I have been a patient of Dr. Andy Dhaliwal's for almost a decade and I'll never return. They outright practice financial discrimination on their patients!
On Friday, January 29th, they called to confirm my appointment and told me I had a remaining balance on my high deductible plan, I explained by the time they submitted their claim I would owe them $0 and the insurance would pay out at 100%. She didn't care and said I owed $330 at the time of my Monday appointment. I told her that I wanted it in writing that I would be refunded my money. She told me "oh, we don't really do that" and I said, "so you want me to pay you $330 that I know I'll get back without a document telling me that I'll get my money back?" she responded that maybe she'd talk to someone about getting it in writing and have it figured out by my appointment.
On Monday, February 1st I call my insurance company and they told me that there is nothing preventing the office from taking my money and then simply not billing the insurance company and the insurance company can't force a provider to bill the insurance company. So, I have a phone conversation with the Insurance Company and Dhaliwal's office (Theresa?). Over the weekend, my deductible had gone down by $900, as claims were processed. Theresa tells me at my appointment, I'll now owe $220! When I ask why on Friday I was told $330 and the day of my appointment I'm being told $220, she says "well, your deductible went down" like that's supposed to make plain-as-day-sense to me? I asked how they're calculating this payment and she says, "It's based on your deductible". I ask if her biller is going to submit the claim to insurance before I leave my appointment and she says "well, of course not". I then point out that I have January claims getting processed and I will have met my deductible before end of business day, so why would I give her $220? She says, "It's based on your deductible" I ask her when am I getting my money back? She says, "we're really quick about it". How quick? "really quick." I tell her I want a date to mark on my calendar since they're telling me I have to lend them $220 to see Dr. Dhaliwal and she says she can't give me a date.
I ask what are they doing to Medicare patients? She explains, if a Medicare patient has a 80/20 plan with a high deductible co-insurance they collect the co-pay AND they collect the mystical dollar amount they're asking me for. I asked when did this policy debut and she told me, "April 2020". I asked, this was in response to COVID and she said, "yes".
On Tuesday, February 2nd I wanted to pick up a copy of this unique Financial Policy. I spoke with Tammy who told me that she didn't "have access to the financial policy". I asked if the staff doesn't have access how are the patients supposed to understand it? I told Tammy my deductible was paid at 100% now and why would I have paid them $220 on Monday when on Tuesday, my deductible was met and she told me, "they're really good at giving you back your money and have been giving people back their money all week". I asked if I had paid them $220 on Monday and showed my deductible was met on Tuesday would they have given me back my money on Tuesday? Tammy told me, "well, no". When I pressed her for when I would have gotten my money, she said it would be after they got back the EOB (explanation of benefits). Typically 6 weeks I asked and Tammy said, "with the internet it's sometimes better". So you wanted me to lend my doctor $220? Tammy said, "well, I wouldn't call it a loan." I give you money I know for fact at an undisclosed time you will owe me? I'm pretty sure that's a "loan". When I asked about why this Financial Policy was put into place, I asked if they were using patients to "float the office while they waited for insurance companies to pay out" and Tammy said, "Exactly!" so I said, "what, you guys were going to use my $220 to pay staff wages?" She backtracked and told me "no". To top the cake, Tammy said since SHE has a high deductible plan, she could not afford to front the cost to see Dr. Dhaliwal for her needs and would go to another doctor with a reasonable Financial Policy.
I asked Tammy if they pulled $220 out of a hat, she explained they took all the major insurances and the negotiated rates (excepted for Medicare) and averaged them together and that's how much they charge you! When I asked her who came up with this Patient-Funded-Grassroots-Practice she proudly told me Dr. Andy Dhaliwal himself invented it!
In addition to that, a woman came into the office while I waited for a copy of the Mystical Financial Policy. She obviously had only an 80/20 plan because they collected $40 from her. Meanwhile, me with my High-Deductible-Pays-Out-At-100% plan gets charged $220. But you see per paycheck, that 80/20 costs more than my High Deductible plan, so I guess they're thinking people too poor to pay for an 80/20 plan can't afford their office visit, so let's screw them at the front door! read more
