Legal Question in Medical Malpractice in Florida
disputing a doctor bill
I went to a dr. to discuss removing 2 sternum wires from open heart surgery, 2 have been removed due to fraying. The Dr. said he would do it, I asked if he would fill out my FMLA paperwork since I would be out of work for more than 3 days. He had 13 days to fill it out & charged me $10.00. 21 days later I received the paperwork stating I could return to work the next day. I called him and said I didn't feel comfortable with that, he told me to find another surgeon, I replied OK. This was 13 days before the surgery date. He is know billing me $200.00 for a cancellation, his reply was he has overhead to pay for. He also sent me a letter saying if I called about the bill they would send me to collections. Can I dispute this? If you have a question about a bill can they send you to collections for asking about it? Thanks for your help.
2 Answers from Attorneys
Re: disputing a doctor bill
Yes. Send him a letter disputing the bill and the reason therefore.
Re: disputing a doctor bill
Sure, the bill may be sent to a collection agency for recovery efforts. Send the physician a letter disputing the charge. If a collection agency contacts you, request written verification of the charge within 30 days of such contact. If you did not agree to any such fee, you should not be forced to pay it. Review any and all papers provided to you by the doctor's office, including any that you may have signed or initialed. If the $200.00 fee was disclosed, then you may have a problem. If it was not disclosed, then you may prevail. Either way, ask yourself whether it's worth fighting and find out whether your health insurance carrier covers the charge. Good luck.
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