Are you Being Overcharged for Vein Treatment?
August 13, 2013
South Florida is a wonderful place to live, offering year-round outdoor weather and sports, a wonderful nightlife and a very diverse population. And with our wide range of residents comes a large spectrum of vein problems, which is why there are so many “vein clinics” and “Phlebology” offices throughout the tri-county area.
With such a large community of medical providers, which doctor should you choose to evaluate and treat your vein problems? In a past blog, I wrote about our credentials and experience that make the Kimmel Institute a top medical provider in the area of vein disease, and I encourage you to read through the information. However, in this communication, I’d like to address the financial implications of your treatment choices – and the key word here is “choice”.
I very recently had a patient come to see me a few weeks after going to a franchised vein clinic. At this time, she was unaware of the choices available to her. In fact, her insurance only covered 60% of her charges at the other office. She paid cash out of pocket for each and every appointment, even though those charges are normally covered by insurance. As a result, she paid thousands of dollars more for her vein treatment than she would have at the Kimmel Institute, since the other doctor was “out of network” with her insurance provider.
At the Kimmel Institute, our fees are not only reasonable, but we participate with a large network of insurance providers, and our staff discusses all expected costs with the patients before the treatments are performed. We also are unique in that we diligently work with your insurance provider to ensure that all medically necessary procedures are, indeed, covered before performing them.
We strongly encourage any patient needing vein treatment to seek a second opinion with a board certified vascular surgeon (who specializes in vein care) if they are unsure about the credentials/experience of their doctor, think the price quote seems very expensive, or are unhappy with any of the services/procedures provided. When conducting your initial vein treatment research, make sure you are not only checking into the doctor’s/practice’s credentials, but also are asking the staff questions about your insurance coverage and your out-of-pocket costs.
Dr. Richard Kimmel