Just checking in to see how you are doing

Thanks, Sternchen.

We are doing okay. DD had her renal scan yesterday and from the preliminary read out, it looked good. No tumors on the kidneys. We had the blood drawn yesterday too so I am waiting for the offical results on that.

The comments on this thread helped a lot. We are taking it one day at a time, praying for answers and hoping for the best.

Originally Posted by Sternchen

Just checking in to see how you are doing

Originally Posted by fashion16

Thanks, Sternchen. We are doing okay. DD had her renal scan yesterday and from the preliminary read out, it looked good. No tumors on the kidneys. We had the blood drawn yesterday too so I am waiting for the offical results on that. The comments on this thread helped a lot. We are taking it one day at a time, praying for answers and hoping for the best.

So there is a new update to his whole story. I just got a bill for $2200 from DD's geneticist based on "billable" hours of $300 per hour for research he did on her condition (for which he was not that familiar). I did not tell him to do this nor did he advise me before hand. I am livid and overwhelmed. This is the last thing I need. I am calling the office tomorrow when they open. Has anyone in the US had this happen to them? Insurance isn't covering it b/c it was research and not medical care.

I think that he should have given you an estimate before doing the research. If you went for a blood test or something covered by insurance, and did not ask for research, then I don't think you are obligated to pay for 7 hours of research he decided to do on his own accord.

I would be SO pissed. If the "specialist" was not familiar with your daughter's condition, he should have informed you of the research that would be required or directed you to another physician who was qualified. If you have a heart condition, it is assumed that a cardiologist is trained to treat your heart. A geneticist should be able to diagnose/ treat genetic conditions. You should not be billed for on the job training. Hope you get it straightened out. Good luck!

I agree. What kind of "specialist" was he when he had to research the condition? I would be livid as well, and I would specifically ask why you were not referred to someone who knew what they were doing. You are NOT responsible for covering what a physician has not been trained in, and I would fight this tooth and nail with the physician, the clinic, the insurance company and - if push comes to shove - a medical ethics board or other reporting agency. This is unconscienable.

Was the geneticist who billed you the same one who diagnosed your DD? If so, was the diagnoses done based on his research or an actual type of test? If it's not the latter, I'd suggest you get a second opinion on your LO.

I'm sorry for everything you're going through, and I hope you're able to resolve this billing snafu as soon as possible.

Originally Posted by IBle***range

Was the geneticist who billed you the same one who diagnosed your DD? If so, was the diagnoses done based on his research or an actual type of test? If it's not the latter, I'd suggest you get a second opinion on your LO. I'm sorry for everything you're going through, and I hope you're able to resolve this billing snafu as soon as possible.

The geneticist that billed me us the same one who "diagnosed" her. He was looking up medical journals of the condition while I was in the office, he had an inconclusive diagnosis when I left the office but called me back 2 days later to tell me after "thinking it over" he concluded that she has hemihypertrophy. He has called me at least twice a week since to tell me random things like that he called and spoke to the radiologist who did her CT scan and everything that HE said sounded promising ( even though there is the CT report in the medical file, he calls to advise me that he typed up the clinical notes from the first and only office visit I have had with him an sending to me "for my records".......then I get the summary and he had quoted me in the write up completely wrong stating things like "mother stated child is not grasping for toys like expected for this age" when I told him that she actually is doing those things so I call to advise that his notes are wrong....so he writes up a correction and sends it back to me via mail. The whole time apparently he is billing me $300 an hour. WTF!!!!
I wouldn't wish this kind of stress on my worst enemy. We ate getting a second opinion but when you go through something as painful as a sick child, you assume you can trust that a health care professional will not take advantage of you in a time wen you are desperate for answers. I guess I trusted wrongly.

Originally Posted by fashion16

The geneticist that billed me us the same one who "diagnosed" her. He was looking up medical journals of the condition while I was in the office, he had an inconclusive diagnosis when I left the office but called me back 2 days later to tell me after "thinking it over" he concluded that she has hemihypertrophy. He has called me at least twice a week since to tell me random things like that he called and spoke to the radiologist who did her CT scan and everything that HE said sounded promising ( even though there is the CT report in the medical file, he calls to advise me that he typed up the clinical notes from the first and only office visit I have had with him and he is sending it to me "for my records".......then I get the summary and he had quoted me in the write up completely wrong stating things like "mother stated child is not grasping for toys like expected for this age" when I told him that she actually is doing those things so I call to advise that his notes are wrong....so he writes up a correction and sends it back to me via mail. The whole time apparently he is billing me $300 an hour. WTF!!!! I wouldn't wish this kind of stress on my worst enemy. We are getting a second opinion but when you go through something as painful as a sick child, you assume you can trust that a health care professional will not take advantage of you in a time wen you are desperate for answers. I guess I trusted wrongly.

Damn iPhone. There was some autocorrect in my post that I fixed on this quoted version. I don't know how to edit the original post on the iPhone.

My Goodness. I am sorry to hear about this!!

I would be fighting that bill with every ounce of energy that I have. There is NO WAY that you should have to pay for research.

If he didn't know about enough about the disease to make a confident diagnosis, he should have sent you guys to a colleague. Heck! Now it's up in the air again - does your daughter have it or not??? This crock just read some books...

I would most certainly go and get a second opinon and I would NOT pay this bill until the situation is rectified.

It definitely sounds like your doctor is taking advantage. I would fight the doctor's bill. Sorry you're going through this. $300 an hour to look stuff up? Ridiculous.

If they need to look stuff up to make a diagnosis, it should be on his own time. The dr doesn't charge you for their going to medical school, do they?

If he didn't know what it was, he should have referred you to someone else.

My OB referred me to his colleague who knows more about endometriosis treatment, because he doesn't treat it often. No fees added.

I suggest also that you fight for this bill. One of my twin had laryngomalacia when we took him home and though our pedi suspected it, he did not want to be the one who gave us final diagnosis and he told us he will do some "research" before he sent us to ENT. A week later he called us with his findings and decided that Winston may had it and told us to call this ENT doctor whom he knows. We didnt have to pay for his research beside the $20 co-pay because we went to see him to listen to some explanation he had.

Oh my God. Please stop seeing this "Doctor" immediately and ditto on what a PP said about reporting him to whatever authorities you can.

I'm sorry to hear about this, OP.
I have a DD an the autism spectrum, and although she is pretty high-functioning (asperger's), her diagnosis was (and still can be) difficult to come to terms with. We go through our daily lives, but we are continually reminded of the challenges. We have learned that we will have our ups and downs (and heck, everyone does on different levels), but we will try to get through them as best we can.
As far as your DH is concerned, I know it's hard for you, but please try to be aware that he is dealing with this on his own terms. Having support is important, but it doesn't sound like he can give you that right now. Perhaps, over time, things will change, but you may need to learn to rely on other family or friends when it comes to this particular issue.
I hope that you can get your billing issue resolved and I will cross my fingers for your little one. Hugs to you