Optometrist Did A Procedure After I Refused, Then Billed Me For It.

Location: Lancaster, Pennsylvania

Hey y'all,

This is kind of a small potatoes issue compared to some of the other issues I see on this sub, but it still isn't sitting right with me.

So last August I went to the optometrist for a routine visit. At the start of the visit, they asked me if I wanted to do an Optomap procedure, which was an additional $40. It was optional, and I refused. The eye exam continued, and what was unknown to me at the time, since I'm not an optometrist, is that they did do the Optomap.

I would have never known if they hadn't then sent me a bill for it. Lucky for me, I had snapped a picture of the consent form they gave me, where I had marked the box declining the procedure. I had wanted to look up the details about what an optomap was, to see if it's something I should consider in future visits. I've been calling the office for a week since I got the bill, and they finally returned my call today. When I voiced my concern about the bill, they at first were just confirming that they did do the optomap. When I was insistent that I didn't consent, they put me on hold for a moment, then came back and said that the technician must not have scanned in the consent form, and so they were taking the charge off my account since they couldn't say if I consented to it or not.

But that isn't really my concern, and I voiced that to them. The concern is that they're asking for consent, and I refused consent, and they did it anyway. That got me kicked up to the office manager.

The office manager told me that even if I refuse the optomap, sometimes the doctor orders it done anyway in place of dilation. And the kicker, what's really got a bee in my bonnet, is she said "you don't get to make that decision. It's a medical decision that's left up to the doctor. They get to choose what's done and if the fee is waved or not." So I asked again, if the doctor chooses to do this and wave the fee, why did I get a bill? She told me the bill was sent by mistake. She reiterated that I shouldn't be concerned since they had lost the consent form and removed the charge. That's when I told her I had a copy of the form. There was a tone change after that, and she got me off the phone as soon as possible.

So now here I am wondering how often the doctor "waives the fee?" How often is the consent form lost? How often is a bill sent by mistake? How often do people pay bills without questioning them? And if the doctor gets to waive the fee if they think the procedure is necessary, why was I ever asked if I was interested in paying for the procedure in the first place?

This may all be a big pile of nothing. Or me putting on my tinfoil hat a little too tightly. A $40 per person bill isn't a massive scam, but I could see it adding up? For me at the moment, I'm not paying for the procedure, so I'm not sure I even have a dog in this fight. I'm just very uncomfortable with everything I'm being told here.