Do Not Go Here for Oral Surgery
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
I went to Blank & Stein (oral surgeons) for wisdom teeth removal. The actual remove was fine, but the processing of payment was horrendous. They charged me 20% of the total billed amount. According to my insurance plan, I am responsible for 20% of the contracted amount. The billed amount was over $1900 while the contracted amount was barely over $1000. Thus, I overpaid by almost $200. You would think that the doctor's office would know the amount they contracted with the insurance company whose network they are a part of, but apparently they are either too incompetent to figure this out or they are simply scamming patients. I called them to demand a refund, but they refused to do so. They said they cannot process any refunds until they receive payment from the insurance company. The insurance company issued them a check 2 weeks ago. I know the postal system is slow, but not that slow. I suspect the check is sitting on the doctor's desk and they are stalling such that they don't have to refund me my money. The doctor keeps telling me to wait, but this money was from my flexible spending account. I only have 1 more month to use it. Should they decide to refund it at year-end or even after year-end, I lose $200. This is absolutely ridiculous. If you're looking to have some oral surgery done and don't want to get scammed, please take my advice and do not go here.