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| Dr. Michael DiPietro, DMD Coercive and belligerent billing tactics Toms River, New Jersey |
| 7th of Oct, 2011 by User530119 |
| 1) Although I provided my insurance information 2 weeks in advance, the doctor's office had not contacted them before the day of treatment. 2) After my treatment, which was only $100.00, the asked for full payment on the spot, and then asked me to sign a promissory note for full payment on my next vist. The promissory note was a "balance billing" contract stating that I was fully responsible for anything my insurance did not pay. When I asked if they were "in plan" with my insurance, they responded that they did not know. 3) I refused to sign and insisted that they contact my insurance while I sat there. After some belligerent push back they finally did. They told me that I was liable for a $25 co-pay and a $50 deductible. I paid the $75 on the spot with a credit card. I did not sign any promissory notes, which evoked even more belligerence from the staff. When I got home I independently called my insurance, and they said that I had no co-pay or deductible. Hmmmm. 4) As it turns out, the insurance company paid the $100 in full. That meant that the office owed me $75.00 in overcharges. When I called and spoke to the billing clerk, she refused to discuss the issue, and then refused access to the office manager. A month of phone tag did not result in a call back from the office manager. I finally had to contact my credit card company to dispute the charges. 5) That finally got the office manager on the phone with me, who, by the way, had never looked at my account before. In fact, it was only half way through the conversation that she realized that the office actually owed me money and they had disputed my credit-card charge reversal. And this was fifteen minutes into the argument, already. 6) When I asked why I had been refused service, I was told that I was a "racist", and that I had cursed at the billing the clerk, who is indeed a black person. Now, that totally amazed me, as I had not expected slander to be part of the billing experience. Apparantly a billing dispute with a black clerk makes me racist? And I had never used foul or racial language in discussing this matter. 7) As far as I can figure, the slander came about when the office manager asked the clerk who she was arguing with on the phone. In retailiation for my complaints, the clerk had lied about the content of our conversation. Having successfully blocked my access to the office manager, no other side of the story was given, or in fact solicited. The office manager should have called me at that point, but instead told the billing clerk to refuse service. 8) At this point, not only do they still owe me $75.00, which they extorted from me, they are now refusing to address the matter because of a bogus racial issue. My head is now reeling from just how dysfunctional this office really is. In speaking with the office manager, I hear the voice of the billing clerk in the background. It turns out that the office manager has me on speaker phone with the billing clerk in attendence. At first this is denied, then affirmed by the office manager. Again, simply amazing. 9) Now I am forced to get my credit card company to do a three way conference call with yet another person in the office, as the billing clerk and office manager are refusing to deal with me. They neither affirm nor deny the fact that they owe me money. They want to know how long they legally have to answer the question. The answer is thirty-days. That ends the conversation and the call. 10) I am still without the $75. The office has not responded officially, in writting, to any of my claims, or to the reversal of charges from my insurance company. I do not even have an itemized bill of services rendered by the dentist. I do have and EOB from my insurance company stating the made 100% payment in full of their entire bill. 11) Throughout all of this, I was treated like a criminal for asking questions about insurance that seemed perfectly normal and legitimate, and for not accepting unusual and coercive billing practices. As icing on the cake, I was personally slandered. And through all of this, I never owed them a dime. They owed me a refund. 12) Beware. Particularly seniors. If these practices are not illegal in the state of NJ, they certainly should be. |
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