Reviews for Vincent E Di Fabio, DDS in Frederick, MD

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is kind a vary gentle and he explains exactly whats going on. He removed my wisdom teeth back in 2006 and now I back for TMJ/TMD issues and I trust him completely

by carolyn gorsky xxx.xxx.112.89

January 23, 2015

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They either didn't read my information or didn't pay any attention to it. The office submitted my bill to a collection agency even though the bill was paid to the Dr. even before it was due. I discovered the problem 4 years later when refinancing my condo. The office refused to accept payment and referred me to the collection agency. I paid the collection agency the $87.00 in order to clear the debt. I then contacted my former husband who got a copy of the check proving we had paid in a timely manner. After several calls to Dr. DiFabio (during which the staff always pretend that they do not know what I am talking about or who I am) they have refused to reimburse me for now having paid the bill twice. I have also mailed them a copy of the canceled check. They have refused to correct the record with the collection agency so that credit record will show that it was the Doctor's error. As it stands, I have paid the bill twice and my credit record makes it appear I just paid the bill in 2013 but did not pay it in 2007 when due. Since we did not receive calls or letters from Dr. DiFabio, I assume the knew all this time that they had referred it in erro and that the bill had been paid. Stay away from this provider. I only say him because I was referred by my husband's dentist in an emergency. When I spoke to my regular dental surgeon, he indicated the tooth should never had been extracted. Again, stay as far away from this provider as possible. The staff is extremely rude and since they have not refunded my money knowing that I paid the bill twice, I question the integrity.

by Anonymous xxx.xxx.107.154

May 20, 2013

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Did this dentist answer all of your questions?

Some were answered

Was the waiting area spacious?

Yes

Does this provider remember you by name?

Sometimes, but not always

Did you have to wait long after you arrived for your appointment?

No, I didn't have to wait very long

Did this provider have an entertaining selection of waiting room magazines?

Yes

by Anonymous xxx.xxx.5.153

February 22, 2013

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I saw this provider in August, 2010 over impacted & infected wisdom teeth that had to be removed under general anesthesia. Due to my more advanced age & the small size of my jaw, having surgery in the office & with only a local anesthetic was impossible. The doctor's office made all of the arrangments for me to have this surgery in a timely fashion at my local hospital. They were very helpful in filling out my FMLA & short-term disability paperwork for my job, which was a pain in the neck. Dr. DiFabio was also very generous with giving me adequate painkillers & an effective antibiotic to remove the infection prior to & after surgery. He was incredibly kind to me & his office was clean, comfortable and my wait was always very short when I went in for visits.

Unfortunately, despite them being a participating provider with my insurance company, they neglected to send in my claim to the carrier. They let a full year pass before submitting their bill, which meant that my claim denied for for being filed in an untimely manner. Although it is a contractual obligation of the provider to send in the bill (and not my responsibility), the insurance company sided with the provider. I am now stuck paying a $2600.00 bill to DiFabio alone (not including the hospital & other doctors' bills!) I have appealed the claim with my insurance carrier to no avail. The doctor's office had assured me all along that they would submit the claim to my insurance company. I worked for the insurance company & even had called them several times throughout the year after my surgery to either send in the bill to United Healthcare (my carrier) OR send me the bill & I'D send the darn claim in. They did neither- until it was too late. I could do nothing in the year after my surgery with the insurance company because of course they'd not received the bill.

While I was awaiting the decision of the appeal, I made monthly payments to DiFabio. One time I accidentally forgot to mail this payment & received a nasty letter telling me that they'd send my account to court & that I'd be served with a subpeona to appear before a judge AT MY PLACE OF EMPLOYMENT (their wording, not mine) over the unpaid bill! Not only is this highly unlikely (very few medical claims end up in court, normally they just go to a collections agency), but it's also an outright lie that a provider can do such a thing without due process and just cause. A polite reminder would have served the purpose- their threat was ridiculous & probably illegal in it's content.

They also neglected to get an authorization with my insurance company for the outpatient surgery to be performed at a hospital (again, due to being under general anesthesia, an office surgery was impossible). I had to wrangle with the insurance company for months over this- again, as the doctor was participating with United, the notification requirement was on him. I was not allowed to set up the authorization due to his contractual requirement. And of course only the doctor has the coding information (ICD-9, CPT coding, etc.) to give to the insurance company- I have no way of obtaining that.

I highly suggest that you avoid this provider due to their predatory billing practices. The staff & doctor were outstanding in terms of service at the time (DiFabio himself is a charming, affable, capable & handsome man), but sadly their claim-filing practices outweigh all of that.

by Liz xxx.xxx.130.146

December 27, 2012

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I went to this provider because they were in-network with my insurance co., and because it was an emergency situation. The dentist himself was great, and paid close attention to me and all of my questions were answered. Their staff was friendly enough, and I wasn't charged up front, though I offered to pay some at the time. I was very satisfied with my visit, and my surgery itself (four wisdom teeth removed under general anesthesia). They were helpful and I left the situation feeling encouraged.

However, their billing practices are odd, to say the least, and not very good. They waited until over a year had passed to submit my bill to the insurance co., though I gave them everything up front during my very first visit- medical card, dental card, the name of my employer, had FMLA paperwork filled out, etc. They had all of my contact information, even if they had somehow lost my insurance info. I cannot help but believe they did this on purpose, forcing me to pay the bill in full (my insurance co. conveniently says the provider doesn't have to abide by their contract, after all, and submit the claim on time to them!) The insurance co. is United Healthcare, though, so problems with getting the claim paid is hardly a surprise. This provider's office then threatened me, despite the fact that I was making payments in the meantime, saying a subpeona would be served to me, advising that a man would come to my job & this would happen publicly. (Knowing what I do about collections & the law, I found this threat rather funny- considering I haven't even been turned over to a collection agency, let alone litigation.) So I would highly advise, if you go see this provider, be aware they have some interesting billing practices going on.

by BlueTopazEyes xxx.xxx.125.124

February 09, 2012

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