LEWIS AND CLARK ORTHOPAEDIC INSTITUTE LLC

M

Molly Wendt

My son was scheduled to have surgery here. We were assured multiple times that this would be a minor procedure. The billing office called, demanding a $1500 down payment, claiming that she had talked to my insurance and discovered that our total cost out of pocket would be $3800. This shocked me based on what we'd been told previously (and in fact this cost was more than all of my prenatal, my emergency csection and all follow ups combined). In my shock I asked several questions about why we would have this cost upfront, and I received several snide and condescending comments from the lady in billing that if we were unable to afford that down payment, she would take whatever we could afford, but that the total cost would be due within three months of my son's surgery. I got the billing codes from them and discussed this with my insurance, who were also shocked by the number quoted to me. First, they received no calls from the surgery center and assured me that our max out of pocket for the year for my son is $3000, so no matter what, we wouldn't be paying $3800, but based on their estimations, we were looking at roughly $700 from the surgery center. They also informed me that since our deductible is $1500, they are within their rights to ask for this upfront. So we put the $1500 down and had the surgery done that was needed for his chronic ear infections. I received my explanation of benefits from my insurance a couple weeks after his surgery, which surprise surprise, they were only billing roughly $650 to us. I gave it two weeks before I called the surgery center to ask for a refund, to which I was told that I would be placed on the list to be issued a refund, but that would be processed in two weeks. Fine, no big deal, I understand billing cycles. I waited nearly a month before calling again and asking where my refund was, only to be told that not only has it not been processed yet, but that it won't be for at least another week. I have no problem with the surgery center itself and in fact received excellent care for my toddler. From start to finish - or rather, still in progress - this billing department has been terrible. The first woman that called me was rude, snide and condescending. The second woman that I have been talking to has been polite, but after being told that it would be processed in two weeks, and we're now four weeks and counting waiting for the difference, I'm unbelievably frustrated. We will not be using this facility again.

C

Crazcougg

The entire staff from the front desk, admitting nurse, recovery nurse, surgery nurse, anesthesiologist and the Dr. were amazing. The nurses in particular were very good with me even though I get severe anxiety and am a bit of a high maintenance patient. The facility is very clean and modern. I'll be looking to this facility any time me or my family need work done.

A

Annie Osborne

I was told by my ENT facility I would be receiving a call the Monday before my son’s Wednesday surgery for a surgery pre-op & instructions of when to be at the surgery center. I hadn’t received any sort of phone call by Tuesday midday (as I was told I would), so I called the my ENT facility & was given the number to call for this facility. I was told I, at the very least, need to do the pre-op appointment & to call them. I was doing everything I was being instructed to do by professionals. Upon making the phone call to this facility I was rudely interrupted when the receptionist asked how she could help me. Then, listened while she ridiculed me for calling (again, following the instructions I was told to do) and was told the ENT facility should know better & she would be contacting them, but not to contact them until they get ahold of me. Not only was she incredibly rude, she lacked manners, and never gave me the chance to explain I wasn’t calling just for a schedule, but for a pre-op, too. She, then, hung up on me. It would be beneficial to know the schedule in advance for those who work & need to let their boss know when they’re going to be gone. But seeing as how the receptionist can’t even handle being decent, I suppose anything beyond that would be too much to ask. If I had the option of going elsewhere, I would. First impressions of a business are everything & this disgusting human ruined this facility for my family. I now dread taking my son here.

B

Bill and Nancy McAninch

Efficient office, routing many patients through many doctors of different specialties. X-ray techs very particular doing the films correctly. Dr Boyea explained all, including outcomes, which were better than I expected. The use of PA's effectively to maximize physicians time which is limited as it must be these days. Surgery center was next door, no need to go to a hospital. Wait times varied but understandably so.

A

Anna Blaine

Calli assured me getting authorization for treatment would be no problem. She said it again after the first denial. She had nothing to offer me after the second denial except more “support.” Meanwhile, I’m out $500 for useless diagnostics and still walking on a fractured kneecap after four months of waiting. And if I ever do get treatment approved, it will be after 12/31 and no one will care that I met my deductible in July. Blue Cross of Idaho swears it’s all Calli’s fault for not giving them information they repeatedly requested. I don’t know who’s lying but I have completely had it with everyone involved in this fiasco and wish I had never sought treatment for knee pain. I was happier thinking it was just arthritis instead of knowing it’s treatable but I can’t have the treatment. ETA: After literally months of repeated insurance denials, I only just today learned that part of the procedure the doctor wants to perform requires no authorization and could have been performed at any time since diagnosis in August. (It is now December.) Lewis & Clark Outpatient Surgery and Lewiston Orthopedics both withheld that information from me and lead me to believe I was not receiving treatment solely because of insurance issues. And they're trying to blame me for the misunderstanding because laypeople are apparently supposed to just know arthroscopy doesn't require prior authorization. According to someone I spoke with in billing, the procedure was never going to be approved by my insurance company. LCOS chose to waste my time anyway. I have seen a lot of inefficiency, incompetence, and apathy among doctors' staff in my time, but this is STAGGERING. ETA: They refuse to accept responsibility for the delay or apologize. The office manager expressed zero sympathy for my situation and zero remorse for her staff's disorganization and inefficiency and actually sounded quite put out over having to talk to me at all. Now I'm still injured, out $500 in useless diagnostics and consultations, and have to start all over again in a new deductible period. This is just about the worst experience I have ever had with any doctor, ever, and the matter will be reported to the Board of Medicine.