ComplaintsforTriangle Foot & Ankle Specialist, PC

• Initial Complaint

  10/26/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  On October 19, 2022, I was charged $170.56 by the Triangle Foot and Ankle Specialist with no explanation for the higher charges. My insurance was billed $172.84 for total charges. My responsibility was $90.56 toward the deductible. However the facility charged my credit card $170.56 with no verbal or written explanation. I contacted my insurance company (*****), and they called the Triangle Foot facility. Only then did the receptionist explain the charges. I needed to reschedule an appointment for my daughter with Triangle Foot and Ankle Specialist on October 3, 2022, so I called on Friday, September 30th to reschedule. I left a message because they did not pick up. I contacted them well before their 24 hour cancellation period policy, yet they charged me a $35 missed appointment fee. I was not made aware of this until I inquired why I was charged more on October 19th. In addition, I was also charged $45 for a small tube of wart remover on October 19 (******** wart gel salicylic acid 17%) and was not given the option to purchase an over the counter product with the same ingredient for much less. I asked the facility if I could return the product for reimbursement upon finding out what I was charged; however, the facility refused to reimburse me. I am asking for assistance in reimbursement for the $35 and $45 charges. I believe the Triangle Foot and Ankle Specialist facility has been unfair in these charges and situations.

  Business response

  10/27/2022

  First of all to address the first statement in regards to the payment. When the patient and her mother checked in for the appointment on 10-19-22 she was given an estimate of $125.56 and at that time agreed to be seen. While in the room with Dr. ****** the patient was given the option to purchase the wart treatment medication and was informed in the room with him that it would be $45 for that product. At checkout the patient and her mother were given the total of $170.56 and they paid. According to our records there was never a request for an itemized receipt for the visit. If they would have liked an itemized receipt we would have gladly provided it to them. Itemized receipts are not available right at the end of an appointment because the doctor needs time to chart and put the bills together. However, if they would have asked for an itemized receipt we would have explained to them that we can send it to them the next day via an encrypted email. The amount collected at the visit of $170.56 included, $90.56 for the appointment that was going towards the deductible, $35 for the missed appointment fee, and the $45 for the wart treatment that they took home. I am positive that if she asked the staff when they checked out why they were paying that amount that my staff would have answered. The patient or her mother were able to refuse the wart medication and to be seen at any time. At no time was she made to do anything, she chose to get the medication and to be seen and to pay the amount of $170.56. 

  As I explained to the patient's mother, according to our records and the call logs, she called the morning of the appointment on 10/3/22 at 8:20am for an appointment that the patient had scheduled that day at 9:30am. There was no phone call Friday September 30th as we were in the office until 2pm and there is no record of it in the call logs. Per the policies that they signed our office has a 24hour cancellation policy which is why they had a missed appointment fee for the visit that was missed on 10/3/22. 

  I have already tried to reach out to the patient's mother via phone to resolve the issue and she has yet to call me back. All I ask is that she call me back at the office at ************ in order to discuss how we can resolve this issue and discuss how we can make the situation better. Again, our office has policies that we are following and at if at anytime the patient or her mother did not want to do something or wanted more information all they needed to do was ask or say something. 

  Customer response

  10/27/2022

  
  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because: I would like to clarify some of the points made by business. 

  When I walked into the facility on 10/19/22, the receptionist yelled out to me that I would be charged $150 on that day. I was NOT given an estimate of $125.56. While in the room with Dr. ******, I questioned how tender my daughter's skin was from the last treatment that burned her toe. My daughter even showed him a picture of her toe. He did not seem to have any regard for how severe the burn was. He said that she could have the same chemical applied again or she could try another topical treatment at home. AT NO  TIME DID HE OR ANYONE AT THIS FACILITY TELL ME THAT THE OINMENT WAS $45. I explained to the doctor in the room that I thought her toe was too tender to apply a harsh chemical again. He did not offer an alternative to an over-the-counter product that I could purchase at a store with a pharmacy. Yes, I did pay the bill not questioning as I had done the last four times; however, afterward, I considered how the door had been slammed in my face the previous two appointments not being allowed to go back to the treatment room with my daughter; the rude attitude of the doctor; being charged every time upfront without explanations, verbal or a written breakdown of each visit; I felt it was time to investigate. As for the charge of $35 for what they call a "missed" appointment, I felt this was unfair because I did call their facility on Friday, September 30, 2022. I did not get an answer. My complaint is not about being  "forced to do anything" as it was written in the response of the business. My complaint is in regard to the charges that were either unfair or that I was not made aware of.   

  The business called me today, and the person who spoke to me was very argumentative; however, the agreement made between us was in exchange for me removing a review I posted about the clinic/doctor/service, they would refund the $35 and $45 fees to my credit card. I did agree to this arrangement. 

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

  Business response

  10/27/2022

  I am unsure of what else to say at this point. I have reviewed all records and discussed the date in question with all of the staff. The estimate that was given to the patient when she came to the front desk was not yelled at her. It was told to her in a normal voice and manner. I also spoke to the staff member who checked the patient and her mother out and she stated that she did inform them of the cost of the product. The patients mother was welcome to go into the exam room at any of the many visits with the doctor and a door was never slammed in her face. On many occasions the patients mother left the building of her own free will and let her daughter see the provider on her own.

  We are very sorry that they now feel this way and we really have done everything to try to explain everything to them. The credit card used to make their payment on 10/19/22 has already been credited and they have been told they can keep the wart treatment product they received that day. They were refunded for the $45 for the product and $35 for the missed appointment fee per the agreement we made verbally on the phone.

  Customer response

  10/28/2022

  
  Better Business Bureau: 
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me simply because the business finally agreed to refund the two fees I inquired about. I will again state that the person checking me out did NOT verbally or in writing state the $45 amount to me, nor did she state the $35 amount to me that I was being charged for. I did not find out the itemized amounts until I called my insurance (*****) and this representative set up a 3 way call to this facility. Only then did I find out the 3 amounts that I was being charged for. Although the representative from Triangle Foot and Ankle Specialists feels that she has done everything to "explain" to me, what was really conveyed to me was that they did not want to hear my complaint and concerns about their facility, doctor, or poor ways of doing business. Rather, it was more important that they make incorrect and untrue statements to make themselves look better. In any case, I appreciate finally receiving a refund although it took more work than it should have on my part.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ****** *******

*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. ↩