Questionable billing practices
First, I never would have gone to Epiphany Dermatology had I known it was a large corporate operation with locations everywhere.
When I made my appointment, I was told the office visit would cost $200. No problem. I arrived on time, was called back quickly, and spent about 20 minutes with the doctor. During the examination, the doctor found two spots that needed to be biopsied.
I should have asked what the biopsies would cost—that part is on me. However, I also believe the doctor or staff should have been upfront about the additional charges before performing the procedures.
At checkout, I was told the total was $400. I paid it without an issue. Later, when the biopsy results came back, I asked what it would cost to have the spots removed and was quoted $800 each. Again, no problem.
Here is where the problem began: About two weeks later, I received another bill for $200. When I called billing, I was told that the original $200 office-visit payment had been applied toward the biopsies instead.
That is not my mistake to correct. I paid exactly what their staff told me was owed at the time of my visit. The billing representative offered to reduce the additional bill by $100, but that still does not address the issue. They handle these transactions five days a week for countless patients, so they should be able to provide accurate charges and correctly apply payments.
Because of these questionable billing practices, I will not return to Epiphany Dermatology. Had this not happened, they likely would have received another $1,600 or more from me for the two removal procedures. Instead, they lost both that revenue and a future patient.