Psychologist Billing Me Without Consent

[corup7ion]

My question involves medical malpractice in the state of: CA

Hello, I was just curious if this is legal of my psychologist to do. He tested and diagnosed me for AD/HD a while back. Everything was paid for and running smoothly.

I few weeks ago my school requested verification of diagnosis ( a signature and a small paragraph explaining the diagnosis.) I asked him if this was something he could do for me, and he said of course. He wrote signed the paper work and wrote a few sentences about my ADHD. I just received a $340.00 bill from him out of the blue, and he wrote down the signature he did + the 3 sentences as "testing" and even tried billing my Insurance. I just received the invoice saying I owe $340.00 for this.

He never explained that he was charging me for any service... or rates.. or anything... He just billed me. Can someone explain to me if this is legal?

[lealea1005]

It is legal for him to bill for the service he provided to you. Having said that, $340 seems extreme for a simple statement and signature.

What did he/his office manager tell you when you called to question the coding they used to bill your insurance company? It may just be a clerical error.

[corup7ion]

I'm going to ask today. How is that right, that he can do that, without my knowledge?

I'm going to ask today. How is that right, that he can do that, without my knowledge? It seems morally wrong.

[Dogmatique]

It's still legal. Though I'd agree that the actual amount seems high.

[corup7ion]

I'm going to ask today. How is that right, that he can do that, without my knowledge? It seems morally wrong.

[Dogmatique]

....do we have an echo?

It doesn't have to be morally right. It is legal - that's all that matters.

Honestly though did you think you wouldn't be charged for the service?

[corup7ion]

Yes. He made it seem like it wasn't a big deal and he could just do it for me. Obviously I was wrong. How can I go about explaining him that the price for 10 minutes is insanely high?

[lealea1005]

How is it morally wrong to be paid for a service he provided to you? It takes time to pull & review your record, then dictate/type the letter, regardless of it's length.

As i stated earlier....call and ask him/his office manager whether there was an error made. The administrative service of providing a verification letter is almost never covered by insurance.

[cbg]

Are you seriously suggesting first, that he has to have your PERMISSION to bill you for a service he provided for you, and second, that he is not entitled to be paid for the time it took him to do so?

While I agree that the amount is high, I strongly disagree that it is in any way "morally wrong" for him to bill you. If you thought he was going to do it for free, that's just too bad for you but he's not doing anything morally wrong, let alone illegal.

[corup7ion]

I hate that I always get scolded for not knowing the law as well as people on this website. That's why I'm here to ask.

$340.00 for a signature without explaining to me how expensive it is, is legal? So legally he could have charged 5000 for a signature and that's legal?