***UPDATE***:
We spoke at length with the billing department at Gail's location. Upon further discussion, it seems like Gail is at fault with the billing, and not the business operations/billing folks.
The way it was explained to us and how I understand it is as follows. My wife went into the well-woman's exam - this is FULLY COVERED by our insurance. During the course of the exam, Gail provided some consultative advice - this is NOT COVERED. So because she gave us a few words, she is now charging us $200+ for her supreme wisdom. Fucking ridiculous. Do not go here - not worth the stress and headache. Apparently, if you go in for a checkup/exam, you are only entitled to the output of the exam - any advice you get from that output is chargeable. No wonder people hate healthcare in America.
Original Review:
I wish I could rate the doctor separately from the business. As a medical professional, Gail Delasho is excellent. Great bedside manner and seems to be well versed in her medical practice.
The business operations however, are trash. We chose Gail because she was covered in our insurance network. My wife went in for her annual checkup, and we left with a great sense of customer satisfaction. Fast forward a week or so and we receive a bill in the mail for over $300, DESPITE the fact that our insurance covers the annual exam.
We call our insurance to see what occured, and apparently the folks managing Gail's patient records coded the visit as something other than an annual well woman's exam, which indicated to our insurance provider that it was an uncovered visit.
Naturally, we call Gail's office to discuss this. We receive word that they will look into it and adjust. Move forward a few weeks, and what do we see? Another bill in the mail with a slight adjustment on the outstanding balance, but still an outstanding balance of over $200.
We call Gail's office again and argue about this. We're given assurances that they will update the code and work with our insurance provider to have the balance and remittance process worked out. We ask multiple times if there's any action needed on our end, and we are told that nothing is needed - Gail's team will update the paperwork and work with our insurance provider to ensure they get the billing info sorted out.
We thought this was the end of the saga - in fact, many months pass with no contact. But of course, dealing with unethical medical billing practictioners is never that easy. MONTHS later, we receive another bill stating our balance is past due and that we owe, surprise surprise, an outstanding balance of over $200.
Today we called the practice to get this sorted out, and again we have been given the run around. Shareice (forgive my spelling), a lady who presumably works the front desk, says she will take care of this issue within 5 business days, but I have no faith in this front office to get shit done that they state they will when we've been given false promises in the past. I'm compelled to write this review because it has now been nearly SEVEN months since our visit and we're still dealing with this stupid issue. The sad part is, we enjoyed having Gail as a provider, but because of these unethical billing practices and ridiculous amount of time/energy/stress expended on sorting this billing ordeal, we don't know if we will go back to her again.
I know this is a long review, but I write it as a cautiounary tale for those of you considering Gail. And before you think I misperceive how medical insurance works, know that my father is a doctor and I am fully aware of the business side of how doctors earn their revenues/the doctor-patient-insurance provider relationship. What this office is doing is unethical - in order to generate more revenue for the practice, they are attempting to skirt insurance coverage by stating that they performed different services than those actually rendered so they are able to directly bill a larger portion of the balance to the patient instead of the insurance provider. Strategically, they do this because it is easier to bill, collect and deal with individuals (i.e. patients) than it is with large insurance companies. However, this is not our problem - Gail made the conscious decision to participate in our insurance network. If she/her team is struggling with billing and collecting from the network, that doesn't give them the right to go after patients' money.
Again, the amount of time and energy we have spent on this is quite ridiculous and is worth much more than the $200+ we are being billed for. But I write this as a cautiounary tale - do not let doctors/business's like Gail's take advantage of you. Think twice before choosing to go here... I will be following up with Gail after the 5 business day promise to see if this issue has been rectified and will update this post accordingly. read more
