I saw Dr. Fjerstad for plantar fasciitis and the orthotics I got were great; they were so great I wanted to get more.

I called the office and asked them to see if my insurance would cover another pair; I got a call back right away and was told that my insurance would cover the cost of another pair. I told the receptionist that I wanted 2 pair and I would pay for one of them myself and made the appointment.

I showed up for my appointment and ordered the 2 pair of orthotics. While I was there Dr. Fjerstad said something about my insurance maybe not covering the visit and I told him that I verified it with his receptionist before I even made the appointment, he said if something happened he’d make me a deal. Since his receptionist verified with my insurance that it would be covered, I didn’t pay much attention.

When the orthotics arrived I went in to pick them up and paid $180.00 for the “extra” pair.

Eventually I got a bill for several hundred dollars so I called his billing office to tell them that there must be a mistake since the bill didn’t reflect the $180.00 I paid, and it showed a denial by my insurance company. I explained the chain of events to the billing rep, who was very helpful. She did some research and discovered that my insurance would not cover the additional orthotics. She then contacted Dr. Fjerstad’s office and relayed what I told her. The office waived all but the $180.00 for the second pair of orthotics; some “deal”.

Here’s the short version. His receptionist lied to me about my insurance covering the visit and a pair of orthotics. Dr. Fjerstad knew she lied; otherwise why would he have mentioned my insurance during the 2 minute visit. He didn’t tell his billing office that I paid $180.00 when I picked up the orthotics.

The moral of the story is, don’t trust the doctor or his staff to tell the truth when it comes to money, call your insurance company yourself to get something pre-authorized.