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| I have been researching the costs associated with physical therapy treatments and discovered I was b |
| 30th of Dec, 2010 by User435053 |
| I have been researching the costs associated with physical therapy treatments and discovered I was being charged to much. I reported this on the Better Business Bureau website and received two responses from the owner Polly P. My review: I was over billed. Blue Cross paid $75 for my treatment plus they charged me $60. They said blue Cross only allows 1/2 hour and I had to pay the difference for an hour treatment. WRONG, I was ripped off $60 for each treatment. Per Blue Cross their $75 payment covers the full hour treatment. I asked for my money back, but they refused. I am now seeing a new therapist and he is charging the correct amount. Plus I am feeling better under his care. I don't understand why the other gentleman has been going for 4 years. That is way to long and something is wrong there! Polly B. Response: dear person, what are you really upset about. you know that blue cross pays for only 1/2 hour and it was your request for longer and agreed to pay for more, and you have not asked or spoken to me about any of this. i have suspect that you were not even a patient. if you are a real patient and have a true issue, you would speak to me personally. sincerely, My response back: Dear Polly B. I talked to your assistant who was very kind in explaining what she had been told by your billing department. After reading your email I gave you the benefit of doubt and researched Blue Cross on the internet. It appears the $75 rates have been a huge controversy. After reading numerous articles it confirms my earlier statement. Here is a sample: "Beginning March 1, Blue Cross will pay physical therapists $75 per visit for all treatment, regardless of the duration or type of care provided. The California Physical Therapy Association says PTs will lose as much as 50 percent of their previous fees". Also, a long letter from Evan Handler addresses this same issue.So, are you telling me that I am still obligated to pay you the additional $60 on top of Blue Cross' payment of $75. This is contradictory of the internet searches I viewed today. Blue Cross paid you $75 for my treatments no matter what the duration was. If it was 30 minutes, 45 minutes or an hour, your fee should only be $75. NOT $135 or more. The only reason I paid more is because I trusted what was told to me by your office. After reading this response and you still feel I owed the additional $60 please explain why. If I am wrong I will gladly correct my review. Polly B. Response: Dear Person, Blue cross pays for only the $75. It is up to you if you wish a longer treatment. Because of the over 50% cutbacks, that includes at least a %50 reduction in time. We must bill per codes which are indicative of a certain amount of time. 2 codes is the max of 30 minutes, which is $75.00. If you did not wish to pay more then you did not need to pay more and your time would have been 30 minutes. If you can find a quality physical therapist that will treat you longer, and not turn you over to an aid... please you are free to do so. I have been very upfront with what the charges are. If I were to treat you for one hour at $75 I would not only not make any money but would lose alot of money. I am doing my best to find a way that I could still take blue cross patients and yet find a way to pay the bills and my therapists. rent is high, therapists are costly, and i will not pass you off on to any "aide" who does not have any qualifications. But why you take this up on the BBB site, when you can talk to me directly. I have many patients with blue cross, but cause of the reduction, i almost stopped being a provider, but when so many patients asked me to please stay on, that at least 30 minutes was better than nothing. And I have it quite clear from blue cross that if one wishes more than the 30 minutes, one may buy more time. And i do not bill blue cross for more than 30 minutes. I bill for exactly what they pay. And who did you talk to about getting your money back? It would be nice if you came to me in person and we could discuss this. Billing is quite confusing to patients, and I am always available to discuss it and any other issues. Sincerely, Polly |
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