GailG

Oh yes! I went to an ENT for sore throat and hoarseness. She checked me out and found "nothing" but had me move to another room to put a scope down. She found inflammation of the vocal chords due to acid reflux. I was billed TWO visits (I suppose one for each room.) They do take advantage of our insurances.

kaykwilts

I agree..this doesn't seem right...recently my husband got bit on the toe by a copperhead snake. We ended up in two different hospitals. At the second hospital, there was a shift change. Guess what? Yep, that's right....even though we were in the emergency room during the shift change, we have received two bills from two different doctors. The grand total for that bite? $45,000.....$15,000 of that was just the anti-venom from the first hospital.

It is stuff like this that gets our healthcare system the reputation it has....the one that says it might be the best in the world, but it costs way tooooooo much!!!!!!!

barri1

I really don't dsagree with you, but in our case, we are in ansocio economically disadvantaged neighborhood where 80% of our practice is medicaid, and we get about $35 a visit.. It is hard to pay bills if we don't have a volume.. We have a staff that has staying power, and our payroll is high..
Barri

mhansen6

Oh my word. That sounds like bill padding. I would call the doctor and discuss with him. Then I would find a different doctor.

valsma

I would have thought that the question would be part of a bundle code for well baby checkup. If there was an issue,infection.... that may be why they charged a seperate visit. I think I would challenge it with the insurance company. If the coders are good they will catch it and question it. That still doesn't mean it won't get paid if there is a good explination as to why.

madamheather

File a complaint with the insurance company. Many will drop them as providers if they do this. I wouldn't pay the second charge without a yelling and kicking match and telling them what a SOB they are and that they are just there to make $ and sincerely do not care for their patients if they charge them extra charges in this economy. This is from a person with a master's degree RN.

Jeanine

I'm an audiologist and, while we are permitted to bill for several tests on the same day, we are strickly forbidden from billing for separate visits. Especially Medicare. They are the most difficult ones to work with. Our medicare + supplementals rarely pay anything (we had one who supplemental said they owed $6). I suppose it is different, anyway, for physicians. And maybe I'm missing something as I'm not a professional biller! I'm scared of the insurance companies myself. . .

deniseswanton2

well this is common since the insurance companies have allowed the drs to bill this way. not saying its right and if the dr is asking questions and you are answering you need to call the billing dept and explain this, you should not be charged. also when the dr comes into the room explain to him or her that if anything is going to be charged xtra you dont want it.

helenmarie

What this doctor is doing is illegal and needs to be reported as soon as possible to your insurance carrier. They likely will not refund whatever money has been paid, but will withhold future payments until the amount in question has been covered. You should definitely not be required to pay a double co-pay in any instance. I worked as a medical assistant then as accounts receivable for a succession of doctors. A succession because as soon as I realized they were insurance cheats I would find another job. There is no way I could give false testimony before an insurance inquiry. And I once made an appointment for a check up with an ophthalmologist who tried to charge me for a prescription for new glasses when that's not what I needed (in addition to the office visit). I said no, and went home and called the insurance company which told me to forward any bills I received from that doc (never received one).

nativetexan

Nancy, my Doctor doesn't contract with Medicare so i get bills for the difference too and must pay it.