This ENT practice is owned by the husband, Dr Vadapalli, of one of the pediatricians at the…read morepractice we see for our son. This is who they recommended for a possible ear infection.
The appointment scheduler started setting up a new patient profile, but midway through, I asked her to let me know what availability they had before we were added as a new patient.
She said he could be seen this week, but Dr Vadapalli requires a separate hearing test before the first doctor visit, and if it's not covered by insurance, it can cost $250 to $500 in addition to the visit. I told her that makes no sense to do a hearing test before his ears were cleaned out, instead of after, because I'd want to know if his hearing was affected AFTER any wax buildup was flushed. I said I would agree to a same day hearing test, but wanted it done after the visit, because any wax should be cleaned first, and I'd want to know if we were in network prior. The policy was strict, but only with that doctor, so I asked to make an appointment with another doctor, instead, who wasn't available until next week.
As she's completing the patient profile, I started reading through these reviews, so I asked to let me know if we were in network. I gave her our insurance information, and she confirmed we were in network for the doctor visit, but someone else would call me back to let me know if a hearing test would be in network.
I asked her if they charged $250 instead of the insurance copayment, and she said they did not.
After the new patient profile was completed, and we'd made the appointment, she said I had to give my credit card information. I told her I'd pay the copay when I arrived, but was not leaving my financial info. She said the card was needed to charge a $250 deposit, which would be refunded when insurance paid.
I asked why she'd just told me they don't charge $250, only to say they actually do charge $250, and that she'd already confirmed I was in network. She said their policy is strict. I actually would be charged $250, before the visit.
I cancelled the appointment.
I have no idea how the doctors themselves are, but there are way too many red flags with their billing, and that required hearing test before blocked ears were cleaned.