Abusive dentist?!
Question: I went last year to have a cleaning at my new dentist office. They made me have a consultation first with the dentist before doing the cleaning, X-ray and so. The cost was partially covered by my Insurance and I paid the rest. They did not tell me I needed anything special done to my teeth or gums. A week later I finally went for the cleaning (which was supposed to be covered almost 100% by the insurance). To my surprise the dentist coded the work as a "full mouth debridement" which is not covered and intended to charge me $100. He was supposed to do a cleaning and actually I can not tell the difference from what he did to many previous cleanings I had. And the dentist never told me he was going to do anything other than the requested (and covered) "cleaning". I did not pay him and sent a letter complaining and asking them to re-code the wok as a cleaning. They did not do it. After a year I receive a letter from a collection office (lawyer) threatening to sue me. What shall I do
Answers: I went last year to have a cleaning at my new dentist office. They made me have a consultation first with the dentist before doing the cleaning, X-ray and so. The cost was partially covered by my Insurance and I paid the rest. They did not tell me I needed anything special done to my teeth or gums. A week later I finally went for the cleaning (which was supposed to be covered almost 100% by the insurance). To my surprise the dentist coded the work as a "full mouth debridement" which is not covered and intended to charge me $100. He was supposed to do a cleaning and actually I can not tell the difference from what he did to many previous cleanings I had. And the dentist never told me he was going to do anything other than the requested (and covered) "cleaning". I did not pay him and sent a letter complaining and asking them to re-code the wok as a cleaning. They did not do it. After a year I receive a letter from a collection office (lawyer) threatening to sue me. What shall I do
I would file a claim with the dental licensing board in your state, contact the better business burea, write and inform your insurance carrier of your ongoing dispute, and then inform the collection agency of all of your efforts to have the situation resolved. If you're feeling vindictive, you can post a 'rant' on Craigslist about your experience on Craigslist (so long as you stick to the facts). Whatever, do not ignore the collection agency. It could mess up your credit for years to come. Good luck.
Sorry but it will end up being cheaper in the long run if you just pay the bill.
Trust me on this, it is the voice of the same experience.
I didn't understand what the hell they were telling me also.
You should have went through your insurance company first and if that didn't work, pay the bill and go somewhere else.
If the office gave you a treatment plan and you signed it then you don't have a case. Most dental offices give the patient a proposed treatment, but not always for the cleanings. Reason being is the hygienist is the one that sort of decides what type of cleaning the patient needs. Had it been a while since you had a cleaning? The full mouth debridement is a bad one to try and get the insurance to pay for, and if they do it usually just gets applied to the deductible and paid at 50-60%. Unless they wrote in your chart that you had a "prophylaxis"and not a "full mouth debridement" the dentist cannot change the coding, otherwise he is committing fraud.
Pay they money to the dentist, not the collection agency and send a letter telling him how disappointed you are in his lack of communication about treatment and fees and that you are writing the board. Send it personal and confidential to the dentist, just to be sure he sees it. You can also write a letter to the dental board to complain, but the letter to him may have more impact.