This is a response by Dr Baune to the previous post by Kat M. I responded to Kat's post with a personal letter rather than through the internet because I feel that it is more professional to handle these types of issues directly with the individual. Therefore, I wrote her a personal letter (copy below). After receiving this letter, Kat left a message saying I would need to contact her and that the 'ball was now in my court'. To date, I have called and left messages but have not been able to reach her. Therefore I decided to post my letter in its entirety to help patients and prospective patients who read her post understand our side of the issue. Thank you for reading and looking at this issue fairly. To date, she has not provided us with the specific site where she supposedly found my name listed as a provider.
November 1, 2010
Dear Kat,
I decided to write you a personal letter because I feel that it is best to try to work out issues between us personally, instead of over the public forum. I found your comments posted on the YELP website and, frankly, I was shocked, which is what I think your intention was. I am sorry that your experience at my office was less than optimal. I have spoken to my staff and we have taken steps to insure that this kind of thing never happens again. My goal is that everyone who enters my office is taken care of at every step of the way, so, for that, I am grateful for your feedback and criticisms.
I am also sorry that we could not continue to provide you with the high quality chiropractic care that I am known for, and I hope that you have found someone you are comfortable with.
Just so you know, it has been my policy for over 30 years to build my practice through patient satisfaction and individual referral. In the past, I have participated in a small number of provider panels, however found that their regulations are too restrictive and I could not provide the level of service that I thought my patients deserved. I no longer participate in any provider panels that I know of, but I do work with my patients and their insurance company to seek payment and/or reimbursement, and try to make my care as affordable as possible. Therefore it was surprising to me and my staff when you said you saw my name listed as a provider. This is not to say that it can't happen, because the insurance company rules and regulations are very complicated these days, and sometimes a doctor can be listed without his knowledge or conscious consent. Also, some insurance companies do not update their sites and it is possible that you could have seen an old list.
Therefore, it would be helpful for me to know the specific site where you found my name posted as a provider for your insurance company. I personally went on your insurance company's official website and they list three doctors in this area who are providers, none of which is me. Of course, if I can confirm that I still have an agreement with any insurance company, I will gladly honor that agreement until such time as I can terminate my agreement with them.
I also want you to know that I pride myself at having an efficient, competent, and friendly staff that put the patient's needs first. There are times when we can be overwhelmed however, especially with all the changes happening in our office over the last few months. I ask for your understanding in this and it is my hope that we can restore some level of trust with you.
I have not spent a lot of time on the internet with these types of sites, and it seems that a negative comment like this can be detrimental to ones reputation. I am sure that, over time, there will be enough positive comments to outweigh the negative ones, but for now, I would like you to remove it, especially since there is still a question as to my participation with your insurance carrier. Therefore, I respectfully request that you either take your comment off YELP, or write a retraction until a time when we can verify the information regarding my provider status.
Thank You,
Donald Baune, D.C. read more
