Valerie H. on Birdeye a year ago
11/17/2021, 17:30 PM
STOP! DO NOT SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT UNTIL YOU READ THIS!!!!! I have gone to Davis Family Dentistry for the last 3 years. After switching employers I was enrolled in a different insurance plan. Because I was in the area, I decided to physically stop in to have them check my coverage. Since I had not yet received my insurance card they were able to quickly look me up in the computer to verify my insurance. "Yes, Ms. Harrell we've verified your insurance and your company reimburses at 100%, would you like to make your next appt?" I scheduled my appointment which included the usual X-rays, routine cleaning and exam performed by Laurie, the hygienist and Dr. Davis who have always been wonderful. A couple of weeks ago, I received a bill for $100. When I called for an explanation, that's when Sharon (the same person who verified my insurance), then told me they were NOT contracted with Aetna and they were "out of network". When they verified my insurance, they knew I had Aetna and NEVER told me they were "out of network". In my opinion, this is called "lying by omission". I called back to speak with Carolyn, the practice manager. I told her I felt like they did me a disservice by not being fully transparent about being "out of network" knowing there'd be out of pocket expenses in my part. She said that it was not their responsibility to tell me whether they were in or out of network. Wow! Didn't expect that. Since I had been a regular patient (twice/yr for the last 3 yrs) and clearly this had to be a misunderstanding, I felt comfortable asking if they could meet me half way meaning I pay $50 instead of $100 (considering it would've been $0 with an "in network" provider). Carolyn replied, "No, we can't do that". When I asked to speak with Dr. Davis her response was, "Dr. Davis doesn't talk to patients. That's what he pays me for". I continued to explain what initially transpired and how this was totally wrong and completely unfair. She sd, "You are being confrontational and I'm not gonna sit here and answer the same questions over and over again" then, she hung up on me! Didn't expect that either. You would never have known I was a regular patient there for the past 3 years. I called back and again, asked to speak with Dr. Davis. They told me they had already spoken with him and the best they could do was take $20 off my bill. A $20 discount is certainly not enough to compensate for lies and deception. I told Sharon this would cost them far more than $100. My words exactly were "Dr. Davis is going to lose 3 clients (Me plus my 2 referrals) and get a negative review, you think he'd be ok with that?" Her response was, "Yes". If this is is their office policy/protocol to mislead patients by verifying their insurance, telling them they're covered at 100% and not mention the important detail surrounding "out of network" then they don't deserve my business or that of my friends. I have since paid my balance, my neighbor cancelled her son's appointment and we will ALL be switching dentists immediately. They do not deserve our business, however, they DO deserve every word of this NEGATIVE review!!!!! #honestyisthebestpolicy