If you make an appointment for an office visit, then need a special exam that requires extra equipment (scoping of any sort) you may be rightfully billed for that procedure. It involves use of instruments that must be sterilized between uses or perhaps new for each patient. We once had an orthopaedic surgeon bill us for diagnosing and casting a fracture then try to charge for the succeeding checkup and to remove the cast. That all comes under the heading of fracture care and there should have been one charge, the original, unless cast was broken and needed to be reapplied.

Thank you HelenMarie. Now I don't feel as bad about how I bill. Sometimes it is difficult when I see the patient and then have to do the billing too. Can't afford to hire someone - we only get about $44 for an hour hearing testing. I never said I was going into this field to get rich!

My Doctor does not do this - this is just wrong!! Let your insurance company deal with this. I personally would change Doctor's. When I go see my Doctor, I usually have a list of things I want to discuss with him, according to the way your Doctor charges, mine would have to charge me for 10 visits. I don't believe this is legal, let alone ethical.

So very wrong!!!!

Doesn't happen here. Visit is billed as either minimal, normal or complex and fee adjusted accordingly.

Having been a Claims Mgr for years, I've seen it before and a big "no-no". It's a bad practice and you shoud definitely call your ins co so they can call hi on it. :thumbdown: :cry:

I had a dr that would double bill by sending the bill to my insurance and about 6 month later bill dh's insurance. They were not just billing what my insurance would not pay. They were billing the whole amount. We quit going to them when we found out what they were doing. We didn't think that was right either.

Never heard of that, I would call insurance co. or find a new doctor. I've noticed that insurance companies are now charging $2.00 if you mail in your payment instead of opting for automatic withdrawal from your checking acct., which I don't think is right, they are always trying to gouge the consumer.

Doesn't seem right that they can do this. I have a tendency to save up on doctors visits, only go if I have two or more issues, glad my doctor hasn't charged like this (yet)

Ours doesn't. But I have a friend whose does. They see the PA to take physical, health history, etc. Get charged for that. Then get charged, on the same day mind you, for a visit with the Dr. when the Dr. comes into the room.

I think I'd be saying I don't want to see the PA, I want to see the Dr.