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10-24-2008, 09:46 AM
| | Junior Member | | Join Date: Oct 2008
Posts: 5
| |  Refused post surgery Exam!
I recently had surgery to have 7 genital warts removed and received stitches my doctor failed to tell me about. i owed the doctor $10 for my pre surgery exam. After my surgery i was to follow up with him to make sure i was healthy well and properly, When i got to the office for my follow up i was refused my follow up exam because i owed him the $10 from my post surgery exam. Since the pre surgery exam they also started to add interest to the money i owed, I wasnt made aware that they would be adding interest, the interest is at such a rate now that not even 5 months later i now owe them $57. I get calls from bill collectors at all hours of the day now. Is this an unethical practice or was my surgeon in the right to refuse me post surgery check up?
I am in Pennsylvania and dont know my rights as a patient.
Cory |
10-24-2008, 09:48 AM
| | Senior Member | | Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: by the bay
Posts: 1,506
| | Quote:
Originally Posted by Saugnine  I recently had surgery to have 7 genital warts removed and received stitches my doctor failed to tell me about. i owed the doctor $10 for my pre surgery exam. After my surgery i was to follow up with him to make sure i was healthy well and properly, When i got to the office for my follow up i was refused my follow up exam because i owed him the $10 from my post surgery exam. Since the pre surgery exam they also started to add interest to the money i owed, I wasnt made aware that they would be adding interest, the interest is at such a rate now that not even 5 months later i now owe them $57. I get calls from bill collectors at all hours of the day now. Is this an unethical practice or was my surgeon in the right to refuse me post surgery check up?
I am in Pennsylvania and dont know my rights as a patient.
Cory |
So why didn't you just pay the $10?
ETA: What did the payment agreement you signed say about payment requirements and interest?
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Last edited by lealea1005; 10-24-2008 at 09:52 AM.
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10-24-2008, 10:04 AM
| | Junior Member | | Join Date: Oct 2008
Posts: 5
| | | i didnt pay the 10 when i first went in beacuse i only use cash and dont have a credit card, i thought the exam was going to be 25 with my insurance but was actually 35. When i went in i had the money for the post surgery but since i owed them 10 or at that point only a month later 27 dollars i was refused service |
10-24-2008, 10:07 AM
| | Senior Member | | Join Date: Jan 2005
Posts: 14,154
| | Why didn't you pay the $27? 
I think this poster is playing games with us.
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10-24-2008, 10:09 AM
| | Senior Member | | Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: by the bay
Posts: 1,506
| | | How long was it between visits?
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10-24-2008, 10:14 AM
| | Senior Member | | Join Date: Jan 2005
Posts: 14,154
| | Quote:
Originally Posted by lealea1005 How long was it between visits? | Careful with the phrases you use - look at the reason for the surgery!
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The information I gave is based on my 7 seconds of research on Google. Review the information yourself to make an informed decision. Also, the information I posted may no longer be accurate.
Communication is KEY - 10 mins of talking now can save you months of headaches later!
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10-24-2008, 10:35 AM
| | Senior Member | | Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Philadelphia, PA
Posts: 11,722
| | | The reason for the surgery is irrelevent, let's not be judgemental, 75% of sexually active people have HPV and don't even know it.
You obviously owe the $10 and should have paid it. They can refuse services if you have an unpaid bill. However it is probably illegal for them to be charging you any interest, unless you signed an agreement specifically allowing this, or they took you to court and obtained a judgement against you.
The question still remains, why did you not come to the follow up visit prepared to pay the extra $10 you knew you owed? Why did you not go that very moment to the ATM to get the money so you could go back and have your exam? |
10-24-2008, 10:38 AM
| | Junior Member | | Join Date: Oct 2008
Posts: 5
| | | I didn't pay the 27 because i didn't have the 27, had i paid the 27 i wouldn't have had enough for my follow up visit 35 -27 is 8 dollars.
I am not playing games with you.
I don't make alot of money, i have a wife that is frequently ill and a 2 year old son, all my money goes to them to me 10 even 27 dollars is enough to break my bank.
My question was whether the doctor can ethically turn a patient away after having surgery he performed without checking on his work. i only saw him the day of the surgery and about 2 weeks prior to the surgery.
I am a stubborn person and had every intention of paying the money i owed them from the first visit until they turned me away and began adding interest to my balance, its only been about 3 months since my surgery and with in about that much time i have accrued 47 dollars in interest. When i first went to the doctor there was no interest rate but i noticed when i was there for my follow-up they had posted a sign saying since august 8th they would be adding interest to all balances due. this date is a month and 2 weeks after my first visit give or take a few days.
In my opinion the doctors priority should be checking on his surgery. i'm not an expert i don't know if my wounds are healing well or not or how to spot a problem that may be occurring. Since then i have pains in the incision area that received stitches and am now saving money to see my family practitioner.  |
10-24-2008, 11:28 AM
| | Senior Member | | Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Philadelphia, PA
Posts: 11,722
| | | You seem to forget that a doctor's office is a BUSINESS, and an expensive one at that! Do you have any idea how much malpractice insurance costs in this state? Doctors can't afford to treat patients for free and a past due balance is a perfectly valid reason to refuse service.
A sign posted is not enough to allow interest, not to mention that the rate they are charging is beyond usury. 500% interest in 3 months? That is insanity! You never signed anything agreeing to interest charges and there are laws on maximum allowable interest rates which they are flagrantly disregarding.
If I were you, I would go back into the office with cash in hand, and tell them you will pay the $10 you owe right now, but their interest rate and collection practices are unconscionable, and would never stand up in a court of law, so all that must be stopped right away. Make sure you get a 'paid in full' receipt, and be done with it. |
10-24-2008, 11:47 AM
| | Junior Member | | Join Date: Oct 2008
Posts: 5
| | | Thank you ecmst12 your advice has helped, i called the office and told them i was willing to pay the 10 but none of the interest, they told me that i was still required to pay the full amount because they have signs posted. I asked them if i signed anything saying i was aware of this practice they said no but it was on the billing statement they sent to my house. I told her that i was under the impression that interest to medical bills in PA was illegal she said she would hav eto contact their attorney because shes only a clerk and doesnt know what the law allows or not.
As far as malpractice goes i would think that not checking on a surgury that required an inscision or stitches would qualify as malpractice, due to the fact of infection, hemmoraging, and God knows what else. If i was the doctor i would have wanted to make sure all was well.
I understand how much it costs to run a doctor business, but IMHO if your a doctor just to make money then your in the wrong line of business. Being a doctor is about more than making alot of money, its about putting patients health first and respecting their rights.
Sure i didnt have the money for the interest and the 10 dollars i owed him prior but i had the money for to present visit and was turned away over10 dollars i owed them and 17 dollars they tacked on for whatever reason. To me it just sounds unethical, but im not a doctor or a surgeon so i may be incorrect. |
10-24-2008, 12:08 PM
| | Member | | Join Date: Feb 2008
Posts: 197
| | Quote:
Originally Posted by Saugnine I understand how much it costs to run a doctor business, but IMHO if your a doctor just to make money then your in the wrong line of business. Being a doctor is about more than making alot of money, its about putting patients health first and respecting their rights. Sure i didnt have the money for the interest and the 10 dollars i owed him prior but i had the money for to present visit and was turned away over10 dollars i owed them and 17 dollars they tacked on for whatever reason. To me it just sounds unethical, but im not a doctor or a surgeon so i may be incorrect. | Think about it from a business stand point. Lets say the Dr. cut you a break and said come back when you have the $. What are the chances of you returning? The Dr. has no way of knowing! If he cut a break to every patient for any amount of $ and only 30% returned he might as well CLOSE his business and open it as a free clinic. In the end its a business. If customers don't pay, you are refused service. It has nothing to do with being unethical. Its business. |
10-24-2008, 12:22 PM
| | Member | | Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Southern Ca.
Posts: 659
| | | medical
Quote:
Originally Posted by Saugnine I recently had surgery to have 7 genital warts removed and received stitches my doctor failed to tell me about. i owed the doctor $10 for my pre surgery exam. After my surgery i was to follow up with him to make sure i was healthy well and properly, When i got to the office for my follow up i was refused my follow up exam because i owed him the $10 from my post surgery exam. Since the pre surgery exam they also started to add interest to the money i owed, I wasnt made aware that they would be adding interest, the interest is at such a rate now that not even 5 months later i now owe them $57. I get calls from bill collectors at all hours of the day now. Is this an unethical practice or was my surgeon in the right to refuse me post surgery check up?
I am in Pennsylvania and dont know my rights as a patient.
Cory |
You would want to speak with an attorney about usury laws. If a person charges an interest that is too large, you could under some circumstances have standing to not only have the interest dismissed but the bill as well, as the potential for penalties against the person charging the interest. |
10-24-2008, 12:27 PM
| | Senior Member | | Join Date: Jan 2005
Posts: 14,154
| | As I said - OP is playing games with us.
He did NOT get charged $37 in interest on a $10 bill over a few months.
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The information I gave is based on my 7 seconds of research on Google. Review the information yourself to make an informed decision. Also, the information I posted may no longer be accurate.
Communication is KEY - 10 mins of talking now can save you months of headaches later!
Masterfully stating the obvious to the oblivious! (Thanks SP!)
Tell it like it is! |
10-24-2008, 02:43 PM
| | Member | | Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: flying city
Posts: 830
| | Quote:
Originally Posted by Zigner As I said - OP is playing games with us.
He did NOT get charged $37 in interest on a $10 bill over a few months. | It could happen, if the interest is compounded daily.
What bothers me is the lack of post-op care. If this guy has to have sutures removed via a surgical procedure (cutting the sutures out), I hope he runs to a malpractice attorney.
I strongly encourage the OP to see a physician very soon to have the suture site evaluated.
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10-24-2008, 03:02 PM
| | Senior Member | | Join Date: Jan 2005
Posts: 14,154
| | Quote:
Originally Posted by lya It could happen, if the interest is compounded daily.
What bothers me is the lack of post-op care. If this guy has to have sutures removed via a surgical procedure (cutting the sutures out), I hope he runs to a malpractice attorney.
I strongly encourage the OP to see a physician very soon to have the suture site evaluated. | Lya - it's been 5 months.
OP didn't even MENTION calling his insurance company for any information/assistance.
OP says his FIRST follow-up was a month after surgery.
Things just don't ring true here...
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The information I gave is based on my 7 seconds of research on Google. Review the information yourself to make an informed decision. Also, the information I posted may no longer be accurate.
Communication is KEY - 10 mins of talking now can save you months of headaches later!
Masterfully stating the obvious to the oblivious! (Thanks SP!)
Tell it like it is! | |
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