Are Doctor's Only Focused on Money?

[William33 110]

Getting right on point, the OB/GYN office that we selected, has chosen to put money before service.

Although our baby is expected in late January 2008, and given the fact that the "office" will bill everything in 2008, they are trying to collect 07 and 08 deductibles, to the tune of $600....Huh?

They demanded three payments, of 200+ dollars, before the 6th month of pregnancy.

Somehow, through creative accounting, the three payments add $70 additional unexplained dollars.

I challenged that, and received "double talk", yet acquiesced, to get it done.

Two weeks ago, we sent the first payment and then realized that we forgot my older son's college tuition, totaling $4300+ expenses, first semester, junior year.

Rather than rob other assets that earn income, we chose to "stop payment" on that check, with the low fee of $6.50. Our clear intent was to submit compensating payment shortly thereafter.

To our surprise, we received a "threatening" letter, demanding a $30 returned check fee + the original check amount within 14 days, or else they will turn it over to Police, for possible prosecution.... #######?

Given the fact that I have over 20 years of Law Enforcement experience (most of which was Federal and overseas), I still say ridiculous.....Obviously; they do not understand the law, in that a "stop payment order" is a legally acceptable action. I invite them to move forward on that, as any Law Enforcement entity will not even spend a moment on it.

As a result, we have chosen another OB/GYN for further attention for our baby, resulting in a better hospital for delivery. In fact, this hospital is one of the best children’s hospitals in the country.

What are your thoughts on this? Is this office only focused on money?

More importantly, are they required to turn over the medical “file†to the new doctor?

Edited September 1, 2007 by William33

[William33 110]

Bump....anyone?

[natty bumppo 297]

Bump....anyone?

another view:

they refuse to release your medical records ... and something happens to you or the baby that could have been prevented by reviewing the unreleased medical records ... humm ... not good press for the refusal to send records.

A good place to start will be to place all requests for records in writing with signed delivery confirmation of request

[Aymerlu 3]

Getting right on point, the OB/GYN office that we selected, has chosen to put money before service.

Although our baby is expected in late January 2008, and given the fact that the "office" will bill everything in 2008, they are trying to collect 07 and 08 deductibles, to the tune of $600....Huh?

They demanded three payments, of 200+ dollars, before the 6th month of pregnancy.

Somehow, through creative accounting, the three payments add $70 additional unexplained dollars.

I challenged that, and received "double talk", yet acquiesced, to get it done.

Two weeks ago, we sent the first payment and then realized that we forgot my older son's college tuition, totaling $4300+ expenses, first semester, junior year.

Rather than rob other assets that earn income, we chose to "stop payment" on that check, with the low fee of $6.50. Our clear intent was to submit compensating payment shortly thereafter.

To our surprise, we received a "threatening" letter, demanding a $30 returned check fee + the original check amount within 14 days, or else they will turn it over to Police, for possible prosecution.... #######?

Given the fact that I have over 20 years of Law Enforcement experience (most of which was Federal and overseas), I still say ridiculous.....Obviously; they do not understand the law, in that a "stop payment order" is a legally acceptable action. I invite them to move forward on that, as any Law Enforcement entity will not even spend a moment on it.

As a result, we have chosen another OB/GYN for further attention for our baby, resulting in a better hospital for delivery. In fact, this hospital is one of the best children’s hospitals in the country.

What are your thoughts on this? Is this office only focused on money?

More importantly, are they required to turn over the medical “file†to the new doctor?

Not sure how all OB/GYN clinics operate, but I know my sister-in-law just went through the same thing here. All the expenses, minus what insurance would cover was due by the sixth month of pregnancy. As for the returned check and fee, the medical office I worked in for 11 years did the exact same thing.

[William33 110]

Getting right on point, the OB/GYN office that we selected, has chosen to put money before service.

Although our baby is expected in late January 2008, and given the fact that the "office" will bill everything in 2008, they are trying to collect 07 and 08 deductibles, to the tune of $600....Huh?

They demanded three payments, of 200+ dollars, before the 6th month of pregnancy.

Somehow, through creative accounting, the three payments add $70 additional unexplained dollars.

I challenged that, and received "double talk", yet acquiesced, to get it done.

Two weeks ago, we sent the first payment and then realized that we forgot my older son's college tuition, totaling $4300+ expenses, first semester, junior year.

Rather than rob other assets that earn income, we chose to "stop payment" on that check, with the low fee of $6.50. Our clear intent was to submit compensating payment shortly thereafter.

To our surprise, we received a "threatening" letter, demanding a $30 returned check fee + the original check amount within 14 days, or else they will turn it over to Police, for possible prosecution.... #######?

Given the fact that I have over 20 years of Law Enforcement experience (most of which was Federal and overseas), I still say ridiculous.....Obviously; they do not understand the law, in that a "stop payment order" is a legally acceptable action. I invite them to move forward on that, as any Law Enforcement entity will not even spend a moment on it.

As a result, we have chosen another OB/GYN for further attention for our baby, resulting in a better hospital for delivery. In fact, this hospital is one of the best children’s hospitals in the country.

What are your thoughts on this? Is this office only focused on money?

More importantly, are they required to turn over the medical “file†to the new doctor?

Not sure how all OB/GYN clinics operate, but I know my sister-in-law just went through the same thing here. All the expenses, minus what insurance would cover was due by the sixth month of pregnancy. As for the returned check and fee, the medical office I worked in for 11 years did the exact same thing.

Appreciate the response. With all respect, the aforementioned threats are meaningless, as no laws were ever broken. Let’s focus on a "stop payment" order, a legal move on a check. Can an individual or business take action against it? Nope

In fact, legal action can be brought the other way, for the threat.

This is simply BS, thus, we spun off to a better doctor, servicing a better hospital.

Children’s Mercy – VS - KC North Hospital, with that shitty office manager.

Children’s Mercy is one of the best in the US.

[Ta Ta 1]

Yep, same scenario here when my daughter was pregnant. It is all about the money now thing.

You have to sign a release form and pick up your records or have them send to the new doctor, that is your right.

[Killer_Clown_2009 0]

Did you bother to inform them that you were "stopping" the check? They are entitled to a NSF fee is the check wasn't honored. Is there service poor? Put yourself in their place. They probably get a lot of patients who don't pay their bill, which is why they are agressive about collecting.

[DeadPoolX 9]

To be fair, I think it's wrong to say that physicians in general "only care about the money." Are they interested in money? Of course! Do they like and want to make money? Absolutely! But that doesn't mean that's ALL they're interested in. Some might be, of course, but there are always a few bad apples. You can't accurately judge a profession based on the actions of one or two members of it.

After all, if physicians were truly interested in financial gain (and nothing else), they wouldn't have gone into a field regulated by insurance companies, which pay out whatever they feel is "appropriate" at the time. That can seriously undercut a physician's earning potential. Maybe that doesn't mean a whole lot to you, but there are many other fields of work that the physician could've gone into where he or she wouldn't have had to deal with such intrusion (and actually make what they charge).

It should also be noted that physicians in the OB/GYN speciality tend to have extremely high malpractice insurance, because patients are sue-happy. If a kid is born with a bruise, what do the new parents do? They sue the OB/GYN, that's what! So why should you care about this? Because if an OB/GYN has to shell out somewhere around $200,000 a year in malpractice insurance just to cover his or her own ### from patients who're likely to sue over the drop of a hat, then to make up for the loss in income, he or she will probably attempt to charge more. If you don't like it, then maybe people shouldn't sue so often (and there should be some serious tort reform happening as well).

[Killer_Clown_2009 0]

Theft by Check: A person commits theft when property, services, or cash is obtained by deception through the use of a check which is invalid because of insufficient funds or because the account is closed. In this scenario, the property, services, or cash is exchanged for the invalid check at the time the check is presented. If not, then the scenario is considered an extension of credit only and therefore not a theft case. Further, a theft by check case can also exist when a check writer issues a stop payment order and refuses to either pay the stopped check or return the merchandise within 10 days after proper notice is given.

[Sheriff Uling 3]

*Big Booty Bump*

[William33 110]

Theft by Check: A person commits theft when property, services, or cash is obtained by deception through the use of a check which is invalid because of insufficient funds or because the account is closed. In this scenario, the property, services, or cash is exchanged for the invalid check at the time the check is presented. If not, then the scenario is considered an extension of credit only and therefore not a theft case. Further, a theft by check case can also exist when a check writer issues a stop payment order and refuses to either pay the stopped check or return the merchandise within 10 days after proper notice is given.

Given the fact that we received no "merchandise" and moreover, since they are billing for services largely not yet received, this does not apply.

If I had purchased a television and paid with a check, then placed a "stop payment", this would be stealing.

[Ladylethal 12]

On a semi-unrelated problem here, so you have to pay pretty much everything until the 6th month of pregnancy, what if you have an issue with the OB/GYN then and want to switch doctors after the th month? Will they return the money?

In Brazil we sort of pay in advance, but it's a common practice to divide payment of everything in Brazil, to make it easier. It's like using the credit card to divide payment, but without paying the interest.

So in a pregnancy, people might coordinate with the OB/GYN to pay in montly installments of a certain quantity, starting with their first visit, up to the 9th month. I personally like dealing with things like that.

[Caladan 19]

Did you bother to inform them that you were "stopping" the check? They are entitled to a NSF fee is the check wasn't honored. Is there service poor? Put yourself in their place. They probably get a lot of patients who don't pay their bill, which is why they are agressive about collecting.

I think this is probably the whole story, William. You agreed to pay them an amount in advance; you then stopped payment on the check rather than pull money out of your other assets. That's a pretty typical transaction, even though you're paying your fee up front. (You probably pay-in-advance for your cell phone, too.)

You of course, intend to pay your bill. But they don't know that. All they see is a bill that didn't get paid when it was agreed to be paid, and they generated an automatic collection notice.

You should be able to have your medical records transferred. They're your records.

[William33 110]

On a semi-unrelated problem here, so you have to pay pretty much everything until the 6th month of pregnancy, what if you have an issue with the OB/GYN then and want to switch doctors after the th month? Will they return the money?

In Brazil we sort of pay in advance, but it's a common practice to divide payment of everything in Brazil, to make it easier. It's like using the credit card to divide payment, but without paying the interest.

So in a pregnancy, people might coordinate with the OB/GYN to pay in montly installments of a certain quantity, starting with their first visit, up to the 9th month. I personally like dealing with things like that.

Good question, I wondered about that also. I guess they would be required to refund unearned payments.

Doctors should be required to bill incrementally, on the basis of services provided.

In our case, the entire service, from pre-natal to delivery, will be billed to the insurance in 2008. However, they prefer to collect any applicable deductible amounts in advance, because of past experience with non payment by others. Although the services spread across two years, the bill will not be presented to insurance until 2008. This is our issue. We believe that only one deductible ($300) applies, because $0 is being billed in 2007.

[Ladylethal 12]

I wouldn't know much about what amount would be fair, since like I said, if in private care we pay the whole sum divided in the 9th months (sometimes even more months depending on the arrangement with the doctor) to make it easier on our pockets, or if using insurance, we don't pay a thing. Period.