Dental care

Location of service provider: Spring Hill, FL

The title of this true story: Laughing Gas Sky-High Overcharges are No Laughing Matter.

I was 73 when I had moved to a new area in SW Florida. I had an abscessed and inflamed canine tooth that was giving me excruitiating pain. After obtaining the name of Jeffrey A. Hameroff, DDS, from my Federal health insurer's directory of participating dentists, I visited his office in nearby Spring Hill. He performed an oral exam, took X-rays, gave me a prescription, provided a written proposal and refused to extract the tooth and treat me on an emergency basis. I had met him for about 10 minutes or so.

He had not disclosed to me that he was a periodontist, dba Periodontal Therapy Center. Nor did he disclose that he would use laughing gas for the extraction. I paid him $20 for the uncovered prescription charge, left his office with his proposal in hand as well as with the same unabated pain that I had when I had first arrived. He had breach the Hippocratic Oath he had taken to alleviate the pain of his patient, first and foremost and immediately.

I discovered the true nature of his practice when I had arrived back home and read his proposal. He would make me wait two days before he would extract the tooth. His charge: $200. Cleaning charge: $1,000 or almost $100 per tooth (I wear upper and lower partials).

I immediately cancelled the scheduled appointment, because of the exorbitant costs and all of my previous dentists had used Novocain, not anesthesia. His office manager became upset and broke her promise to call me right back to let me know whether the dentist would waive the use of laughing gas. I made an appointment with my regular dentist for the next day.

My dentist extracted the tooth for $96. He charged $30 for the exam , $12 for the x-rays and $55 for the cleaning. That's $193, contrasted to Dr. Hameroff's $1,200--a bill that was 600% higher than my dentist's.

Dr. Hameroff broke his agreement with my Federal insurer, by charging it $45 over and above pre-agreed-upon charges. He also tried to collect the $20 prescription charge he knew was not covered. I refused to pay the remaining charges of $53.50 and appealed these overcharges on claim #4111722385-00.

I also filed a complaint with the Florida Department of Health, claim #200433164., and have asked the department to re-open the case, based upon new information discover this past January. After taking a tax-write-off, he defrauded IRS by reducing his tax liability at the same time he tried to collect the charge-off through the Medical Benefits Consultants collection agency, located in Largo, FL. Dr. Hameroff provided MBC with false, misleading or fraudulent information and withheld the fact that I had disputed his alleged debt.

MBC had flagrantly violated the Federal Fair Debt Collection Act, by trying inter alia to collect a disputed debt, so I filed a complaint against it (number pending). MBC also reported false, fraudulent or misleading information to the three national credit reporting agencies. I have filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission who enforces the FDCA.

Bottom line: Stay away from vindictive bait & switch con-artists whose laughing gas sky-high overcharges are no laughing matter.

DKS

2-28-07