You schedule a doctor's appointment, show up, and then you wait.
That's how Davidine's doctor's visit in June began.
She paid her copay and was called to the back, but Davidine writes "an hour and a half later, I still had not seen the doctor."
Davidine needed to get to work and could not afford to wait any longer, so she left without seeing a doctor.
Her copay was refunded, but Davidine later received a bill, and the online portal reported her as having missed the appointment.
Davidine disputed the claim, arguing she did show up and never received service.
The dispute was denied, so she reached out to the Let Joe Know team.
When we contacted HonorHealth, they reviewed the account and released a statement, writing:
“Upon further review of the patient’s account, it has been determined that the bill was sent in error. The patient has been notified and advised to disregard the bill.”
Davidine said her charges were reversed.
While Davidine did show up to her appointment, Caitlin Donovan with the Patient Advocate Foundation says many doctors and health care offices use "no show" charges as a way to deter people from skipping appointments.
Donovan worries the charges may be applied without factoring in why a patient may miss an appointment.
"The patients who are most likely to skip appointments are most likely to be low income and having problems with transportation, childcare, [or] job issues that come up," said Donovan.
When making an appointment, always ask about possible charges, including "no show" policies. When you get to the office, read any documentation closely to see if there are any additional fees or penalties.
"Unfortunately, no show policies are going to vary from office to office, it's totally up to the business itself," Donovan explained.
If you have a medical bill or a question you can reach out or find resources through the National Patient Advocate Foundation.
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