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  1. #1

    Default Why is Doctors Feel They Charge You Whatever They Want After You Already Paid

    Thread should read "why is it Doctors Feel They Can Charge You Whatever They Want After You Already Paid" sorry.

    I live in New York...

    I went to go see an orthopedic surgeon about a month ago. I'm just short of having insurance threw work (I haven't worked tehre long enough) and I make too much to receive any type of medicaid.

    I was told over the phone an office visit is $75.00 for new patients if you've never been there and patients who have a fracture are allowed to set up a payment plan.

    Ok, so I go in the next day, they charge my credit card $75 and I'm on my way. The doctor tells me if I still have pain and swelling in a week (still do 3-4 weeks later) to come back because it may be a stress or a hairline fracture. Well I can't really afford the office visits at $75 a pop and bone scans and MRI's so i figured I'd wait to my insurance goes through for work to back if I have problems.

    I think I'm done with it... Nope, today I get a bill for $45.00! The bill says the office visit is 120.00 and they gave me credit for the $75 payment leaving me with a balance of $45.00. WTF!!! What the hell!! I'm so mad! I was told the office visit was $75! I was charged $75 at the time of the visit! Now a month later they want to tell me the office visit was $120.00?

    Only in this industry can they do whatever they want in terms of billing! If I got my oil changed and they told me on the phone it was $75 and I paid $75 at the time of the appointment and got a bill for $120.00 giving me credit for the $75.00 payment it would never fly. If it was a regular practice by the garage charging the oil to tell people one price and then bill like this they would have already been investigated by the NY attorney generals office and probably fined heavily for such a shady move!

  2. #2
    Join Date
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    Default Re: Why is Doctors Feel They Charge You Whatever They Want After You Already Paid

    Soooooo...what did the office rep say when you called to tell them you were quoted $75 for the visit, paid it in full on the date of service, then just received the bill for the additional amount? It may just be a clerical error on their billing service's part. You may have been given a discount because you are uninsured, and the billing service didn't get the memo. sheesh.

    Oh yeah....the mechanic changing your oil....or the pizza guy who forgot they had a special running....or the sales person at the clothing store could make the same clerical error. You'd bring it to their attention on the assumption it was an honest mistake, right?

  3. #3

    Default Re: Why is Doctors Feel They Charge You Whatever They Want After You Already Paid

    I'll find out tomorrow...

    The person who handles my account is not in.

    Forgive me for venting! sheesh.

    It is the first thing that goes through my head when I get a bill is that it is a shady situation. I'm sorry I don't think it is that people are unprofessional and not able to their their jobs... Sending a bill out incorrectly!

    As far as a "clerical error" it's pretty sad that a person who is a professional - medical biller - will make such a mistake, especially when on the paper they deal with that left the office that went with the doctor, that a copy went to me, and the original went back to the office from the doctor that said $75 paid on it. Did you know that? Did you know it was a $75 office visit with no discounts someone would need a memo about? So why give me an attitude? sheesh.

    The sad part is these clerical errors never happen happen (at least for me) at the garage or the pizza shop! ...but happen all the time in medical billing! I've never once paid a garage $x for a service, even if it was discounted, and then get a bill later for $x after I've already paid for service. These professionals should be ashamed! sheesh. That's the problem with NYS! These doctors just bill bill bill and if the states covering it on medicaid, they wouldn't have even questioned it, just paid it. ...we wonder why the state is broke! BTW, charging one price for an office visit and then charging me another price later and billing me a balance is NOTHING like a pizza guy forgetting about a special they are running. sheesh. Maybe in your mind, but something tells me, over how much you had a make a point that it was am simple mistake, you are in teh medial billing field.

    An honest mistake? Yea probably. I still don't think it was all that innocent, maybe a lot of carelessness.

  4. #4
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    Default Re: Why is Doctors Feel They Charge You Whatever They Want After You Already Paid

    Quote Quoting wingman
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    I'll find out tomorrow...

    The person who handles my account is not in.

    Forgive me for venting! sheesh.

    It is the first thing that goes through my head when I get a bill is that it is a shady situation. I'm sorry I don't think it is that people are unprofessional and not able to their their jobs... Sending a bill out incorrectly!

    As far as a "clerical error" it's pretty sad that a person who is a professional - medical biller - will make such a mistake, especially when on the paper they deal with that left the office that went with the doctor, that a copy went to me, and the original went back to the office from the doctor that said $75 paid on it. Did you know that? Did you know it was a $75 office visit with no discounts someone would need a memo about? So why give me an attitude? sheesh.

    The sad part is these clerical errors never happen happen (at least for me) at the garage or the pizza shop! ...but happen all the time in medical billing! I've never once paid a garage $x for a service, even if it was discounted, and then get a bill later for $x after I've already paid for service. These professionals should be ashamed! sheesh. That's the problem with NYS! These doctors just bill bill bill and if the states covering it on medicaid, they wouldn't have even questioned it, just paid it. ...we wonder why the state is broke! BTW, charging one price for an office visit and then charging me another price later and billing me a balance is NOTHING like a pizza guy forgetting about a special they are running. sheesh. Maybe in your mind, but something tells me, over how much you had a make a point that it was am simple mistake, you are in teh medial billing field.

    An honest mistake? Yea probably. I still don't think it was all that innocent, maybe a lot of carelessness.
    What attitude?!!? Medical billers, like any other professional, are human and do make mistakes. Most likely, the medical biller is off site. They may have received an encounter form with the wrong visit code checked off, or as I said earlier, you got a cash discount you may not remember being told about (just my own speculation). Again, it was probably a clerical error. I think "happens all the time" with medical and never with any other business is an overstatement.

    If you do not hear from the office by noon-ish tomorrow, call them again and get the name of the person you speak to. Calmly explain your situation and the fact that you paid the full amount on the date of service.

    BTW...don't count on your new insurance picking up the cost of your MRI. Your injury will be considered a pre-existing condition.

  5. #5

    Default Re: Why is Doctors Feel They Charge You Whatever They Want After You Already Paid

    Quote Quoting lealea1005
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    BTW...don't count on your new insurance picking up the cost of your MRI. Your injury will be considered a pre-existing condition.
    We'll see about about that. Actually, I'll put money on it.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
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    Default Re: Why is Doctors Feel They Charge You Whatever They Want After You Already Paid

    Quote Quoting wingman
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    We'll see about about that. Actually, I'll put money on it.
    not to start an argument but why do you believe a new insurance company will have to pick up a pre-existing condition?

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