Absolutely the worst experience I have ever had in my life, involving both the dentist and the office staff. I was told that I needed a deep cleaning and was strongly encouraged to have it done with a laser. I informed them that I wanted all treatment to go through my insurance. After the deep cleaning was completed, the dentist told me that using the laser was not necessary the better way to do the procedure. That comment left me shocked and questioning why the laser treatment had been recommended in the first place.
The service was performed in January, and since then I have been charged $860. Throughout February, March, and April, I contacted the office every week by email and phone requesting my account statement and billing records. The office not only refused to provide my patient account records related to the services performed, but they also failed to submit the claim to my insurance company. In addition, many of my emails were ignored and my phone calls were dismissed and disconnected in what I considered to be a highly unprofessional manner.
After repeated calls and emails, I finally managed to obtain an account statement. The statement I received consisted of
two pages, included what appeared to be an unrecognizable patient signature. The statement showed a balance of $650. When I contacted the office, I was told that this balance would be paid by my insurance company and that no payment was required from my side. However, every time I followed up to receive a new statement with a zero balance, I was given a different excuses as to why the claim had still not been submitted to my insurance , including that the policy number was entered incorrectly, that it was being processed, and some other excuses that no one could believe it. This behavior might work for some people, but not for all people specifically the ones who know the process, as they can simply confirm with their insurance company whether the claim has been submitted or not.
The office staff demonstrated a serious lack of professionalism and appeared unfamiliar with patients' rights and applicable rules in California. Because of the ongoing issues, I submitted two formal written requests by both email and mail. These requests were made pursuant to my rights of access to billing and medical records under HIPAA and its implementing regulations, which require covered entities to provide timely access to requested records upon proper request.
Since this matter has not been addressed promptly and in good faith, I have pursued all available remedies, including filing formal complaints with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights, the California Dental Board, as well as legal counsel. read more