We just received a bill from an ent dr. my ds went to. The bill was for $250 for oh about a 10 minute visit.(actually being seen by the dr.)

What I want dh to do is to deduct so much from the bill, sending them a note that our appt. was for 8:20 and we were not seen by the dr. until 9:20. So we are deducting blank amount for that hour we had to wait for her.

I mean what are they going to do. They would probably just send us another bill. I don't plan on going back there because I didn't think to much of her anyway.

When she came in the examine room she said she had an emergency. Uh hello not my problem.

Can ya tell I'm bitter?

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Mary

I love this post! I say GO FOR IT! Please keep us posted!:love:

I should ad that our insurance did cover alot of the bill but thats beside the point.

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Mary

I say go for it! After all, if WE don't show up for our appointments, they still charge us!:muahahahah:

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Alicia

Mommy to Aidan 10-21-05 and Rori 7-3-07

I have often thought of doing this especially when the visit to the doctor resolved nothing. The only doctor I have willing waited to see was my OB/GYN. I could sometimes finish a book in her waiting room(Over a two hour wait was not unusual), but she often times did have an emergency.

Well I see both sides of this issue. I know there have been times I have been really annoyed when I've had to wait a long time, especially if the doctor doesn't apologize. But at the same time, if I was the patient with the emergency and my doctor said..."Sorry, gotta see my regular patients so they don't get crabby" I'd be upset. Unfortunately in the medical world, emergencies do come up and I think it's sort of reasonable for the doctor to work them in. They should apologize, and if they know it's going to be long, they should tell people when they're waiting in case they would rather reschedule....but realistically I don't think they should make emergency patients wait. So I'd be more mad if it was a hair dresser, or cable guy, or something than I would a doctor. JMO

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I have heard of some people doing this- I read something about it in one of our local papers. An elderly man was tired of waiting for his dr so when he got bills- he deducted what he charged for his time being wasted waiting to be seen- his biggest complaint was not only waiting in the waiting room- it was when he was waiting in the actual room where the dr checks over you! I forget how much he charged- but I do know that his dr did lower his bill some. I say go for it! There is no way that in 10 minutes you should be charged $250! I do understand that the drs pay a lot for their education, and insurance (especially in my sue happy state!)- it's still ridiculus! I hope you do this and they lower your bil!

If your insurance has already paid a bulk of the bill, the charge is probably reasonable AND the doctor's office has probably had to write-off a large portion of their charge. That is the way medical billing is now - they inflate the charges because they know the insurance company will require a write-off and then that write-off amount becomes a tax deduction to the medical practitioner. In other words, don't worry about the original $250 charge, look at what you'll be paying out of pocket.

If you pay a percentage, then you can call the doctor's office and offer a lesser amount. I wouldn't just write them a note, though, because the doctor was late. If you waited an hour that was your choice. The staff will tell you that you could have always rescheduled when it was clear that the doctor was running behind. I know, not as easy as they make it sound, but it was an option and you chose to wait.

If your insurance company requires that you pay a flat-rate co-pay ($20 an office visit, for example), I'd pay my share and forget it. However, if your balance is higher, it never hurts to ask if they'll take a lesser amount. Sometimes they feel lucky to just get what the insurance pays and like the idea of not having to hassle you for the rest.

ITA

I know for me, I expect to wait when I go to the doctor because emergencies do happen. I have actually needed to leave before when I was just waiting too long and I needed to reschedule. I just told them that I had been waiting over an hour and unfortunately had to go due to another obligation and they were *very* apologetic and rescheduled my appt. Just the name of the game in my mind...but that's me.

In terms of cost, our medical system is really messed up in the US and it's not the doctor's fault IMO. Sure it's expensive but that amt you pay for visit doesn't just go right into the doctor's pocket. And sure, part of it, is that you're paying for the doctor's time and their time is expensive, just like a lawyer's time is expensive or another expert in their field. Then there's all the support staff, the insurance for the doctor, supplies etc As annoying as it is, it's just the system we have in place.

I'm sorry you had a unpleasant experience with your ENT but what if it was your loved one who had the emergency. Would you expect the Dr. to leave during the emergency to see patients on time?

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