Doc office wants CC on file??

[NYCDiane]

Okay, I finally have health coverage (got it back in October) and I'm seeing all the docs I need to see to get all my issues taken care of. Everything was going great until I called to make an appointment with this one doctor. He's a specialist in the field I need and is very well-respected in the field. He's basically at the top of his field and that's why I chose to see him.

I go to his online appointment portal and make the appointment. About 15 minutes later, I get a call from his office. The woman wants to confirm the appointment and takes my insurance info. My insurance requires a $35 co-pay and that's it. I'm not supposed to be paying anything else. Well, she tells me she needs to have credit card on file "in case the insurance company doesn't pay the full amout, they can just charge my card". I told her I am extremely uncomfortable with this and there's no reason to charge me for something the insurance should cover. If there are any out of the ordinary tests or procedures, they are supposed to get pre-authorization before performing anything. She insists that I have a card on file if I want the appointment. I gave her my debit card number but, after thinking about it more and after speaking to my insurance company, I went to my bank, cancelled that card and got a new one issued. I explained to the man at the bank what transpired and he said it's a smart idea to get a new card and they won't be able to charge anything to the other card since it's now cancelled.

When I spoke to my insurance company, they told me there is no way I should have to pay anything at all other than the required co-pays. Nothing. I even spoke with a manager. They told me that if a provider has a billing issue, they are supposed to take it up with the insurance company and not with the patient. They also said all doctors who have a contract with them agree to a certain amount of payment for visits, procedures, etc. and cannot charge in excess of that.

Has anyone else had an issue like this??? This is crazy!! I don't want to cancel the appointment because I need a true specialist for my issue but I also don't feel comfortable with the $$ situation. I even purchased a money order for the co-pay rather than give a check because I don't want them having my checking account info lest they decide to charge me for something.

 

[NYCDiane]

bump.... just hoping to get some input on this......

 

[LisaNJ25]

I have never come across that. At this point if you still want to see the doctor I wouldn't tell them you canceled that card and just let them keep in "it on file"

 

[disneylove69]

Never let anyone have the ability to charge your credit card at will!!!!! I have never heard of a doctor wanting it on file. I know doctors want payment at time of service. I would talk to your doctor personally and let him know how you feel. If your concerns are not taken to heart then you may want to look at getting a different doctor. My dentist has automatic payment withdrawl from my account but that was something I agreed to since I couldn't pay for my braces up front.

 

[princessmom29]

It is standard procedure for many high dollar specalists in our area, particularly dermo and plastics, but they do not charge directly on the card unless you set it up that way. They bill you and only use the card after you are 30 days delinquent. I think the docs office is probably going to be ticked and potentally drop you as a patient when they find out you gave them what is now a bogus cc number. They will likely find out b/c they will run the card for authoization to make sure it is valid before they see you. I think you should either let them have the cc info on file or find another doc. It is never a good idea to lie to the doctor's office.

 

[NYCDiane]

I have never come across that. At this point if you still want to see the doctor I wouldn't tell them you canceled that card and just let them keep in "it on file"

I'm definitely not telling them I cancelled the card. Let them keep it "on file". LOL!!

 

[NYCDiane]

Never let anyone have the ability to charge your credit card at will!!!!! I have never heard of a doctor wanting it on file. I know doctors want payment at time of service. I would talk to your doctor personally and let him know how you feel. If your concerns are not taken to heart then you may want to look at getting a different doctor. My dentist has automatic payment withdrawl from my account but that was something I agreed to since I couldn't pay for my braces up front.

Yes! I absolutely plan on discussing this with him and let him know how I feel about it. If he gives me a hard time about it, I will definitely find another doctor. There is another specialist I was considering but she's not affiliated with the hospital that all my other docs are and I wanted to keep it all in one place, so to speak.

 

[garydeb]

Don't give them your CC!!! My husband did this at the PT office. He had to get special inserts for his shoes. Our insurance told us we only had a $35 co-pay and that is it. Well the PT office charged our CC the differents between the copay and the insurance rate, which was $190!!!! I called the PT office and they said we had to pay the different!!! I went to the insurance company and tey couldn't believe the PT office was trying to get us to pay more than the copay. We had a three way call with the PT Office and the insurance agent starts yelling at the PT Office. Well the insurance office told me to call my insurance company and contest the charge and they would sent me a letter to justify my complaint. I did get my $190 back and never went back to that PT office. About 6 months later I got a letter from my insurance company stating that they have dropped the PT office from their list of clients. So DON'T give your CC to anyone to charge at will.

Good Luck,
Debbie

 

[princessmom29]

I'm definitely not telling them I cancelled the card. Let them keep it "on file". LOL!!

If they run an authorization before they see you they will know and likely cancel the appointment. I would be prepared for that possibility.

 

[NYCDiane]

It is standard procedure for many high dollar specalists in our area, particularly dermo and plastics, but they do not charge directly on the card unless you set it up that way. They bill you and only use the card after you are 30 days delinquent. I think the docs office is probably going to be ticked and potentally drop you as a patient when they find out you gave them what is now a bogus cc number. They will likely find out b/c they will run the card for authoization to make sure it is valid before they see you. I think you should either let them have the cc info on file or find another doc. It is never a good idea to lie to the doctor's office.

This office doesn't do "billing". That's why they want the card on file. They said if you want to be billed, they charge a $25 billing fee in addition to the bill. There should be NO bills since my insurance covers everything. All I have to pay is the co-pay and that gets paid at the time of service.

I don't see this as being "standard practice" anywhere (except maybe a plastic surgeon since most of the time, that's not a medical neccesity). Not one of my other doctors --- NONE, not even the specialists ---- asked to keep a card "on file".

Why would they run the card before seeing me??? I plan on paying them with a money order at the time of the appointment. If I find that they tried to run the card w/o my authorization, I will absolutely find another doc and will file a complaint with my insurance company and whoever else I can file a complaint with.

I'm not leaving my card on file for them to run at will becuase they have an issue with my insurance company's billing. On the office paperwork, it says they will notify you before running the card ONLY IF THE AMOUNT IS OVER $250. Are they crazy? Do they think I'm crazy?? I'm going to leave my card there and let you just run it as YOU see fit?? I don't think so.

 

[soontobewed07]

They should not be doing this! I have worked in medical billing for over 10 years and this is not a common practice. A bill MUST be presented before they can charge the credit card! You can call your state medical board to check on this. Here in MA they are not allowed to charge you until a service has been performed. A co pay is OK but they are not allowed to collect anything further until after the visit!

I would call and ask to speak with the office Manager to make sure this is office practice and if it is I suggest you go somewhere else. I wouldn't want an unethical doctor treating me

 

[Jen_in_NH]

Just be aware, as other posters have told you, that they may run an authorization before your appointment.

I don't know of any offices that require a cc on file before an appointment. Although the pain management groups here seem to require insurance authorization, or payment in full at the time of service.

 

[taylor3297]

If they run an authorization before they see you they will know and likely cancel the appointment. I would be prepared for that possibility.

In order to run an authorization they would need her permission. She only gave them the debit card number to get the appointment, but from what I read didn't imply that they would need to use the number. Also, the doctor's office stated they just needed it on file. They would have to inform her that they would be running an authorization. Since a procedure/service has not been performed, there is no reason to run it. If for some reason they do run it, all the OP needs to say is that they needed to cancel that card. No other reason needs to be given.

If you ever have to have a card on file, do not use a debit card. Only use a credit card.

 

[NYCDiane]

If they run an authorization before they see you they will know and likely cancel the appointment. I would be prepared for that possibility.

And why would they do that??? I plan on paying with a money order (which I've already purchased). There is no need for them to run the card for anything.

 

[~Kathie]

Must be the new thing.

At my mother's cardiologist appointment last week the medical secretary handed me a form to update her records and included with that was a paper for CC info. The statement that accompanied it said it was so people could be charged for missed appointments. My mother is 83, has the beginnings of dementia and had her CC compromised several times within the past 2 years. I take her to all her doctor appointments so she doesn't miss any.

I told but the secretary and the doctor I wasn't comfortable giving out her CC info and why. I asked them what kind of security they had in place to protect that information. Was it under lock and key, would it be kept online, who has access??? The answers...they didn't know!!! Really?????

My mother has been a patient for 3 years, we'll pay if she misses an appointment. I filled out the paper with her name and address and wrote refused on the paper.

I wouldn't tell them you canceled the card either......and if they do go to charge your card you can tell them it was compromised and the bank canceled it.

 

[rentayenta]

NEVER give them your cc info. My daughter is on an extremely expensive medicine, upwards of $6,000 a month and the specialty pharmacy asked us to give them our debit card info to keep on file. I refused. You have the right. She gets her meds. Sometimes the insurance moves a little more slowly then the pharmacy would like but there was no way I was giving them access to my bank account.

 

[tcp_dpm]

Just a thought, but they might have a no show charge. If you sign their paperwork, it might be in the wording. If you don't show for an appointment without cancelling it, they can charge you a fee which IS NOT covered by your insurance. In these hard economic times, no show rates increase and it is lost time and wages for the doctor's office to do the work and then have the patient not show. Also, if you write a check for the copay and it bounces, the doctor is out his copay AND bank fees. This has happened in the past and these people routinely are hard to find after this. Most people bounce checks on accident, but some people do it on purpose.

There is also ALOT of insurance fraud going on out there. If you present with insurance that is not yours, they would charge the card the full fee because you didn't really have insurance. Not saying you would do any of this, but you can't blame a person (doctor) for covering himself if he has been burned in the past.

There is now a federal law which was passed years ago, but just now they are working on the implementation where a person who extends credit to an individual has to have steps in place to prevent identity theft. In the case of doctor's offices, this means insurance fraud and CC fraud. It is the FTC red flags rule (you can look it up). Many groups are arguing whether it extends to doctor's offices or not, but it makes sense to take these steps, regardless. If you have ever been a victim of identity theft, then you would agree with the rules as it takes many, many hours of work to get your good name cleared when you did nothing wrong, but someone decided they wanted to become you to use your credit, insurance, etc. I have been and know what it is like to do that kind of work.

Despite the flowery picture that your insurance company painted to you, there are things that are not covered whether you have a pre-authorization or not. They also routinely will pre-authorize items and then when it comes time to pay, they refuse. If you listen to them very carefully when something is pre-authorized, they will tell you that even though you have jumped through their "hoops", it IS NOT an agreement to pay. Who should eat this? Certainly not the doctor's office as they will do whatever X,Y and Z that the insurance company decides they want done. For instance, if they order a device and the insurance company says they will pay and then they don't: 1. The doctor is out the cost of the device. 2. You have the device but no one has paid the doctor for it.

Chances are, without knowing the integrity of the doctor, your concerns will never come into play. You don't get to be at the top of your field by committing fraud. Eventually a fraudelent doctor would be found out and would no longer be "the best" just based on other people having trouble.

Finally, your insurance is a contract between you and the insurance company. You are giving the doctor what essentially amounts to a "note" (insurance card) from this company that says: "We will pay you for Jane". Some offices will charge you their full fee for services and IF they get paid by the insurance company, they will refund it so they don't get stuck in between you and the insurance company. At my office, we do everything in our power to get things done FOR the patient, but sometimes the patient has to intervene on THEIR OWN BEHALF. Your job is not always done when you give the receptionist your "note"(insurance card).

What if...as you said, you just got the insurance,....you lose the insurance before the visit and aren't aware of it (not uncommon). The doctor submits his bill, is paid and then months later, the insurance company comes back and takes the money back. He is again, out his money. This has happened to me even up to a year later because the visit was on the first of the month and the patient lost their insurance on the last day of the previous month. Whether they chose to ignore this fact or didn't read their paperwork thoroughly, etc. Nobody knows what goes through another's head.

Unfortunately, we live in a time where we cater to the minority and in this case, rules have to be made for the 1 or 2 rule breakers out of 100. People assume that the doctor has more money to "throw" around than they do, so why not put it on their shoulders. It can't be farther from the truth as the average doctor can be $500,000 or more in debt after college, med school, residency, internship and buying a practice. Our back accounts will hit zero at the end of the month just like everyone else.

Again, most of this probably won't come into play as I don't know him or you and can only assume you are both righteous, law abiding citizens, but now you might be able to see why they would ask for a CC to cover themselves and I can also see why you are so leary. You would never know all of this unless you worked on the "other side". If you have friends who work in the medical field, they might say to just do it like I think I just did. When you present for your appointment, voice your fears in a non-confrontational way and they will probably repeat a few of the things I just said.

Sorry for the length of the post, but this question just hit too close to my heart. Routinely, I have a tally of past due balances that total what it would take to pay my mortgage for the year. Most people are good, but the lines we get from these people with past due balances are incredible. People pay their utilities, credit cards, cell phone bills, mortgage and the doctor's bill gets pushed to the bottom of the stack...month after month.

"I'll be out on Friday when I get paid to take care of that balance" never to see them and have to make the phone call again the next month.

 

[Hannathy]

tcp dpm I agree with what you said.

The Dr. is a business and has the right to set the rules for his operation just as Disney can set their rules. If you don't like them then you have the right to not go to him. Either go by his rules or go somewhere else it is pretty plain and simple to me.

 

[NYCDiane]

This had nothing to do with "no show" charges or anything else. It was for BILLING purposes if the insurance didn't pay what they wanted the insurance to pay. There would be no bill sent to me, they would automatically charge my card. If I wanted a bill, there would be a $25 fee for a bill in addition to the bill itself.

TCP, if the insurance gives you an approval and then they don't pay the full amount YOUR OFFICE is supposed to resubmit the bill with an explanation. If it gets denied again, YOUR OFFICE is supposed to appeal. It is not on the patient to pay a bill that the insurance is supposed to cover. If that's the case, then why have insurance?????

The doctor has a contract with the insurance company as well stating he is only supposed to bill "x" amount of dollars for a visit, procedure, or whatever. They also get $35 from the patient for a co-pay. They can't charge more than what they've agreed to charge and then make the patient pay the difference. That, in and of itself, is fraud.

I'm hoping this doctor is on the up and up. I am going to have a long chat with him at my appointment about this and see what he says. If he comes across as shady, I will no longer use him. I've seen several doctors/specialists since I've gotten this insurance in October and I've NEVER had any of them ask to keep a CC on file.

 

[princessmom29]

And why would they do that??? I plan on paying with a money order (which I've already purchased). There is no need for them to run the card for anything.

To insure that they have some way to recieve payment before they treat you, should your insurance not be good, or not cover what they say they will. Most of the time when I have left a credit card on file with a doctor the paperwork said that you agree to allow them to run an authorization on your card to insure validity. Disney does the same thing when you check in and attach a credit card to your account. They don't charge anything, but run the number to make sure it is good. If that is not part of the agreement then they can't do it, but it is standard wording for most such agreements I have read. I would just use a credit card not a debit card and if they do charge you dispute the charge if you really want to see this doc. Otherwise see someone else. If you are that opposed to them having your info and are willingto lie to them to get an appointment you are not likely to set up any degree of trust with these people. I would want to be able to trust my doctor. Especially a specialist. Why in the world would you use a mnoney order to pay a doctor bill?? Are you that concerned about them having any info on you??