After several failed attempts to respectfully try to clarify and obtain information about a surprise extra fee for a simple annual check-up for our daughter, we finally gave up and paid the same amount we paid for our other children's visits. However, his office persisted and eventually filed a derogatory comment on our credit report. It would have been much easier to just pay the fee, but working toward a system of fair and transparent billing with doctors being accountable for their whole practice, including billing, is worth the time and effort. In general, Dr. Houts' practice has become impersonal, bureaucratic, and short-term profit driven.
Here are snippets from one of our letters: "Please give the following letter to Dr. Houts regarding a billing issue. I have already talked with Sheila and would greatly appreciate communicating directly with Dr. Houts on this. . . . [he never spoke to my wife about it.] In June of this year, my daughter was seen for a well-child visit. Following the visit, I was surprised to receive a letter stating that due to the extent of the visit, I will be charged an additional fee on top of the charge for the well-child visit. I am confused and concerned about the coding for this visit. As I remember the visit, we covered the appropriate information for her age. . . . The only thing that I can think of that was "out of the ordinary" was talking about her eczema and me asking for a prescription for Singulair tablets. You checked her nose and confirmed that she has allergies and advised me to set up an appointment with an allergist and to schedule an asthma check in the fall. Because I had two other children in your office for well-child visits that summer . . . I compared their the bills for their visits. The only difference was the prescription. I was under the impression that a well-child visit is a time to ask for prescriptions (rather than requesting them over the phone) and to discuss concerns. There may be confusion over my attempt to combine a lung check with a well-child visit. Before coming in for the well care, I called your office and asked if we could do a lung check at the well-child visit, but your nurse said it would need to be two separate visits. Accordingly, I set up the well-care appointment, understanding that it would not be a lung check. Additionally, after the well-visit, I received a call from your nurse requesting that I set up a lung check. This confirmed to me that the well-child visit was not combined with the lung check.
I have been bringing my children to your practice for 13 years. When my family and I were looking for a pediatrician, the main draw to your office was the fact that it was a small practice, the receptionist personally answered the phone, and I never felt rushed to ask questions or talk about concerns during my time with you. While your practice has grown and much of that has changed, I had hoped that the non-rushed office visits would stay the same. I am disappointed in being billed this extra charge because I now feel that I must limit my comments or questions to be as brief as possible - that discussing any concerns about my child's health, outside of the routine check-up, will result in extra fees. This is contrary to what I had experienced in your office before, and certainly not the relationship I want with our pediatrician.
According to my understanding, I am being charged extra for the time it took you to write a prescription. I ask that you please reconsider how this visit was coded and drop the extra fee. Also, I would greatly appreciate if you could please let me know specifically what I said or asked during the visit (if there is anything other than the prescription) that justified this extra fee so I can avoid this in the future.
[no response received--just a collection firm phone call, and explanation of our dispute to them and then a credit report derogatory comment by the office.] read more
