a consultation completed?  Why did he try to run his HSA card for an hour if he felt he didn't owe anything for his consultation?  This account will be sent to collections if Dr. ***** does not pay his balance.  He has been made aware of this and agreed to it in writing before choosing to be a patient in my practice.

  Customer response

  03/06/2022

  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  

  Obviously this comes down to a he said she said.

  I WAS told the their office was a Medicare provider or I would have never made an appointment OR driven nearly an hour to go to their office. They claimed on the day of the appointment that they have calls recorded and they would look into what was said. Later they made up a story about not being able to do that. They probably saw that I WAS told they were a Medicare provider and then covered up that fact. So they cannot prove that I was NOT told that. 

  I was NOT told that they were not a Medicare provider till we were well into the consultation. I had no reason to believe they were NOT a Medicare provider. The dentist had finished her evaluation, we had gone over all sorts of paperwork when I asked about how Medicare could cover some of the costs. Then I was told that they were not a Medicare provider AND they tried to coerce me to sign a form saying as much. See if they deny trying to force me to sign that form!  I refused to sign this form since it directly contradicted what I was told on the phone. At that point I felt very uncomfortable with the unprofessional treatment I was getting. I couldn't get our of that office fast enough. 

  They could simply write off this charge, but no, they would rather continuing to tell lies about my experience in their office. 

  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ****** * *****

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