Dr. Sievers' RHHC Medical Practice - Operations & Website

[SeesSeas]

I reviewed the Patient Intake Form located on Dr Sievers website - file:///C:/Users/Owner/Downloads/IntakeForm.pdf

In the beginning narrative section of the Intake Form, there are so many issues addressed which makes me wonder if they had problems with patients who are...

RUDE:
We reserve the right to discharge patients who are exceptionally rude to our staff as it creates a hostile environment that may compromise your relationship with office.

NO-SHOW:
We also have a ‘no show – late cancellation fee’ equal to the cost of your appointment. Unfortunately, this has become necessary in order to ensure that the allotted spot is utilized as other patients are waiting to see Dr.Sievers.

DISRESPECTFUL:
. . . making repeated phone calls in a short period of time to the office will only delay a response and we ask that you be courteous of people who have scheduled appointments and how you would feel if your appointment was interrupted.

PUSHY:
You may see Dr. Sievers or Sanda in the front office and you will want to ask them a ‘quick’ question. However, they are taking care of another patient at that time and discussion interrupts their thought process which affects the quality of another patients’ care.

 

[human]

I reviewed the Patient Intake Form located on Dr Sievers website - file:///C:/Users/Owner/Downloads/IntakeForm.pdf

In the beginning narrative section of the Intake Form, there are so many issues addressed which makes me wonder if they had problems with patients who are...

RUDE:
We reserve the right to discharge patients who are exceptionally rude to our staff as it creates a hostile environment that may compromise your relationship with office.

NO-SHOW:
We also have a ‘no show – late cancellation fee’ equal to the cost of your appointment. Unfortunately, this has become necessary in order to ensure that the allotted spot is utilized as other patients are waiting to see Dr.Sievers.

DISRESPECTFUL:
. . . making repeated phone calls in a short period of time to the office will only delay a response and we ask that you be courteous of people who have scheduled appointments and how you would feel if your appointment was interrupted.

PUSHY:
You may see Dr. Sievers or Sanda in the front office and you will want to ask them a ‘quick’ question. However, they are taking care of another patient at that time and discussion interrupts their thought process which affects the quality of another patients’ care.

Have you ever seen anything like this? Not me

 

[LvsAMystry]

I reviewed the Patient Intake Form located on Dr Sievers website - file:///C:/Users/Owner/Downloads/IntakeForm.pdf

In the beginning narrative section of the Intake Form, there are so many issues addressed which makes me wonder if they had problems with patients who are...

RUDE:
We reserve the right to discharge patients who are exceptionally rude to our staff as it creates a hostile environment that may compromise your relationship with office.

NO-SHOW:
We also have a ‘no show – late cancellation fee’ equal to the cost of your appointment. Unfortunately, this has become necessary in order to ensure that the allotted spot is utilized as other patients are waiting to see Dr.Sievers.

DISRESPECTFUL:
. . . making repeated phone calls in a short period of time to the office will only delay a response and we ask that you be courteous of people who have scheduled appointments and how you would feel if your appointment was interrupted.

PUSHY:
You may see Dr. Sievers or Sanda in the front office and you will want to ask them a ‘quick’ question. However, they are taking care of another patient at that time and discussion interrupts their thought process which affects the quality of another patients’ care.

I'm quite certain MS wrote that and to me it appears unfriendly and confrontational, even condescending. A better approach to address the same issues would have been expectations are:

Courtesy
No Show
Patience
Respect

Kinda telling about his demeanor, shades of what we're seeing now

 

[hockeymom4]

1.) It's interesting to read the theories from a combination of both objective and subjective readers. I know I can't be objective because my heart is broken, but many of you live across the country and didn't know Dr. Sievers. Your perception is different which helps me process things.

2.) I was quite upset that Mark insisted that I pay for a missed appointment. Much more than the money, it was the way he spoke to me.

3.) From what I observed: Dr. Sievers was VERY busy. She spent 30-60 minutes with her patients AND was always armed with labs, etc that she had obviously studied in advance of the appointment. She would have handwritten notes all over my labs when I came in. So, I would assume that she studied patient records after hours. So, how much time would be left for her to monitor the billing?

4.). I visited her office 4-5 times a year for about 4 years. Some visits were appointments, others were to purchase supplements. I never saw Mark in the office. Patients were given an out of state number to call Mark with any billing questions. 314 area code. I assumed Mark worked from home.

5.) Dr. Sievers empowered women - I can never imagine her being a victim of domestic violence and sticking around.

6.) There were only three employees in the office each time I was there: Dr. Sievers, her nurse, the receptionist.

7.) Dr. Sievers provided free healthcare to people who were indigent.

8.) I pray for justice. She deserves justice. The saddest thing is that no matter what we do, what happens, it'll never bring her back.

Thank you for taking the time to become verified. And thank you so much for all of these details. They are very helpful. Do you know when TS took Medicare? Do you know if and when she stopped? Also, if someone was in the office and had a billing question, what did they do?

Thanks again for all the details over time. Sorry again for your loss.

 

[Sulamith]

I'm a bit confused by the original post where this was said.



If Mark had billed Medicare for this person's visit's why didn't Medicare tell the patient that they had received the bill and paid it?

Or looking at it from another angle, why did Medicare reimburse this patient after 1 1/2 years if they were never billed by the doctors office in the first place?

Something seems to be missing in this story. The OP did say "To make long story short." I want to hear the long story.

JMO

I got the impression from Madtownbucky's post that Sievers' office reimbursed her, not Medicare. It did not sound like Medicare was billed. Maybe Madtown eventually file a Medicare claim on her/his own.

It t has been a long time since I was an insurance biller for a hospital but even back then, when things were simpler, the whole process could become very confusing for the patient.

We are all anonymous on this forum.

 

[howonkee]

I'm quite certain MS wrote that and to me it appears unfriendly and confrontational, even condescending. A better approach to address the same issues would have been expectations are:

Courtesy
No Show
Patience
Respect

Kinda telling about his demeanor, shades of what we're seeing now

Wow, that was written from an attitude of negativity for sure...very UNprofessional!

 

[RANCH]

I got the impression from Madtownbucky's post that Sievers' office reimbursed her, not Medicare. It did not sound like Medicare was billed. Maybe Madtown eventually file a Medicare claim on her/his own.

It t has been a long time since I was an insurance biller for a hospital but even back then, when things were simpler, the whole process could become very confusing for the patient.

We are all anonymous on this forum.

Thanks. The OP is unclear on who made the reimbursement. They sure didn't give credit to Mark though.

It's hard to tell what really happened from that post. It could be totally made up or parts of it are true and other parts false. I don't know.

 

[RANCH]

I reviewed the Patient Intake Form located on Dr Sievers website - file:///C:/Users/Owner/Downloads/IntakeForm.pdf

In the beginning narrative section of the Intake Form, there are so many issues addressed which makes me wonder if they had problems with patients who are...

RUDE:
We reserve the right to discharge patients who are exceptionally rude to our staff as it creates a hostile environment that may compromise your relationship with office.

NO-SHOW:
We also have a ‘no show – late cancellation fee’ equal to the cost of your appointment. Unfortunately, this has become necessary in order to ensure that the allotted spot is utilized as other patients are waiting to see Dr.Sievers.

DISRESPECTFUL:
. . . making repeated phone calls in a short period of time to the office will only delay a response and we ask that you be courteous of people who have scheduled appointments and how you would feel if your appointment was interrupted.

PUSHY:
You may see Dr. Sievers or Sanda in the front office and you will want to ask them a ‘quick’ question. However, they are taking care of another patient at that time and discussion interrupts their thought process which affects the quality of another patients’ care.

I assume Dr Sievers had feedback from her patients in regards to this "Intake Form" language.

Was she on the same page as Mark with this?

 

[Lilibet]

I'm a bit confused by the original post where this was said.



If Mark had billed Medicare for this person's visit's why didn't Medicare tell the patient that they had received the bill and paid it?

Or looking at it from another angle, why did Medicare reimburse this patient after 1 1/2 years if they were never billed by the doctors office in the first place?

Something seems to be missing in this story. The OP did say "To make long story short." I want to hear the long story.

JMO

I think Medicare was billed by the office because the patient was told that the office would submit the paperwork after she paid. But TS did not actually accept Medicare anymore, so the claim was denied and the patient was out the money she had paid for two appointments. I think TS had to reimburse the patient.

IMO The fraud was taking the patient's money under false pretenses, knowing she would never be reimbursed by Medicare. Doctors have to be truthful about their relationship with Medicare. It's unlikely this patient would ever have come to her if she'd known that Medicare was off the table. It's not clear who eventually reimbursed her, but I assume TS did. It's quite possible that Medicare somehow pressured TS to reimburse the money the patient had paid or they would charge her with fraud. I can't imagine TS being happy with MS about this attempted fraud, if she ever found out. JMO

About 3 years ago, I was a patient of TS. My primary insurance is Medicare. When I called the office for appt., I was told that TS accepted Medicare. My appt. with TS was very pleasant and she spent a lot of time with me. After appt., I was told I needed to pay upfront and they would submit paperwork to Medicare for reimbursement. Saw TS for another appt. Before 3rd scheduled appt., I became aware that Medicare would not reimburse me since TS doesn't accept Medicare assignment. This totally blindsighted me since both office staff & website stated that TS accepted Medicare. At this point, I had already paid out close to $1,000.

Contacted TS office about why I was provided false information about Medicare. I was told that I needed to speak with office manager (MS). Set up appt. with MS to discuss the Medicare issues. Arrived at office and was sent to MS office. Showed him the office bills and rejection statements from Medicare. MS told me that TS no longer accepts Medicare and I was responsible for the charges. At this point, I became very upset and asked MS why I was not informed of their policies when setting up appts. or even when I handed over Medicare card.

http://www.websleuths.com/forums/sh...June-2015-*ARRESTS*-8&p=12041918#post12041918

 

[irishchook]

Wow, that was written from an attitude of negativity for sure...very UNprofessional!

I totally agree! It sounds like a freshman college class' syllabus.

 

[Sulamith]

I think Medicare was billed by the office because the patient was told that the office would submit the paperwork after she paid. But TS did not actually accept Medicare anymore, so the claim was denied and the patient was out the money she had paid for two appointments. I think TS had to reimburse the patient.

IMO The fraud was taking the patient's money under false pretenses, knowing she would never be reimbursed by Medicare. Doctors have to be truthful about their relationship with Medicare. It's unlikely this patient would ever have come to her if she'd known that Medicare was off the table. It's not clear who eventually reimbursed her, but I assume TS did. It's quite possible that Medicare somehow pressured TS to reimburse the money the patient had paid or they would charge her with fraud. I can't imagine TS being happy with MS about this attempted fraud, if she ever found out. JMO



http://www.websleuths.com/forums/sh...June-2015-*ARRESTS*-8&p=12041918#post12041918

More from the OP: "Medicare investigators contacted MS and even went to office when MS didn't cooperate."

If true that investigators went to the office, I would expect that they would want to talk with TS and then MS. If MC investigators visited the office to see only MS, certainly TS would notice the investigators in the office and ask "Who are the "Suits"? I don't see how she would have not known MC investigators were visiting her office and investigating the OP's complaint. I wonder how many male patients she treated. I wonder how many prostate and vaginal exams she did. I would rather go to a specialist
for those exams because if I found out I had a serious problem and I needed to be admitted to a hospital as an Inpatient/Day Surgery patient she would not care for me during my stay. Her practice, IMO, certainly was a smorgasbord.

http://www.drteresasievers.com/fees.pdf

"HOSPITALS: DR. SIEVERS HAS PRIVILEDGES AT NCH AND NORTH COLLIER HOSPITAL BUT HAS
CHOSEN TO DEDICATE HER PRACTICE TO WELLNESS AND OFFICE CARE. HOWEVER, SHE WILL
SPEAK DIRECTLY WITH THE ER PHYSICIAN AS WELL AS FAX RECORDS OVER THAT MAY BE
PERTINENT. IN GENERAL BECAUSE SHE IS AFFILIATED WITH THESE HOSPITALS THE ER WILL CALL
HER FIRST BEFORE ADMITTING YOU TO HOSPITAL SERVICE. THE OTHER HOSPITALS DO NOT
ALWAYS CALL ME BUT OF COURSE YOU CAN ASK THEM TO CALL ME TO OBTAIN RECORDS."

This might have already been discussed and if so, I missed it! Does anybody know who Frank is?

This is from the intake form on TS's website:

" You may give your name at the window for an issue and speak with
Frank about what it is you need, but we will ask that you take a seat after that and
allow our window to be closed to protect patient confidentiality. Again, something
you would also want for yourself."

 

[Southwflorida]

I guess I'm speaking from real experience. If you're sitting with your doc for an hour, it's not unusual for the doc to answer questions about payment, etc.
With that being said, I cannot see her NOT answering patient's questions re: payment/billing and just referring them to the Office Mgr.(MS).

In my experience, Dr. Sievers coded the visit and I knew how much the visit was costing before I checked out up front. A couple of times, my appointment went longer than planned, and she coded it for only the original allotted time. With the exception of the first visit, I never paid more than $150.

 

[Southwflorida]

Thank you for taking the time to become verified. And thank you so much for all of these details. They are very helpful. Do you know when TS took Medicare? Do you know if and when she stopped? Also, if someone was in the office and had a billing question, what did they do?

Thanks again for all the details over time. Sorry again for your loss.

medicare - I don't know. From the beginning, I was told her office was self pay. Billing question were all directed to Mark.

 

[Southwflorida]

More from the OP: "Medicare investigators contacted MS and even went to office when MS didn't cooperate."

If true that investigators went to the office, I would expect that they would want to talk with TS and then MS. If MC investigators visited the office to see only MS, certainly TS would notice the investigators in the office and ask "Who are the "Suits"? I don't see how she would have not known MC investigators were visiting her office and investigating the OP's complaint. I wonder how many male patients she treated. I wonder how many prostate and vaginal exams she did. I would rather go to a specialist
for those exams because if I found out I had a serious problem and I needed to be admitted to a hospital as an Inpatient/Day Surgery patient she would not care for me during my stay. Her practice, IMO, certainly was a smorgasbord.

http://www.drteresasievers.com/fees.pdf

"HOSPITALS: DR. SIEVERS HAS PRIVILEDGES AT NCH AND NORTH COLLIER HOSPITAL BUT HAS
CHOSEN TO DEDICATE HER PRACTICE TO WELLNESS AND OFFICE CARE. HOWEVER, SHE WILL
SPEAK DIRECTLY WITH THE ER PHYSICIAN AS WELL AS FAX RECORDS OVER THAT MAY BE
PERTINENT. IN GENERAL BECAUSE SHE IS AFFILIATED WITH THESE HOSPITALS THE ER WILL CALL
HER FIRST BEFORE ADMITTING YOU TO HOSPITAL SERVICE. THE OTHER HOSPITALS DO NOT
ALWAYS CALL ME BUT OF COURSE YOU CAN ASK THEM TO CALL ME TO OBTAIN RECORDS."

This might have already been discussed and if so, I missed it! Does anybody know who Frank is?

This is from the intake form on TS's website:

" You may give your name at the window for an issue and speak with
Frank about what it is you need, but we will ask that you take a seat after that and
allow our window to be closed to protect patient confidentiality. Again, something
you would also want for yourself."

Frank - a wonderful man who worked at the reception area the first couple of years that I began seeing Dr. Sievers. He was very caring and kind. During the last year, a new receptionist was in place - Krystal.

 

[MsArk]

Frank - a wonderful man who worked at the reception area the first couple of years that I began seeing Dr. Sievers. He was very caring and kind. During the last year, a new receptionist was in place - Krystal.

Thank you SWFL for all of your insight into this case. I'm so sorry for the loss of your beloved physician.

This may have been asked and answered but I didn't see it (but I haven't finished my first cup of coffee so...)

How long have you been a patient of TS?

 

[No it's not]

Frank - a wonderful man who worked at the reception area the first couple of years that I began seeing Dr. Sievers. He was very caring and kind. During the last year, a new receptionist was in place - Krystal.

That was FP, SH's husband. Wondering if he knew CWW.

-Nin

 

[Blondie in Spokane]

Sorry guys but I can't remember....who is SH?

 

[wondering25]

I'm quite certain MS wrote that and to me it appears unfriendly and confrontational, even condescending. A better approach to address the same issues would have been expectations are:

Courtesy
No Show
Patience
Respect

Kinda telling about his demeanor, shades of what we're seeing now

I am not quite sure mark wrote that. Why would anyone be quite sure? She was a doctor who pleased her patients in many ways.. IMO, no one is a guru.

The medicare for example, is not fraud as presented here. She was out of network.. she would accept a payment from medicare but you would be responsible for the balance.. she was not participating.. she would not accept medicare as full payment.

She had a right to make money and charge for appointments that weren't kept. That was her office policy. She wasnt there to be an ornament.. she was there to make a living. Dr Sievers was a victim.. perhaps even a victim of a husband who was controlling, i dont know..BUT she is ultimately responsible for her office policies, her staff's etiquette and her billing practices. She has a license to protect.. I am not going to blame her husband for every occurrence that seems "off". Under Quick question and it says PUSHY:
You may see Dr. Sievers or Sanda in the front office and you will want to ask them a ‘quick’ question. However, they are taking care of another patient at that time and discussion interrupts their thought process which affects the quality of another patients’ care.

Sorry, NO ONE is that important. i think this set of "codes" says a lot about the entire office.

That 4 point set of rules would have sent me right out the door. JMO

Anything i write is just my opinion.

 

[villager]

As I said on a previous thread: I am an unverified former patient of TS. I started with her just after she moved from St Pete to Estero. 3 other friends, family members also went to her. She was my primary care physician for many years. I stayed with her because I loved her, but the overall tenor of the office dramatically changed over a couple of years. First the supplement business. Items were sold within her office. She had shelves of them. Everything became about buying supplements and from her. She got very feisty if you talked about buying from somewhere else. Suddenly lots of tests were being ordered. After a few years they dropped insurance billing, except BC, which I was using. Eventually they dropped BC. I never saw MS in the office although I spoke with him over the phone. The whole vibe became very "hinky" in the office. No one was available on nights, weekends. No DR covering for her when out of town. My pharmacy told me that they were having a lot of problems with the office getting back to them for prescription refills. We all left after becoming uncomfortable. Something was just "off". I left after the cash situation started and before LS started, if that timeframe helps. She was a wonderful DR, but it was all too weird for me and focused on $$ too much. IMO, if something was going on, she didn't know about it.
JMO

 

[CeaElle]

For some reason, I think a lot of people are "skiddish" and are afraid to comment.

BBM: This