Complaints

• Initial Complaint

  10/30/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Unresolved

  More info

  On 10/8/24 I left a message for Precision Endodontics at their ******** location (*****************************) for a potential root canal. ***** called me back: Yes they do take Aetna, the process takes about 45 Mins, estimated my costs would be 20% of total or around $300 but they would check with Aetna on the coverage and call me back to confirm. I asked if they needed the xray from my dentist, no they did not. Precision never called me back. My appointment was scheduled for 10/15/24 at 1215pm. After the appointment I did pay the bill they gave me for $365 assuming that was 20% of the total. Upon review at home I realized that the bill included $175 for a cone beam CT scan that I paid in full. Knowing my insurance covers diagnostics at 100% I waited a period of time for processing and then I called Aetna on 10/25 where I spoke with ******. She said they do not cover this particular diagnostic (D0381) and she said they never received a call from Precision. Since Precision never informed me that I would pay for D0381 in full I called them for a refund/adjustment of $175. I initially spoke with ***** at their ****** location (where my call was routed), I told her my complaint, she said oh yes, insurance often does not pay for D0381 and she would have ***** (who is the office manager ************ for all of their locations) call me back. ***** and I spoke on 10/30/24 at 1030am and I explained that I was never informed that I would be required to pay for D0381 and so I was looking for a refund on the $175 charge. ***** said they always charge the customer for ***** so they would not refund the charge. So here we are, the $175 isnt the primary problem, the real problem is they should point out the charge and (the likely) lack of insurance coverage and certainly any benefits to the technology up front to all of their customers so they can make an informed decision.

  Business response

  11/01/2024

  The office manager reached out to the patient to address his complaint. She explained to the patient that CBCT scans are currently the Standard of Care for Endodontics, and that our providers take them on all patients. The patient was made aware of his co-pay both over the phone before his appointment and in the dental chair prior to his treatment.  The patient did sign his consent form, which he told the office manager when he spoke with her over the phone that "no one reads those forms before they sign them," and he was made aware of his amount due again when he paid his copay at the front desk prior to leaving. 

  The patient has been sent a copy of the consent form that he signed as well. 

  Customer response

  11/04/2024

  Better Business Bureau:
  

  I was given an estimate of $300 and that I would pay 20% of the bill.   I was never told I would pay the full amount of the imaging.   Yes I signed the form but what I said was "I was in pain of course I signed the form" and I did say something to the effect that nobody reads those forms.   I'm willing to pay 20% of the imaging to close this matter but I insist on a positive response from Precision that they will update their practice to specifically inform customers that they will likely pay the full amount of the imaging. 
  
  Regards,
  
  ****** ******

  Business response

  11/05/2024

  Attached is the call slip from when Mr. ******** appointment was scheduled. You can see on the slip the date of the call, which was 10/08/2024, the date of the patient's scheduled appointment, 10/15/2024, the patient's insurance information, and circled is the note that the patient would owe $365, and that he was made aware of that amount. 

  The second attached form is the patient's consent form, which was signed on the date of his appointment, 10/15/2024. The form states his copay amount is $365.

  The patient was made aware of his copay amount multiple times. The amount did not change. Yes, his insurance plan covers 80% of the treatment that was performed. However, in order to perform that treatment, the Doctor needed a **** to ensure that they were providing the best care possible to the patient. The **** was billed to the patient's insurance, but the insurance denied coverage, as most insurances do, making the balance patient responsibility. To prevent the patient from having a bill after treatment, the office collected the payment for the **** prior to treatment, with the understanding that most insurances do not cover CBCT scans. 

  The office, staff, and provider extend a sincere apology to the patient for any miscommunication with the billing process. 

  Customer response

  11/05/2024

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
  

  No where in that response do they address my insistence that they update their business practice to make it clear to all patients that they will likely pay in full for the *** scan.   That way customers can make an educated decision, and Precision can explain the benefits of the ***.   Clearly Precision does not want to do that because they will lose customers which is exactly why they never told me I would pay for a diagnostic test in full when another test would have been covered by Aetna at 100%.   They are being dishonest by saying they gave me an estimate for X amount because the issue is they did not explain that the estimate includes me covering 100% of the ***.   
  

  Will Precision update their business practice as I have outlined above?
  Regards, 
  
  ****** ******

*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. ↩