My wife's Dr recently retired and she had to find a new Dr. This clinic didn't have any Dr.s who were taking on new patients so they set her up with an appoint. in a neighboring city w/ a new Dr.
My wife saw new Dr. for a 20 min. consultation, because her prescription was about to expire and she had to see a Dr. to get a new one.
Later, my wife found a different Dr. in the previous clinic and had her records transferred back to the previous clinic.
Today we got a bill from the Dr in the neighboring town for $254.00 for that 20 minute consultation. My wife called to complain about the exhorbitant amount and was told that's the normal fee to see a new patient. My wife told them we are absolutely not going to pay that much for a 20 minute consultation.
Have others had billing problems like this? What did you do about it? It would be easy not to pay, but we don't want to damage our credit rating. It's like being held up by an armed robber!
What can we do to fight this??
2007-03-22 07:45:34 · 3 answers · asked by nachtmann2 5 in Health ➔ Women's Health
That is outrageous if no testing or procedures were done. My doctor charges $35 for a visit if you don't have insurance. I suggest you contact a lawyer to see if there is anything that can be done. If you do have an insurance company you can dispute it through them.
I found this website on how to report hospital price gouging. Maybe they can give you info on how to report a doctor.
2007-03-22 07:52:52 · answer #1 · answered by Mary 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
That's actually pretty normal. Doctor's visits are not based on the amount of time spent with the doctor, they are based on the procedures/examinations done. My regular appointments with my doctor are about the same price, but I pay a $20 copay and my insurance pays the rest.
Do you not have health insurance? If so, file a claim on your medical insurance. Or if you do have insurance and this doctor was hospital-based or out of network, it could be that you must meet your deductible before your insurance pays anything on doctors meeting either of those criteria.
In any case, not paying the bill is only going to hurt you. Call the doctor and see if they offer a payment plan.
2007-03-22 15:20:47 · answer #2 · answered by Beth 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
That sounds about right. Don't you have insurance? Medicare and/or supplement insurance? It should pay all but your copay? If you have no insurance, and are on a limited income you need to contact Medicaid.
2007-03-22 14:50:00 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋