These Dr.'s Offices are a dime a dozen. There is an eye doctor / ophthalmologist on every corner. However, I am posting this for a different person in that office, a very rude un-professional lady that calls herself the Office Administrator named Angel, she claims she has over 13 years of experience in medical coding. I submitted my BlueShield PPO card as requested and was told I have to pay 80.00 on the spot. When I explained I have no co-payment and my employer told me to not pay up front, the "crazy lady came out to play" . I was taken into a room / side office where I was made to feel like a criminal. Besides her and I in the room some other guy was standing behind me folding his arms and looking at me. She asked me why I am not going to pay my bill ? I said of course I am paying my bill, I am not a cash patient and I have medical insurance that you said you except here. She could not tell me what the 80.00 was for, and could not disclose the total amount of the visit. To make a long story short, I paid the 80.00 with my HSA Credit card (Flex spending account card) and promised I would do business else where. This crazy lady proceeded to call my Manager (place of employment) and tell my City Manager that I had been to her office and to "educate me" on the way medical insurance works.
So....based on these actions of this unprofessional so-called Office Administrator I am considering filing legal action against this office and Angel herself for my Civil Rights being violated under the "HIPAA Privacy Rule". Health Information Privacy The Office for Civil Rights enforces the HIPAA Privacy Rule, which protects the privacy of individually identifiable health information; the HIPAA Security Rule, which sets national standards for the security of electronic protected health information; and the confidentiality provisions of the Patient Safety Rule, which protect identifiable information being used to analyze patient safety events and improve patient safety.
When her offices that she manages, made contact with via telephone to my employer and disclosed that I had been there she violated my Civil Rights under these codified provisions above.
My suggestion, although Dr. Brown probably DOES NOT know of how business is being conducted at this location, do yourself a favor and look around for another eye professional, as stated earlier, these offices are a dime a dozen and double check
all of your insurance related transactions i.e. (co -payments) and make sure if you do pay
something "on the spot" that your medical insurance provider is made aware of your
office payment. The $80.00 payment mentioned above was never reported to BlueShield
from the medical offices, this is a common practice with medical offices, at the end of the day you will pay again. If your medical insurance provider is not notified of your payment you made in the office they will adjust your bill based on what was presented to them from the medical offices (not including any monies received already) This is a win win for these medical offices.
Update: 7/27/2012, Since this office visit my insurance broker has worked with BlueShield to file a grievance against this office and is still investigating the matter. read more