The nightmare just never ends with this place! I had my tonsils removed by Dr. Clifford Amoils over two years ago. Today, I somehow received ANOTHER BILL from that surgery--for the nurse anesthetist, who should have been paid YEARS AGO!! I had surgery in June 2021. I am now 28 and have not even been on the insurance I was on at the time for over 2 years.
Dr. Amoils has a smug, cloying personality but at least did a fine job on my surgery. He's friendly, but in a way you can tell is about his own ego. His schedule coordinator, Tiffany, was a complete jerk. Before the surgery, my mother called with several questions. Tiffany ultimately answered her, but was exceptionally rude--sighing and replying sarcastically--because she decided I was an adult and should be calling myself. I was working, so it was simply easier for my mother to call. None of this was Tiffany's business. She was nice in person, but acted like a bratty teen over the phone and made the experience deeply unpleasant. The questions revolved around insurance approving my surgery and were important, but clearly Tiffany only saw them as a bother.
I was also bothered when I had to drive to Antelope Valley for the surgery and discovered the surgery center was co-owned by Dr. Amoils himself. It felt very underhanded to never be told we were making a long drive so that Dr. Amoils could claw more money from my insurance. Shady behavior from a man who should already be making plenty of money.
My mother and I were told the day of my surgery that we would pay for the facility that day, which we did, and later only receive bills for the doctor and nurse anesthetist. We paid anything we were sent. All should be settled. We had already been blown away by the EOB for over $87,000 for a quick, routine surgery (with charges being particularly high for the facility that Dr. Amoils himself co-owns--can't you just feel the smarmy, scammy vibe?). Nevertheless, we received a bill in the mail 18 MONTHS LATER for almost $300. The surgery had happened so long ago that initially we didn't even understand what appointment or procedure the bill could possibly be for.
I called to inquire about that bill and was told that the surgery center had switched billing providers sometime in that past 18 months and bills that should've gone out over the past year had not. My father chose to accept this and paid the bill. That charge was allegedly for the doctor.
Again, we should be done paying for this nonsense. Now, it's OCTOBER 2023 and we have received ANOTHER BILL in the mail, this time for over $600 for a nurse anesthetist. After calling both my prior insurance company and the billing company for Dr. Amoils (Advanced Pain Medical Group), the over $600 bill was corrected to just under $60. Thank god we called, because I doubt if we had paid $600+ we would've been refunded at all. It may not meet the legal definition, but the word 'extortion' comes to mind readily.
There's more I could say, but overall my experience with SCENT has been an unending nightmare. Apparently the statute of limitations for medical billing in California is 4 years. I hope to never hear from SCENT or Advanced Pain Medical Group in the future, but especially not in the next 2 years before said statute for my tonsillectomy expires. read more