I have never written a negative review of any business, but I feel compelled to do so for the first time due to what, I believe, were dishonest and misleading billing practices and medical procedures.
My story… I was unable to put weight on my big toe and went to the Spokane Foot Clinic for diagnosis. I paid my co-pay for the visit and the insurance paid the $200+ bill for the office visit, which included x-rays. When the doctor came into the exam room to share her diagnosis (stress restraint), she said it might help me if she put a piece of tape across the top of my toe to limit the movement. Without further discussion, she then proceeded to spend a few SECONDS putting a single piece of tape over the top of my big toe (which I would have been more than capable of doing myself in a matter of 3 seconds). I left the clinic and removed the tape (which did nothing for the condition), got a second opinion from another doctor (entirely different diagnosis) and was immediately put in a “boot” before leaving that clinic.
A few weeks later, after Spokane Foot Clinic had received my copay and was paid by my insurance, the clinic sent me another balance due for a ""surgical"" portion (none of which was covered by insurance) for a $75 “foot strapping” charge, which brought the total for the 15-minute visit to $300+. The “foot strapping” was billed as a separate “surgical-related” treatment by the clinic, similar to the charge that would be billed if a doctor did a thorough strapping of a sprained ankle, I suppose.
Since this additional, separate surgical-related charge caught me quite off guard, I contacted the billing department for explanation. I was informed that the charge could not be adjusted because my insurance contract prevented that. This is untrue, since the claim could be corrected and resubmitted to the insurance, which the billing manager conceded. In the future, I suggest this clinic be much more up-front with its patients when it intends to perform and bill an additional “surgical-related” (as my insurance phrased it) ""foot strapping,"" especially in cases where the procedure and charge would not appear to the patient to be commensurate with the service provided. In the meantime, since Spokane Foot Clinic stood behind its practices and insisted on the bill (which I begrudgingly paid), I suggest you use caution if going to this clinic. Ask about everything the doctor might do and whether it will be billed as a separate and additional procedure, no matter how small or innocuous the doctor’s “exam” and single piece of athletic tape application may seem. I, for one, know that there are many other quality podiatry clinics in Spokane, and I will not settle for the kind of service I received from this clinic in the future.
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