The Cleveland Clinic charged a woman $253 for bringing up a healthcare concern that had nothing to do with the appointment she was there for.

Cleveland

A patient at the Cleveland Clinic was billed $253 after bringing up a separate health concern during her annual preventative exam. The patient, who had not previously encountered such charges in her 30 years with the clinic, was surprised to find the fee for a brief discussion that took place before her appointment officially began. 

The Cleveland Clinic explained that while the pre-appointment survey for health concerns is free, any follow-up actions or discussions about new medical issues during the visit are subject to additional billing for insurance purposes. The patient ultimately owed $55 after insurance coverage. The clinic advises patients that financial advisors are available for billing questions.

Cleveland Clinic charges woman $250 for bringing up health concern

When you go to the doctor, you might expect to pay a pretty penny, but did you know you can be charged hundreds of dollars extra just for asking a question? One Cleveland Clinic patient certainly did not know that. She reached out to News 5's Kaylee Levis, looking for answers. A doctor's time is valuable, but how much is it really worth? One woman says the Cleveland Clinic charged her $250 for simply bringing up a health concern that had nothing to do with the appointment she was there for. In her 30 years of being a Cleveland Clinic patient. For the most part, it's not bad. I don't normally have a lot of issues. But now she's on the hunt for a new health care facility, after claiming the Cleveland Clinic financially took advantage of her following her most recent annual exam. I did, was like, went in like, hey, you know what, like, I kind of have a question. And it's in the survey that was, you know, given. We went, we talked about it, it was pretty quick. Again, I was in and out before my appointment technically even started. Since her annual exams fall under preventative care, she says her insurance has always foot the bill. I've never had to pay anything before. So I would like got an email and it was like, oh, hey, you have a charge with the Cleveland Clinic. And I was like, for what? So like, I went in to look and I was like, what is this 10 minute office something like I didn't know what it was. 15 minutes. That's how long Katie Valenti estimates she was with her doctor, which is normal for her. But to her surprise, the Cleveland Clinic charged her $253 for a 10 minute office visit. After insurance paid their part, she owed $55. I asked the Cleveland Clinic if that's normal, seeing as Valenti's two previous annual exams didn't have that charge listed. The facility says, quote, patients may see different charges on their bill following an annual preventative exam. There may be one charge for conducting the annual exam and a separate charge if other medical issues are addressed in the same visit. The pre-appointment survey Valenti made note of her health concerns through is free. But any measures that follow are subject to billing for insurance purposes, even a conversation. Does that make you feel concerned or worrisome about bringing up any health concerns that you have in the future? I should just go to these appointments and just tell them everything's fine all the time. Even if it's not. With everything being so expensive, like I was not planning to spend $50 that I didn't need to spend on a question that I could have Googled. So that's super annoying. If you have concerns regarding your Cleveland Clinic bill, there are financial advisors available to help. Now, if you're worried beyond that, please email us and we'll follow through. For News 5, I'm Kelly Olivas.

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