What to expect when you visit Pawlus Dental here in Columbus Indiana. Let's start with the very unfriendly staff in the billing area. Do not expect that questioning your bill or asking for explanation of charges, your charges, the ones that you are paying for, to simply be answered. Do expect rude and how dare you question what is printed there, attitude. Do expect to be lied to, intimidated or both if you dare to question why a charge or procedure was not fully explained to you. The only good experience I had in the billing area was when the billing ladies were out to lunch and one of the front desk receptionists offered to come and help me. This individual took the time to print out, do the math and explain to me, what I was not understanding.
When you are in the chair, do not expect that you can choose to say no and to choose what you would like to do with your insurance plan, your teeth and your money. What you can expect is passive aggressive behavior, and belittling, and if that does not sway you to conform then back up is called in from the billing department. And the main one in billing is a beast, I'm sure many have run and hid knowing she was on her way. What you can expect is to be told, when you do not want more x-rays just because insurance will pay after 2 years even though there are no signs of cavities or any new development, to be told by the hygienist, that "you get more radiation just walking outside", (her arms crossed and doing her best to tower over you and intimidate you). I mean if you are getting radiated every time you walk outside then you might want to skip more radiation in places that you can control...like not getting x-rays just because 2 years have lapsed and x-rays can be billed again. Expect folded arms, eye rolling, belittling posturing and extra's being brought in to bully you into submission. All I wanted was my teeth cleaned, a plain cleaning that my insurance paid 100% for. They were insisting that I had deep cleaning last time so I would have to do that moving forward because insurance would not pay after a deep clean, for regular cleaning. Had to question that one...I know that last year after requesting a regular cleaning when I scheduled, I wondered after the procedure, why I was still charged $200 +. I was not up for a battle with the awful billing lady after the cleaning and numbing so I just paid it. It turns out they did deep clean after I asked when I scheduled, for regular cleaning that my insurance would pay 100%. Trust me when I say they do not understand the words, "I cannot afford more than...". Each visit has been a challenge in one way or another; never to be treated as if I might be a responsible, intelligent human being that knows how to spend her own money and do the best she can within insurance limits to preserve her own teeth as best as income will allow for. I called my insurance company next day after this last visit just last week, and it turns out that I can go from deep clean to regular cleaning, which I felt was a lie on their part, as long as it had been 90 days from the deep clean. I had had enough last week, of the abuse experienced each visit so I got up and got my purse and walked out. On my way out, little miss billing had to get her last dig in, "just let us know where to send your records", again in that condescending tone of hers, so mature, so unnecessary, I was leaving, I didn't say anything to her, but she just cannot resist and not pass up an opportunity to be nasty. What to expect in this office if you have great insurance and plenty of money to cover expensive procedures...great service I am sure, which is fine for some, but it is not for me. read more
