Pay before you get in???

[Rerun]

I have a friend who is traveling to Florida and will dialyze at a DaVita clinic.  She has to have $60 cash or a cashiers check at the door before she will get on.  I've never heard of that!

Anyone else have to pay cash before you get on when visiting? 

Sounds to me like the staff is planning on having drinks after work compliments of visitors.

[jbeany]

All my docs have a "Payment expected on day of service" sign up in the reception area, but none of them have ever actually asked for cash, except the Medicaid only dentist back when I still qualified for welfare.  Maybe some weird new policy, though, like having to show your ID to prove that you aren't trying to scam someone other person's insurance.  (Although I'd love to see someone try it with my medical records!)

[aharris2]

On our very first trip, Christmas 2002, to New Jersey this happened to us and it was a disaster. We had two treatments and were prepared with a money order paying for both treatments - about $150.00. When we showed up for the second treatment (on the weekend with no accounting people or supervisors available), they INSISTED that that amount was for one treatment only and that we needed ANOTHER $150.00. There was nothing we could do at the time - no money, no dialysis, so we managed to scrape it together, thank God. Upon our return home I called the unit up there and got a "so sorry, our mistake" and a refund of the second $150.00. No skin off their a$$e$, but it certainly hurt us.

[lola]

Otto just had to do Dialysis also in Florida but he never had to pay anything, although the clinic SUCKED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[scooter26]

I used to handle billing for Davita, I'm still there but in another dept...  I digress....
It would be wise for your friend to pay via check so that she has a record of the payment.  There was a time when we had to call patients to collect payments, hated doing that.  Anyway I recall one patient who  I had to call  about a payment for a treatment that was done when she was traveling - she was very sweet and elderly so it really made me angry when she asked me what happened to the cash she paid at the time to the clinic.  This was months after her visit and the payment was still not applied.  Sadly this happened more than once.

[Zach]

When I have travelled within the U.S., many dialysis centers asked for the 20% Medicare doesn't pay.
I would then receive a refund check from my Medicare supplemental insurance company.

[Rerun]

OK, thanks.  I have never had to pay at the door when visiting.

Look how many illegals Davita dialyzes for FREE and then makes visitors pay.  What a crock of poop.


             

[Jean]

100% in agreement with you Rerun.

[Riki]

I had to pay via credit card only while traveling in the States.  They refused to even let me out of the waiting area until my payment went through.  My card had been declined twice, because the credit company didn't know I was traveling and they cancelled my card.  I had to call them to get them to let the payments through.  I really thought I wasn't getting dialyzed that night and I wasn't sure what to do