2 /5 K Murray: Great dentist and hygienist, but the office staff and billing process are frustrating.
A year ago, I scheduled an appointment for my husband, provided insurance details, and requested the Representative that I was speaking with to verify the insurance and provide me with the exact out-of-pocket amount for the visit which she did and I was given a specific amount. On the day of the appointment, I received a call/text asking for the insurance information again because for some reason it wasn’t on file and needed to verify it. I provided the same information as before but this time, I was quoted a different amount.
I spent a long time on the phone with a few of the office staff including the manager trying to understand why the price changed, only to be told that the office is actually unable to verify exact costs in advance. That was frustrating because if that’s the case, why quote me an amount at all? After multiple calls, I was assured that I would receive a credit to cover the unexpected charge and that I would only be responsible for the original quoted amount.
Fast forward to this year: I called to schedule appointments for my family and provided my updated insurance. That’s when I was told I had an unpaid balance from that previous visit. I asked the representative to review my file notes, explaining that I had already resolved this issue, even spoke with a manager and was told I would receive a credit. After checking, was told there were no notes. The amount that was agreed that I pay was applied to the service portion of the balance, leaving the deductible unpaid which of course they are unable to waive And that meant I was still responsible for the charge. I explained that the payment I agreed upon should have been applied to my deductible because I was told that the actual service fee would be credited/waived due to the misinformation provided. The rep I was speaking with just reiterated that the deductible was non-waivable and that I would need to make the payment in order to schedule my appointment so I just went ahead and paid it, I was the call was on the phone a long time just ready to resolve it at that point again.
Today was a repeat. I get a text requesting the information for the insurance again. I called in and was told that the new information was not on file again. It seems like there is a disconnect with the communication within the office, whether it be documenting, following through, properly noting files, which is an annoyance and hassle for the patient.
This experience has been incredibly frustrating.
