Doctor wants my credit card on file and auth to automatically charge a minimum of up to $100

[Anonymous]

Took my kid to the pediatrician the other day. Their new office policy is to have parents authorize them to charge a credit card on file. I don’t love this policy, but I was going to go with it. I wrote that they could charge up to $20, which more than covers my co-pay. I took the form to the desk and was told that the minimum is $100. I pushed back, explaining that I have very good insurance with a low co-pay and I would want to know that I was being charged any more than $20 before they took that action. I was told that the office manager would be calling me.

I’m inclined to stand my ground, because I have been billed erroneously doctor’s offices, and once they have your money it’s hard to get it back. This hasn’t happened with this office, but I don’t even autobill my utilities.

When all is said and done, we really like our pediatrician. I’m trying to decide it it’s worth it to give on this if they say we are out of the practice if we don’t authorize this.

[Anonymous]

Sorry, didn’t actually pose my question: what would you do in this scenario?

[Anonymous]

Our local urgent care does this. It sucks, but at 11 pm with a feverish child...

I wouldn’t put up with it from a regular pediatrician though.

[Anonymous]

I would only do this on an AMEX. Or give them a card you rarely use and call that card company to drop the daily limit to $100. I would not trust that this will not go badly at some point. Not sure it’s legal either, if they take insurance.

[Anonymous]

That's hard. If I really like pediatrician - I would probably do it. It's hard to find a doctor I trust my children's health with.
As an option to get charges back - you can get it contested with credit card company if needed

[Anonymous]

No. Thta's extremely rude.

No doctor has ever done this to us, and I would let them know that I find this quite offensive.

[Anonymous]

What if you didn't have a credit card? Our urgent care place tried to get me to do that. I refused.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would only do this on an AMEX. Or give them a card you rarely use and call that card company to drop the daily limit to $100. I would not trust that this will not go badly at some point. Not sure it’s legal either, if they take insurance.

Just talked to my insurance company. They said there is nothing in their contract that would disallow it.

[Anonymous]

Our pediatrician recently implemented this policy (maybe we go to the same place). I'm fine with it because they've never billed us incorrectly. Also, it's a ped not a specialist so the charges are all very straightforward. We also have "very good coverage" and we have still ended up with bills over $20 (i.e. the time they saw our daughter with less than 10 minutes notice because she had breathing difficulty and gave us a nebulizer to use at home that evening to keep her airways open).

[Anonymous]

He's not that into you. Are you a bad patient? Not paying up in time? No show for appointments?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our pediatrician recently implemented this policy (maybe we go to the same place). I'm fine with it because they've never billed us incorrectly. Also, it's a ped not a specialist so the charges are all very straightforward. We also have "very good coverage" and we have still ended up with bills over $20 (i.e. the time they saw our daughter with less than 10 minutes notice because she had breathing difficulty and gave us a nebulizer to use at home that evening to keep her airways open).

Did they send you a bill, or did you pay when the doctor saw you?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our pediatrician recently implemented this policy (maybe we go to the same place). I'm fine with it because they've never billed us incorrectly. Also, it's a ped not a specialist so the charges are all very straightforward. We also have "very good coverage" and we have still ended up with bills over $20 (i.e. the time they saw our daughter with less than 10 minutes notice because she had breathing difficulty and gave us a nebulizer to use at home that evening to keep her airways open).

Did they send you a bill, or did you pay when the doctor saw you?

They sent a bill because they had to wait for the insurance co to tell them what the payment would be for the DME.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our pediatrician recently implemented this policy (maybe we go to the same place). I'm fine with it because they've never billed us incorrectly. Also, it's a ped not a specialist so the charges are all very straightforward. We also have "very good coverage" and we have still ended up with bills over $20 (i.e. the time they saw our daughter with less than 10 minutes notice because she had breathing difficulty and gave us a nebulizer to use at home that evening to keep her airways open).

Did they send you a bill, or did you pay when the doctor saw you?

They sent a bill because they had to wait for the insurance co to tell them what the payment would be for the DME.

Should clarify we paid the regular sick office visit copay at the time of the visit. It was just the nebulizer we paid for after the fact.

[Anonymous]

Find a new doc

[Anonymous]

Our ped has new forms too and told me "its my way or the highway." We chose the highway, even though we've been with the ped since the kids were born. I don't sign contracts I don't agree with.