ComplaintsforCenter City Emergency Dentist

• Initial Complaint

  06/06/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Unanswered

  More info

  I went for a dental procedure paid out of pocket even though I have two different dental insurances and they have both paid for services but I have only been refunded a portion of the $1300 I put out of pocket. The staff in the billing department is rude and dismissive when I call to discuss refunding additional monies that were paid by my insurance, this has been an ongoing battle since October that I have documentation related to the EOB's and what was paid.

• Initial Complaint

  04/26/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Unanswered

  More info

  I was a patient at CCED. I went to them several times to get work done. As I was getting fillings, extractions, etc I provided my insurance info as well as out of pocket costs that was quoted to me at the time of services. A year later I started getting bills for almost $1,000. I kept calling for months leaving messages for the manager. A few months ago I was told that manager was no longer there and now there’s a manager named ****. I spoke to **** and he gave me a breakdown of billing and told me my insurance denied some of the claims however I never received any correspondence from my insurance saying that. I had a detailed call with my insurance company and was given a breakdown of payments that were applied to services, discounts applied, what the insurance responsibility was, the member responsibility, and was also told checks were sent to the dentist office for payment. I paid over $400 for a crown I’ve never received and still have yet to receive a refund from CCED. I called the dentist office back after speaking with my insurance company and left a message for **** over two months ago with no reply. I’m not sure who’s handling the billing at this office but it seems to be ongoing issues with errors and them not documenting proper information as far as billing, claims and payments. Unfortunately there seems to be nobody at that office who is capable of running it correctly, not even management. My issue has been going on for too long and may now need to lead to legal action. Talking to people on the phone has been completely useless and a waste of time. No patient should endure this type of treatment and be forced to do the job of the dentist office’s billing department.

• Initial Complaint

  01/10/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Unanswered

  More info

  My daughter and I received dental care from CCED. I went on several different occasions and had cavities filled as well as 3 teeth pulled. I was also told I needed a crown for a tooth and would eventually need implants for the 3 teeth that was pulled. Before getting all of this work done I specifically asked for pricing so that I could pay as I got each service done and wouldn’t get a bill. I was quoted a price for the dental work as well as my daughter’s at which time I paid. I paid for my daughter’s one time emergency visit and each time I had an appointment I paid out of pocket for my services based off of the price I was quoted. You can imagine my surprise when me and my daughter received a bill from a collection company. My daughter’s was for $130 and mine is for almost $1,000. I never received a bill nor was I told all of those times I went for dental work that I had any balances due. I also paid for my crown that I never received due to billing issues with this dentist office. I have called several times and was told a manager by the name of ******* was reviewing my billing and would get back to me. That was months ago. I received the bill from collections again yesterday and called to speak to a manager/supervisor. The phone just rang with no answer and I was transferred to *******’s voicemail yet again. I will be disputing these collections and may need to speak to my insurance as well as seek legal action for the money I have paid out of pocket and for being reported to collections for bills I knew nothing about.

• Initial Complaint

  12/21/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Unanswered

  More info

  I had to have an emergency root canal on November 13th. CCED informed me that since the procedure fell on a Sunday, they would not be able to verify my insurance provider, but I could pay out of pocket initially, and then contact them on Monday with the information and they would file the claim (which is what I did). On Monday I attempted to call, but could not get a hold of anyone. So I left a message with the office manager with my insurance information. They also provided a number you could text them with the info, so I texted it as well. Two weeks later, I contacted my insurance company to see if a claim had been filed, but it had not. Both the insurance company and myself attempted to call them, but again, no one picked up. My insurance company said they would continue to try and reach them to start the claim. A week goes by, and I call my insurance again, and still no claim. While I was on the call, the insurance company called and managed to get someone to answer. But as soon as they identified themselves and that they were calling on behalf of a patient, the person hung up. I called back a little later and the same person answered. I explained the situation, gave them the info, and they said they would file the claim. As of 12/16, the claim still has not been filed with my insurance company. I called and left a message with the office manager of the dental office again, but I haven't received any response. When I called again today (12/21) no one answered.

• Initial Complaint

  07/20/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  On June 17, 2022, I went in for a routine dental cleaning with CCED. When I got to the office, I was told that my insurance was valid. However, after the cleaning, I was told that my dental insurance coverage did not start until July 1, 2022, and was thus made to pay out of pocket ($99). After the appointment, I felt as though that was not correct, so I called my insurance company (*******) on June 21 (the next business day), which confirmed that my coverage had started on May 1, 2022, and they (*******) had already processed the claim that CCED had submitted. On June 21, 2022, after my call with *******, I called CCED, and they double checked this information, and they (CCED) confirmed that my insurance was valid at the time (June 17). I also provided (to CCED) the submitted claim (also attached here as a supporting document) from my insurance company saying that they paid my dentist and that I owe $0 for the services provided. They said that they would bring this issue to the manager. I called CCED on June 23, 2022 and was told that I would receive a refund once CCED receives payment from my insurance company, and that this would take 2-3 weeks. It has been almost a month, and still no refund, even though the claim says that the dentist has been paid. I have tried calling and emailing them since then, and have gotten no response. On June 17, 2022, after the appointment, I had scheduled a follow-up cleaning for Jan. 6, 2023. I have since cancelled this appointment, since I no longer trust CCED (at least the administration/management). Before ending this statement, I would like to acknowledge that the people who I saw for dental care, as well as the front desk receptionist, on that day (June 17) were very knowledgeable, professional, and kind. After going to CCED for years, it is unfortunate that I will have to take my business elsewhere. At the end of the day, I would like the refund that they had promised to me (in the amount of $99).

  Business response

  07/27/2022

  Hi, 

  
  

  Attached is all info regarding complaint, issues has been resolved as you will see on the attached email to the patient. CCED works with a third party billing company to input our insurance payments. It does take up to five weeks for all claim payments to be input since the date of service. 

  
  

  The office has reached out to the patient to make him aware of the refund. 

  Customer response

  07/27/2022

  [A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response.  If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]
  
  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.

  
  Thank you for refunding the money I was owed. I am not sure why I had to wait until you received the payment from my insurance company before my refund was processed. You had the claim that proved that my insurance company was going to pay you, and if you had doubts, you could have called my insurance company to verify that they had sent the payment. I imagine CCED could have also called the third-party billing provider to verify that there was a payment from my insurance company waiting to be processed. Had CCED done their job correctly in the first place, I would have never had to pay money up front, and CCED would have still received the same payment from the same insurance company at the same time. I feel as though it is unfair to hold a customers money hostage until the business receives the insurance payment that they should have known they were going to receive in the first place. $99 is a lot of money, especially in this economy.

  I hope going forward, CCED also addresses the other issue of not responding to customers in a timely manner. Most of the times I called, no one picked up (and no one picked up after I was told I would receive the refund in 2-3 weeks), and no one responded to any of the emails I sent. What is a customer supposed to think if a business promises them a refund, and then the business stops responding to them?

  I would also like to mention that the first person I spoke to in the billing department on the phone about double checking my insurance information was very unsavory. This person did not want to double check my insurance information. She responded very sternly with something like “we already checked, …this is between you and your insurance company.” I had to resort to begging her to double check my information, and she finally did so with a sigh. When a business takes money from a customer, and that customer has a question or concern about their payment, the very least a business can do is double check the necessary information to make sure everything is correct. I don’t think that is unreasonable, or too much to ask, and a customer definitely should not have to beg for it. I hope this is also something that CCED will look into to prevent it from happening to future customers. Interactions like this drive away business.

  
  All of the reasons outlined above are reasons why I will not be returning.
  
  Regards,
  *****

• Initial Complaint

  06/18/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I have received excellent services from CCED up until my last appointment when they failed to diagnose a broken tooth. After my appointment, the accounts manager did discuss the debt with me and was awaiting the final credits from ******* **** ***** **** ****** Dental. My address for over six years is **** **** ***** **** ******, Apt. ** Philadelphia, PA *****. The address reflects on my driver's license and rental lease, and I receive insurance statements from the same address. I was divorced in November 2021 thus my last name is updated to my maiden name, ********. I do not understand why CCED changed my address to reflect my ex-husband's address on his driver's license to *** * ********* *** when I have never resided there. The billing statements were going to the wrong address. After having received the itemized charges from the debt collector, it was clear that ******** *******'s charges were added to the total debt. I paid the debt collector the charges that I owe $347.62. The remaining $884.81 belongs to my ex-husband, ******** ******* who used my dental insurance, *** **** ***** **** ****** as secondary and ****** ********* as primary.

  Business response

  08/05/2022

  Hi, 

  
  

  Attached you will find the patient account info for complaint #******** ** ********. 

  Attached is the email sent to the collections Agency

  
  

  The account has been separated from her Ex Husband, the only issue is that this patient did pay for the balance for ex husband directly to the collection agency. We have reached out to the agency and they are sending a check to the patient for that balance paid for her ex husbands account. I did leave a voicemail for * ******** making her aware all info has been updated for her account and refund check for her ex balance that she paid will be sent directly from the collection agency to her. 

  Customer response

  08/12/2022

  [A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response.  If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]
  
  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. 
  
  Regards,
  
  ******* ********
  

• Initial Complaint

  05/12/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  The company depleted all available benefits offered by my employer for the entire year on our first visit.We were additionally charged out of pocket from $385 -$500 per bi-weekly visit. After redundant x-rays on each visit,we requested consultation with the company Business agent and dentist.Our query was,if the patient is the same why are we only getting xrays done on each visit? The company claims to have performed several xrays due to trying to explore 'next steps'. We were then presented with a subsequent payment plan consisting of $672.00 for an additional 6 weeks( 3 visits)The company has not justified what our insurance and out of pocket expenditures have been allocated for. We have not received anything other than xrays.The ADA dictates that initial xrays should identify what future work should entail.We have spent over $3000 and have not received anything other than xrays. Now they present us with a $346.00 past due balance. What was the money we have already spent gone toward?They did not perform any of the services we paid for.They have 'itemized' this bill for 'root removal 'but have not shown what the initial $1485 and out of pocket payments covered.

  Business response

  06/06/2022

  Hello, 

  
  

  Patient ******** ******* has filed a complaint on CCED. The statement on this form could not be any further from the truth, patient was seen multiple treatments were rendered on multiple date of service. The main issue is that the last visit 1-12-21 was denied by insurance as the patient has used the full max from insurance. Attached you will see evidence of these visits and all the notes for the patient. 

*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. ↩