Update: They are trying to resolve the situation. I will keep updated.
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I had gone to her office for 2 years and had thought she was nice, caring and professional and continue to see her... until my last visit became a billing nightmare.
My last visit was an annual physical checkup, which is 100% covered by my employer's insurance company (my second one and first physical with Dr. Fathollahi was all covered). I went in and started talking about my health issues as I was asked, which I assume that everyone routinely does in their annual checkup. I expressed some concerns and she suggested a couple of tests.
Unbeknownst to me, these tests were not covered by my insurance company despite the fact that I asked Dr. Fathollahi if they are 100% covered and, if not, how much the co-pay is. She just smiled and nodded.
3 weeks later, I received two separate bills, one from the medical group she belongs to and the other from a lab. If I had known how much these test would cost, I would have said no. The tests were completely unnecessary and I had been assured that they are covered as part of preventive services.
She also suggested that I go to ultrasound "to make sure" that everything is OK. Again, as a risk-averse lawyer, I asked her if the test is 100% covered and she squinted her eyes and said yes. I felt that I should not have bothered her about the costs as I thought she would not recommend me anything that would cause me to co-pay.
Then, I went to the suggested ultrasound facility at NYU and filled in the form. As I was about to get in. I thought I would ask the facility anyway and they surprisingly said, "It should cost some for you. If you're not sure, call your insurance company." Thank god, I asked. I called the insurance company right at the reception and then was told it would have cost a few hundred dollars.
I understand that this is a prevalent problem in this country and it is nothing to do with her medical ability or assessment, but if I cannot trust a doctor in any way, I would not feel comfortable going to see her/him.
Just to warn all of potential patients out there, please make sure that you receive all the information not only about the tests themselves but also the costs associated with them because those are also the doctors' responsibilities (and patients'). In my case, I did my due diligence and still got unfortunate results.
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