Arizona Red Mountain Eyecare

[redacted] has been coming to our office since At each visit, she has received a new contact lens prescription As directed by all insurance companies for billing purposes, the tests and extra time involved with the fitting and assessment of contact lenses are considered separate from a ‘routine’ eye examination, and as such, are billed as a separate fee This fee is talked about in all patients’ explanation of benefits provided by their insurance companies, and is reviewed with the patient in our office before running any credit card This fee has been shown on this patient’s receipts since 2009, and we have mailed her copies of all her previous receipts She was checked out by our office manager, [redacted] , who specifically talked to her about the contact lens fitting portion of her bill before running her credit card If the patient had refused to pay the amount (even though we had already rendered services) we would not have charged her the fitting fee and she would not have received a contact lens prescription This patient has received a renewed contact lens prescription As this patient has been wearing contact lenses for many years, she would be cognizant of the fact that ALL eye care providers charge a separate fee for contact lens fitting services, whether in a private practice setting or a retail store (ex.***-*** or [redacted] ) Insurance companies do allow the fitting fee to be applied towards the material benefit when purchasing contact lenses For example, if the insurance company will cover $towards the purchase of contacts, they do allow the $in this case to come out of the $100, leaving the patient with $going to the cost of the contacts themselves This might have explained some of the confusion if she had previously bought contacts the same day and used her contact lens material benefit to cover the fitting fee (even though it is always reviewed in the office and shows up on her receipts as a separate item) But, in fact, she has never used her material benefit from us We STRONGLY protest the accusation that the patient was unaware of the $contact lens fitting fee until she went home It would not make any sense for our office to try to ‘sneak’ extra charges onto a bill, give the patient a copy of the receipt showing the ‘surprise’ fees, and have them sign it It is our explicit policy to go out of our way to review fees before charging for them, and our office manager, [redacted] , remembers doing so with this patient This is a sad and uncommon event for us We try very hard to treat all our patients with kindness and make sure our fees are below the average for our area (see proof below) This patient has been coming to us for years, receiving the same conscientious care at each visit; there was nothing new about her last visit to our office This patient has also posted a negative review of our office on [redacted] with a great deal of misinformation in it, even inappropriately naming an employee She states she was charged $for her exam and $for her contact lens fitting, both of which are false The total charged to her credit card was $48.25—$for the ‘routine’ exam and $for the contact lens fitting As of today, Friday November 14th, she has not corrected her review and will not answer our attempts to contact her by phone or email In her review she implies this bad experience prompted her to request a copy of her contact lens prescription so she could purchase them from somewhere else, as if she didn’t want to financially support us, when in fact she NEVER has purchased them from us Since she will not reply to us, and has gone out of her way to do us harm, we contacted her insurance company, [redacted] *** (***) [redacted] noted that not only was she billed correctly, but her ‘copay’ for the contact lens fitting was approved for $60, and that we had actually charged $less than we could have (she gets a 15% discount on the billed amount, so the $fee is reduced to the $38.25) [redacted] has said she needs to call them and review the charges; not only will they show she was billed correctly, but for LESS than what is considered an acceptable amount by *** We are happy to provide copies of past receipts to the Revdex.com, although we would need this patient’s signed approval to do so We also can provide a copy of the email that was sent to her, but again would need approval An explanation of the contact lens fitting fee can be found on all insurance providers’ websites, in this case, ***.*** Again, we are confused as to why this suddenly became such an ordeal for this patient, and why she has gone to extraordinary efforts to post an inaccurate negative review online and file a complaint with the Revdex.com We are confident in our position that nothing was done inappropriately and have gone out of our way to try to resolve this issue, but with no response We will cooperate with any other requests from the Revdex.com for more information With Respect, Dr [redacted] ***, OD President, Arizona Red Mountain Eyecare, P.C

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ***, and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below
Provider did not, at any time during my visit, disclose the additional contact lense fee. I went for a routine eye exam. I was not told about the contact lense fitting fee at any time. I have no issue that the fee was charged, if reasonable and customary. What my entire complain is regarding, is that the fee was not disclosed to me during the office visit and it should beI also took exception to the way the office staff handled this in responding by their defensive stance regarding charging this fee. Had they really had customer service in mind, they could have offered to refund the fee. That would have resolved the issue.
I feel that they should review these fees, up front, with any customer who will require additional services in order to receive a prescription from their office. That way, the customer has the opportunity to make an informed decision PRIOR to any work being done. Do not make any assumptions
Honestly, I am surprised that they did not offer to refund the fee and let it go at that.
I have updated my *** review to the following:
This is the office of Dr*** ***, of whom I have been a patient for at least years
I recently had an eye exam with his officeDr***'s staff did not disclose, at any time, that there would be an additional fee for a contact lense fitting, above and beyond the routine eye exam
I have may have been charged this fee in the past, in connection with purchasing contact lenses, which would be fineI believe his office staff assumed I would purchase from them I did not purchase contact lenses from Dr***, only saw him for the eye exam
I don't object that there was an additional fee My complaint rather, is that this information was never disclosed, at any time, while I was there Additionally, when I called to lodge my complaint, they explained their right to charge the fee That wasn't my complaint in the first place
I believe they have a right to charge this fee, BUT, they need to disclose it during the patient's visit so the patient can make an informed decision as to whether they want to move forward or not I was not given that option during my visit
Regards,
***

[redacted] has been coming to our office since 2009.  At each visit, she has received a new contact lens prescription.  As directed by all insurance companies for billing purposes, the tests and extra time involved with the fitting and assessment of contact lenses are...

considered separate from a ‘routine’ eye examination, and as such, are billed as a separate fee.  This fee is talked about in all patients’ explanation of benefits provided by their insurance companies, and is reviewed with the patient in our office before running any credit card.  This fee has been shown on this patient’s receipts since 2009, and we have mailed her copies of all her previous receipts.  She was checked out by our office manager, [redacted], who specifically talked to her about the contact lens fitting portion of her bill before running her credit card.  If the patient had refused to pay the amount (even though we had already rendered services) we would not have charged her the fitting fee and she would not have received a contact lens prescription.  This patient has received a renewed contact lens prescription.  As this patient has been wearing contact lenses for many years, she would be cognizant of the fact that ALL eye care providers charge a separate fee for contact lens fitting services, whether in a private practice setting or a retail store (ex.[redacted] or [redacted]).
Insurance companies do allow the fitting fee to be applied towards the material benefit when purchasing contact lenses.  For example, if the insurance company will cover $100 towards the purchase of contacts, they do allow the $38.25 in this case to come out of the $100, leaving the patient with $61.75 going to the cost of the contacts themselves.  This might have explained some of the confusion if she had previously bought contacts the same day and used her contact lens material benefit to cover the fitting fee (even though it is always reviewed in the office and shows up on her receipts as a separate item).  But, in fact, she has never used her material benefit from us. 
We STRONGLY protest the accusation that the patient was unaware of the $38.25 contact lens fitting fee until she went home.  It would not make any sense for our office to try to ‘sneak’ extra charges onto a bill, give the patient a copy of the receipt showing the ‘surprise’ fees, and have them sign it.  It is our explicit policy to go out of our way to review fees before charging for them, and our office manager, [redacted], remembers doing so with this patient.
This is a sad and uncommon event for us.  We try very hard to treat all our patients with kindness and make sure our fees are below the average for our area (see proof below).  This patient has been coming to us for years, receiving the same conscientious care at each visit; there was nothing new about her last visit to our office.  This patient has also posted a negative review of our office on [redacted] with a great deal of misinformation in it, even inappropriately naming an employee.  She states she was charged $110 for her exam and $48.25 for her contact lens fitting, both of which are false.  The total charged to her credit card was $48.25—$10 for the ‘routine’ exam and $38.25 for the contact lens fitting.  As of today, Friday November 14th, she has not corrected her review and will not answer our attempts to contact her by phone or email.  In her review she implies this bad experience prompted her to request a copy of her contact lens prescription so she could purchase them from somewhere else, as if she didn’t want to financially support us, when in fact she NEVER has purchased them from us. 
Since she will not reply to us, and has gone out of her way to do us harm, we contacted her insurance company, [redacted]).  [redacted] noted that not only was she billed correctly, but her ‘copay’ for the contact lens fitting was approved for $60, and that we had actually charged $15 less than we could have (she gets a 15% discount on the billed amount, so the $45 fee is reduced to the $38.25).  [redacted] has said she needs to call them and review the charges; not only will they show she was billed correctly, but for LESS than what is considered an acceptable amount by [redacted].
We are happy to provide copies of past receipts to the Revdex.com, although we would need this patient’s signed approval to do so.  We also can provide a copy of the email that was sent to her, but again would need approval.  An explanation of the contact lens fitting fee can be found on all insurance providers’ websites, in this case, [redacted].[redacted].
Again, we are confused as to why this suddenly became such an ordeal for this patient, and why she has gone to extraordinary efforts to post an inaccurate negative review online and file a complaint with the Revdex.com.  We are confident in our position that nothing was done inappropriately and have gone out of our way to try to resolve this issue, but with no response.  We will cooperate with any other requests from the Revdex.com for more information.
With Respect,
Dr. [redacted], OD
President, Arizona Red
Mountain Eyecare, P.C.

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.

Provider did not, at any time during my visit, disclose the additional contact lense fee.  I went for a routine eye exam.  I was not told about the contact lense fitting fee at any time.  I have no issue that the fee was charged, if reasonable and customary.  What my entire complain is regarding, is that the fee was not disclosed to me during the office visit and it should be. I also took exception to the way the office staff handled this in responding by their defensive stance regarding charging this fee.  Had they really had customer service in mind, they could have offered to refund the fee.  That would have resolved the issue. 

I feel that they should review these fees, up front, with any customer who will require additional services in order to receive a prescription from their office.  That way, the customer has the opportunity to make an informed decision PRIOR to any work being done.  Do not make any assumptions.

Honestly, I am surprised that they did not offer to refund the fee and let it go at that. 

I have updated my [redacted] review to the following: 

This is the office of Dr. [redacted], of whom I have been a patient for at least 5 years.

I recently had an eye exam with his office. Dr. [redacted]'s staff did not disclose, at any time, that there would be an additional fee for a contact lense fitting, above and beyond the routine eye exam.  

I have may have been charged this fee in the past, in connection with purchasing contact lenses, which would be fine. I believe his office staff assumed I would purchase from them.  I did not purchase contact lenses from Dr. [redacted], only saw him for the eye exam.

I don't object that there was an additional fee.  My complaint rather, is that this information was never disclosed, at any time, while I was there.  Additionally, when I called to lodge my complaint, they explained their right to charge the fee.  That wasn't my complaint in the first place.

I believe they have a right to charge this fee, BUT, they need to disclose it during the patient's visit so the patient can make an informed decision as to whether they want to move forward or not.  I was not given that option during my visit.

Regards,

[redacted] has been coming to our office since 2009.  At each visit, she has received a new contact lens prescription.  As directed by all insurance companies for billing purposes, the tests and extra time involved with the fitting and assessment of contact lenses are...

considered separate from a ‘routine’ eye examination, and as such, are billed as a separate fee.  This fee is talked about in all patients’ explanation of benefits provided by their insurance companies, and is reviewed with the patient in our office before running any credit card.  This fee has been shown on this patient’s receipts since 2009, and we have mailed her copies of all her previous receipts.  She was checked out by our office manager, [redacted], who specifically talked to her about the contact lens fitting portion of her bill before running her credit card.  If the patient had refused to pay the amount (even though we had already rendered services) we would not have charged her the fitting fee and she would not have received a contact lens prescription.  This patient has received a renewed contact lens prescription.  As this patient has been wearing contact lenses for many years, she would be cognizant of the fact that ALL eye care providers charge a separate fee for contact lens fitting services, whether in a private practice setting or a retail store (ex.[redacted] or [redacted]).

Insurance companies do allow the fitting fee to be applied towards the material benefit when purchasing contact lenses.  For example, if the insurance company will cover $100 towards the purchase of contacts, they do allow the $38.25 in this case to come out of the $100, leaving the patient with $61.75 going to the cost of the contacts themselves.  This might have explained some of the confusion if she had previously bought contacts the same day and used her contact lens material benefit to cover the fitting fee (even though it is always reviewed in the office and shows up on her receipts as a separate item).  But, in fact, she has never used her material benefit from us. 

We STRONGLY protest the accusation that the patient was unaware of the $38.25 contact lens fitting fee until she went home.  It would not make any sense for our office to try to ‘sneak’ extra charges onto a bill, give the patient a copy of the receipt showing the ‘surprise’ fees, and have them sign it.  It is our explicit policy to go out of our way to review fees before charging for them, and our office manager, [redacted], remembers doing so with this patient.

This is a sad and uncommon event for us.  We try very hard to treat all our patients with kindness and make sure our fees are below the average for our area (see proof below).  This patient has been coming to us for years, receiving the same conscientious care at each visit; there was nothing new about her last visit to our office.  This patient has also posted a negative review of our office on [redacted] with a great deal of misinformation in it, even inappropriately naming an employee.  She states she was charged $110 for her exam and $48.25 for her contact lens fitting, both of which are false.  The total charged to her credit card was $48.25—$10 for the ‘routine’ exam and $38.25 for the contact lens fitting.  As of today, Friday November 14th, she has not corrected her review and will not answer our attempts to contact her by phone or email.  In her review she implies this bad experience prompted her to request a copy of her contact lens prescription so she could purchase them from somewhere else, as if she didn’t want to financially support us, when in fact she NEVER has purchased them from us. 

Since she will not reply to us, and has gone out of her way to do us harm, we contacted her insurance company, [redacted]).  [redacted] noted that not only was she billed correctly, but her ‘copay’ for the contact lens fitting was approved for $60, and that we had actually charged $15 less than we could have (she gets a 15% discount on the billed amount, so the $45 fee is reduced to the $38.25).  [redacted] has said she needs to call them and review the charges; not only will they show she was billed correctly, but for LESS than what is considered an acceptable amount by [redacted].

We are happy to provide copies of past receipts to the Revdex.com, although we would need this patient’s signed approval to do so.  We also can provide a copy of the email that was sent to her, but again would need approval.  An explanation of the contact lens fitting fee can be found on all insurance providers’ websites, in this case, [redacted].[redacted].

Again, we are confused as to why this suddenly became such an ordeal for this patient, and why she has gone to extraordinary efforts to post an inaccurate negative review online and file a complaint with the Revdex.com.  We are confident in our position that nothing was done inappropriately and have gone out of our way to try to resolve this issue, but with no response.  We will cooperate with any other requests from the Revdex.com for more information.

With Respect,

Dr. [redacted], OD

President, Arizona Red

Mountain Eyecare, P.C.