I have a bill from a consult with a doctor’s assistant. I had to talk to this person before the doctor would decide if he would take my case or not. I never talked to the doc, but they are billing me 200.00 for something I could have filled out myself on paper. This person just asked questions and wrote down my answers. Then after the visit was over, they decided to tell me they didn’t accept my insurance.
Isn’t there a way to refuse payment?
There has to be some sort of checks and balances. Otherwise, doctors could get away with anything. Why should I pay 200 dollars and receive nothing in return? What if every doctor, dentist, hair stylist, oil change guy charged a fee to have an assistant fill out a questionaire for you? There has to be some protection against unfair practices.
I talked to the office and they said this is their policy. I just don’t consider this a consult, since the doctor may not even wish to take the case. This was a question answer session. No feedback on possibilities whatsoever, just, “If the doctor decides to accept you as a patient the nwe will call you.”
6 responses so far ↓
1 fifanaet
Yes, if you received a service, you took their time and service, you have to pay. Then, move on to some place else.
2 pokeybaconfat
no, you gotta pay.
3 goodkharma333
There should have been no charge for a consult unless you saw the dr. I would consult a lawyer if it doesnt work if you call and dispute the bill. Was this a nurse practitioner or just a dr. assistant? You cant bill for office personnel services like that.
4 Stareyes
Yes, you have to pay since they rendered services to you. But, you can make your opinon and voice heard to the place.
5 EvilWoman0913
I think I would go to the doctor’s office, fully prepared to pay the bill in full, but dispute it upon arrival. It never hurts to politely tell someone, that in your opinion, their billing practice is unfair, and give them an opportunity to explain it to you. I’ve found that telling them face to face, rather than on the phone gets better results. The key seems to be to politely dispute, rather than raise Cain about it. You may still have to pay the full bill, in which case I think I would then write a polite letter to the doctor and tell him what I thought of his practice.
You do owe for a consultation of sorts, so don’t expect them to just write it off. If you don’t pay they will turn it over to a bill collector.
6 J M
Have you contacted the doctors office about this?
It doesn’t sound to me like you should have been billed for this consult but it could be an error. Billing departments don’t know what happens in the office, only what they see on the paper. Call them. Good luck