I went to see Dr Ken Cornell at the Round Rock location earlier this summer. I was diagnosed with a plantar wart. Before we proceeded, I asked him if there would be any extra charges. He told me that my $20 co-pay would cover everything. I was also told the same thing by another ARC staff member.
I recently received a bill for $131 charging me for the plantar wart treatment. I submitted an inquiry to the Billing Department, who told me that I am responsible for paying whatever balance is due.
In other words, I was told one by ARC staff upon my doctor's visit, and was charged more after the fact.
Although I now understand that I am responsible for finding out how much my PPO will cover beforehand, there is no way to know what kind of treatment I will get until I am at the doctor's office. The staff should know better than to tell patients that their co-pay will cover things that don't wind up getting covered - if that is against their policy (according to the Billing Dept). I will be switching clinics because of this snafu.
Pros: none
Cons: Staff do not adhere to policies regarding billing
Posted 07/19/09
