I had 4 wisdom teeth removed the other day and had anesthesia sedation so I would not be awake for it. Soon after waking up I was escorted to the front office and they had me pay the difference in insurance. Isn't that something they would have known beforehand? I don't even recall paying and thought I had lost my credit card until my boyfriend, who was with me, told me I had put it in an outside pocket of my purse. It just seems like something that should have been taken care of before I was completely out of it or just waking up from sedation a few minutes prior. I would appreciate any help you can provide. Thank you.
2007-06-09 10:20:07 · 10 answers · asked by Curiousb 2 in Politics & Government ➔ Law & Ethics
Well, I'd be certainly calling up the Credit Card company to see how much was charged. If they screwed you, you definitely, in most, legal arenas, shouldbe able to fight it.
Most tort claims carry a protection that involvement within a contract is null and void unless there is a meeting of the minds. As a result, being intoxicated or under any type of duresse would clear you of any unnecessary charges.
Really, when you went into the procedure, you had already agreed to pay for the service. The question is, how much? If you believe the amount they had to sign for is well above what is a reasonable request for the services performed, I would start by calling those that did the operation. If it can't be settled then, and you know it's way too much, I'd next call both the police and then news.
Assuming everything was fair and square, then one of the things I like to assume is that there are still people who operate with an air of decency. Maybe they knew that you were under some sedation, but since they were simply completing the transaction as planned, they thought that you wouldn't mind, and were maybe even trying to save you a trip back in.
I do think, though, that, with some operations, it's difficult to tell exactly how much it will cost, it may be a good idea to say, ok, when you're done, it should cost around this much when we put the charge through.
2007-06-09 11:46:24 · answer #1 · answered by hydrovitae 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Can they have you sign something? NO. They would have had to do it before. Since you did it on credit you still needed to be legally aware since you where signing a contract basiclly to pay them.
As for the ER person. It's illegal in a ER setting only. This is because you MUST provide service for EMERGENCIES without regard to payment. Once a person is seen by the triage nurse if it's NOT an emergency, say just a common cold you can ask for payment before services. If however the person has a broken leg you can not ask for payment until after the services have been registered. Because of the possibility of staff messing up most ER do not charge for any service till it's been rendered.
2007-06-09 10:42:39 · answer #2 · answered by caffeyw 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
While these practices don't seem very smart, there is nothing illegal about it. However, if you ever have a dispute regarding the document you signed or what you paid, it may be possible to argue that you did not have the legal capacity to understand what you were signing.
I had a similar experience when visiting the eye doctor. The office clerk had me sign a document even though she was aware I couldn't see to read the document!
2007-06-09 10:28:09 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
nicely, sedation is plenty different than commonly used anesthesia. I artwork at an Oral surgical treatment medical institution and we don't grant commonly used anesthesia. I relatively have on no account heard of commonly used anesthesia for awareness enamel removing different than for a affected person who desires to be hospitalized for dental suggestions. i may well be drawn to understanding who your dentist is and in the event that they have a internet site!
2016-11-09 22:40:12 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
You need to voice your concern with the doctor about this and let him know what happened. It's possible the staff was supposed to do it before you went under and they may have forgotten. This won't reflect good on the doctor's business if something were to go wrong so bring it to his attention so he can address the problem and set a policy in the office for future cases. I sure wouldn't be too happy over it if it were me. Good luck.
2007-06-09 10:32:52 · answer #5 · answered by KittyKat 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's not illegal, but certainly unethical. You are correct, the payment should have been requested before you went under or should have been billed to your address. Next time you have dental work, tell them you will pay before the procedure or they can bill you later, but you won't pay them anything while you are under the influence of sedation.
2007-06-09 10:31:40 · answer #6 · answered by Starla_C 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
never signed any documents after being sedated. Always do it before any procedure or have someone else come with you to do so.
2007-06-09 21:40:31 · answer #7 · answered by Ethan Vallejo-Mendez 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I work in an emergency room and I do the financial part of the admissions process. I know for us we aren't allowed to ask for payments until after the procedure has been done. It has something to do with the emtala laws.
2007-06-09 10:30:49 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋
I would ask an attorney...by the way, morphine is good stuff, isn't it?
2007-06-09 10:24:05 · answer #9 · answered by John 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋
No, you need to discuss this with the oral surgeon.
2007-06-09 10:25:03 · answer #10 · answered by vegaswoman 6 · 2⤊ 1⤋