This dentists (Dr. Harvey Shandler) practices are fraudulent, plain and simple!! I was referred to…read morethis office by my primary dentist to have two teeth extracted. I went to this office and handed the receptionist my insurance card, and after x-rays were taken and a consult was given, I was informed by the dentists assistant that I would need Nitrous Oxide in addition to the normal numbing agent/Novacaine administered by shots applied to the mouth area. The assistant told me that the Nitrous Oxide was not covered by my insurance and I would have to pay $362.00 out of pocket. I was kind of surprised that I would need gas in addition to the routine numbing shots, as I have had other oral procedures, root canals, post, cores and crowns, etc. in the past with other dentists, and never any need for any additional anesthesia/Nitrous Oxide. I was not too happy to hear from this office that with insurance, I would still be responsible for an OOP expense, to which I reluctantly agreed to pay on my credit card.
After the procedure, I contacted my insurance company, and I was informed that to submit a claim for the out of pocket expense, I would need a letter of medical necessity from the dentists office providing reasoning of why Nitrous Oxide was a needed therapy. Here is where the fraud comes into play, as the dentist knows what is covered by insurance and what is not, Dr. Shandler and his nasty and unprofessional staff do not want to just accept what insurance will reimburse him, so he adds or should I say upsells extra non covered therapies, which are not needed for the patient, just needed for his own increased wealth. After I spoke with the insurance company and received the information needed to submit a claim, I attempted to contact Dr. Shandlers office by phone to request a letter of medical necessity, and the receptionist immediately told me that they do not do that, then I proceeded to explain why I needed the letter and she told me to call back the next day and speak with the girl who handles that. I called again a day or two later and spoke with the receptionist and again explained the situation, and immediately I was told again that they do not write letters of medical necessity, but she would speak to the doctor. I was put on hold for about 10 minutes, then she came back to the phone and said that they used to write letters to no avail, so they stopped. At this time I said I would need a letter, or I would have to contact the Better Business Bureau (BBB) and the receptionist then proceeded to hang up on me. I called back and now I was irritated by the unprofessional and uncourteous behavior of the staff, and the person (Crystal) who answered the phone this time said that it was not her who hung up on me, but obviously thought the whole issue was funny, as she was laughing. Now for a third time I requested a letter of medical necessity, so Crystal said that she would go speak to the doctor, and again I was put on hold for another 15 minutes. Crystal never came back to the phone, but conveniently disconnected me. This rude behavior comes directly from the top, as Dr. Harvey Shandler steals from his patients, and professionalism is not a business practice that he bestows upon his staff.
