Patient
I went for an initial consult with Dr. Malik. He was very pleasant. He ordered additional testing to be completed the following week. On the Friday before my Tuesday appointment I received a call from an assistant (name started with K). She told me that my health insurance was not going to cover the testing and I was stunned. I asked her what I could do because I still needed to have the tests and she said I needed to pay $800. I asked her to please check with Dr. Malik to see if all of the testing was necessary. She said she would and she would call me by Monday. I never received a call on Monday. I called my health insurance company in the meantime and they advised me they were an in network facility and that the information K gave me was incorrect. They said the facility had an inexperienced billing person who did not understand the private plan. They also said asking me to pay money up front was against the law and I should not do it. They said it is a federally backed plan with no copays or deductibles and they should not be collecting money up front from me. When they attempted to reach out to the billing guy he just seemed confused and said he needed to talk to his boss. Then I called the facility to see if I could speak with someone about my appointment and a different person answered and told me she didn't want to get involved with something "someone else's hands were in" and that her computer showed my appointment had been cancelled. I was shocked. I never received a call or any notice about the cancellation. The woman I spoke with was rude and condescending and made no effort to resolve anything. This is the most unprofessional medical practice I have ever dealt with. I contacted another cardiologist practice and they asked about my insurance and told me I did not need to pay anything up front for the testing. This doctor needs better help to run his office.