Maple City Chiropractic - Dr. Ann Dowling DC VERY Rude & Unprofessional Adrian Michigan

I am currently going to see Dr. Ann and want to say that she has been more than polite to me and all others that I have seen. My schedule changes every week and when I call in they get me an appointmnt within the next few hours. The hours are posted and say that they are at lunch. I have seen both doctors and they are wonderful. They have helped me out so much. Wonderful facility!!!

In response to the report submitted on 3/21/08 by "Brenda":
My name is Ann Dowling, DC and I am the owner of Maple City Chiropractic and the person that was reported.

The patient did recieve a bill for $10.12. We charge 6 cents every month for service fees, after it has been 2 months since payment was due. This means that her bill had not been paid for 4 months. We were already warned of this behavior from the patient since she had almost been sent to collections by the doctor that previously owned the practice. Considering this is a behavior that she was obviously repeating, we sent her a final statement that said that she would be sent to collections if it was not paid in 30 days. I understand this is only $10 but if I let all patients owe me $10 I would be out of business. Also, we do expect payment at time of service (a sign is posted) and she left saying, "she didn't bring any cash with her." I know I never go to a doctor's appointment without some form of money, it is a known fact that payment (co-pays) are due at time of service at most places.

The patient did call our office to pay over the phone, however, we do not accept credit card payments over the phone. Capri did notify our billing staff but a month later we still had not recieved payment and that is when the final statement went out. Brenda did call to let me know she had attempted to stop in to pay. That is fine but when I asked her what time she stopped in she couldn't remember and asked me what time we are in the office. At the time she did not know if our office was closed or not. We are closed for about 30-45 minutes over lunch but that day someone was in the office at all hours. It was very obvious to me that she came back by the office to check out our office hours on the window b/c in every report that she filed over this, she wrote my name verbatium from the window and addressed our office hours that are on the door. I never told her what time we are closed b/c someone is usually here even when doctor hours are finished.

Anyway, when she called me, she was on the defensive immediately. Anyone that knows me knows that I am very understanding and actually let people get away with too much. I tried to explain to her that we weren't going to send her to collections if she would get in that week to pay her bill but she interrupted me and said "Would you shut your mouth and listen to what I have to say." I found that very rude, decided I didn't want her back in my office for any reason, and told her that I didn't want her money and to forget about it. I don't need my staff dealing with someone like that. She started to yell at me and I hung up on her.

She came in the office a few days later when my husband was here working. She started getting loud with him and as he tried to reply she said "You are just a bad as your wife, interrupting people." He politely told Capri to collect her money and for her not to ever come back. She left the office yelling, saying that she was going to tell everyone what horrible people we were and how unprofessional I was. This report along with the ones that she sent to the Better Business Bur. and the Chameber of Commerce were all before she came in and finally paid her bill. Just for the record both companies dismissed the reports after seeing her previous bills that were deliquent.

We did cancel the patients appointment one time due to an emergency and on that message we asked for her to call us back and confirm her next appointment which was 2 days later. After no phone call back and a missed appointment, the office girl (not myself) left her a message asking for her to call us back and either reschedule or let us know if she didnt want to come back so we wouldn't keep calling her. It was not rude, I was standing right there when the message was left b/c she was my last patient of the day and I was trying to see if she was on her way or not.

I do not feel like I am unprofessional and neither do the other 100 or so patients that compliment my husband and I both on a daily basis of how we handle situations when it comes to insurance and cash payments. We understand that times are hard and do our best to work with all our patients when it comes to their bill and co-pays. This patient is obviously a loose cannon and give what she does for a living I understand that she has a chip on her shoulder but there is not need to scream and yell at people especially when they have been very patient in the first place.