1 /5 Yuan圆Jing靖: Systemic Way of Overcharging Patients.
Stay away and Be Aware!!!
I took my son to see Dr. Neak on 1/10/2025. He had a foot injury two days before the appointment. He was not in much pain, but the X-ray showed he had bone fractures on his two smallest toes of one foot.
Doctor looked at the X-ray and said he needed a boot for the injured foot. Shortly after that, doctor left the room. He did not come back again. All was like a regular doctor office visit, and I did not expect he would be back into the room either. Dr. Neak did not stay any time longer than that of a regular doctor office visit.
We waited a while in the room. Eventually a nurse brought in a boot. At first the boot size was too big, and then a smaller size boot was brought in. My son put the boot on, and we walked out of the doctors office.
All seemed normal until the bills rolled in.
The actual bills came in roughly after one month. My insurance company had processed the claims. Let me list them out below. I had called my insurance and had called Baylor Scott White Billing too. I spent > 1 hour talking to them, but it did not help at all. I was surprised even more after learned how the claims were justified. The explanations of the claims would shock you.
Four Claims with charges:
1. Dr. Neak Office visit cost about twice a regular doctor visit would cost. My insurance told me it was not because Dr. Neak was a specialist, but because the claim said the office a long one - longer than a regular dr. office. It is a 45 minute dr. office visit claim.
OK, I thought. It must be the boot thing prolonged the office visit time. A regular dr. office does not need to spend time trying out the boot. Anyway, heres the charge:
*** Doctor office claim: $322.00; Amount Allowed: $217.95 ***
2. A surgery charge in the same claim as 1: I was told anything happened besides the doctor talking to you in a regular dr. visit would be put into the Surgery category. Well, I guess the nurse with the boot thing must be the "surgery".
**** Surgery claim: $477.00; Amount Allowed: $242.96 ***
3. Medical Supply: a separate charge. Must be the boot again.
**** MEDICAL SUPPLIES: $335.04; ; Amount Allowed: $161.95 ***
4. The most outrageous charge of all: Baylor and Scott white charged an "outpatient services". When we called BSW billing and told them we never left the same doctors office, they said it did not matter - they could call the same doctor office visit room a treatment room. Also I was told that I signed all papers when I came in, so it means that I agreed to be charged by whatever they regularly would charge. Regularly, excuse me? Your regularly doing something wrong does not make it right.
Well, I did sign the papers when walked through the door, but that did not give hospital the rights to charge patients whatever did not make sense.
Anyway, I guess It is all the boot, which was brought in by the nurse, was labeled as "SURGERY". Wow, some surgery happened, the hospital must have to seize the opportunity to make a charge too. The claim said - SURGERY happens in the clinic treatment room. Wow, the same doctor office is labeled differently, now the label started to generate some revenue too. Heres the charge:
**** OUTPATIENT SERVICES: $1,180.17; Amount Allowed: $581.82 ***
Baylor Scott White also made an attempt to add an entry of an "office visits" of $325.00 in the same claim they did for "OUTPATIENT SERVICES", but fortunately my insurance gave it a $0 Amount Allowed.
Fellow consumers, I do not think we are patients in the eyes of hospitals and doctors, we are consumers. Please be aware, please be careful. God bless.
