- Report: #820023
Complaint Review: Twin Cities Spine Center- Dr Joesph Perra MD - Minneapolis Minnesota
Reported By:
Rachis -
Hudson, Wisconsin, United States of America
Submitted:
Updated:
-
Author Not Confirmed
Why?
Twin Cities Spine Center- Dr Joesph Perra MD
Piper Building, 913 East 26th Street Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States of America
Phone:
(612) 775-6200
Web:
www.tcspine.com
Categories:
Business Rating:
(0)
Tell us has your experience with this business or person been good?
Twin Cities Spine Center- Dr Joesph Perra MD - Business Office Rip-Off Minneapolis, Minnesota
We started seeing Dr. Joseph H Perra, MD at Gillette Children's clinic in St Paul MN years ago about my son's scoliosis. Dr Perra is definitely on the arrogant side and ALWAYS managed to let us know he makes a lot money but he seemed competent and my son was making progress so we stuck with him. I figured that long as my child was improving I could put up with his braggadocio.
My complaint is about the way Dr Perra and twin City Spine do business. Last year we switched insurance companies. We made our usual appointment with Dr Perra through Gillette Clinic and gave them our new insurance information. We were never told Twin City Spine did not accept this coverage even though we had provided the information well in advance. In fact, we saw him twice before we were told that they would not accept our insurance. We talked to our new insurance company before the appointments just to make sure we were covered and they explained that all Twin City Spine had to do was fill out some paperwork and they would pay. Twin City Spine, for reasons unknown to me refused to do that and sent us the bills for the full amount. I feel we did everything that could be reasonably expected to make sure we were covered.
My wife was still trying to work it out when we received a call from a "collection agency" about the bill. It's really not a collection agency, it's their own in house attack dog that poses as a collection agency. I told the "collection agent" I as going to call the TCS business office to see if I could work something out. he told me that the business manager is Felicia Whitmore so I called her to find out why they wouldn't simply fill out the paperwork for payment. I did call her but instead of a conversation I had to listen to an angry rant.
She was unprofessional, belittling and abusived with a level of anger that did not match the situation. As it turns out the "collection agent" lied to me and Felicia Whitmore is not the office manager but just the collection manager who probably has a desk next to his. Keep in mind that we were long time customers that have put many thousands of dollars in to their pockets. Yet we were treated like criminals and threatened with laws suits and to have our credit ruined over a few hundred dollars.
In my view their boiler room business tactics are a disgrace. You have to wonder, if the business side is managed this way how is the rest of the practice run? If you decide to do business with Twin City Spine make sure you are covered by your insurance. Do not take their word for it, get it in writing or you will find yourself in the same position we are in.
My complaint is about the way Dr Perra and twin City Spine do business. Last year we switched insurance companies. We made our usual appointment with Dr Perra through Gillette Clinic and gave them our new insurance information. We were never told Twin City Spine did not accept this coverage even though we had provided the information well in advance. In fact, we saw him twice before we were told that they would not accept our insurance. We talked to our new insurance company before the appointments just to make sure we were covered and they explained that all Twin City Spine had to do was fill out some paperwork and they would pay. Twin City Spine, for reasons unknown to me refused to do that and sent us the bills for the full amount. I feel we did everything that could be reasonably expected to make sure we were covered.
My wife was still trying to work it out when we received a call from a "collection agency" about the bill. It's really not a collection agency, it's their own in house attack dog that poses as a collection agency. I told the "collection agent" I as going to call the TCS business office to see if I could work something out. he told me that the business manager is Felicia Whitmore so I called her to find out why they wouldn't simply fill out the paperwork for payment. I did call her but instead of a conversation I had to listen to an angry rant.
She was unprofessional, belittling and abusived with a level of anger that did not match the situation. As it turns out the "collection agent" lied to me and Felicia Whitmore is not the office manager but just the collection manager who probably has a desk next to his. Keep in mind that we were long time customers that have put many thousands of dollars in to their pockets. Yet we were treated like criminals and threatened with laws suits and to have our credit ruined over a few hundred dollars.
In my view their boiler room business tactics are a disgrace. You have to wonder, if the business side is managed this way how is the rest of the practice run? If you decide to do business with Twin City Spine make sure you are covered by your insurance. Do not take their word for it, get it in writing or you will find yourself in the same position we are in.
3 Updates & Rebuttals
Aj Anderson
West Fargo,North Dakota,
USA
Dr. Perra Helped Me Get My Life Back
#2Consumer Comment
Fri, May 15, 2015
First of all, I would like to extend my condolences about your son. It must be terrible having to deal with something like that with your own child, my heart goes out to you. Secondly, I am a patient of Dr. Perra's, and have been treated with nothing but respect and kindness from this man. 8 years ago, he fused my L5/S1 and my quality of life improved. He is a very direct man, he doesn't pull any punches, and tells it exactly as it is. He recommended fusing my L4/L5 as well because it was already starting to give out. I opted to only do 1 level, and today I am wishing I would have listened to his suggestion.
He said realistically that I could go 8 to 10 years before it would absolutely have to be done. Here I am 8 years later, and he was right. To me it sounds like you have a problem with their billing department, your insurance company and not the doctor. Dr. Perra gave me my life back, and I personally would recommend him to anyone who has back problems. Doctors have always gotten kickbacks from pharmaceutical companies, and medical device companies.
Do they deserve some kind of compensation for their time researching products, you bet they do if they are doing so on their own time. You can't fault them for that, any red blooded American would do the same thing if given the chance. In my visits with Dr. Perra he never once brought up how much money he made, or how rich he was. He was, and is and always will be there to help people. The man donates his time to help under privileged children, and you want to crucify him for an insurance/billing problem. He's a good man, and the only surgeon I will trust working on my back.
Rachis
Hudson,Wisconsin,
United States of America
Star & Tribune Reports More Corruption - Twin Cities Spune Center
#3Author of original report
Thu, January 12, 2012
Here's part of a Star&Trib story. Read the whole thing HERE I wish I had all this information before doing business with them! Note that seven defendants are from Twin Cities Spine Center including Perra.
lawsuit accuses Polly and 112 other leading spine surgeons of allegedly accepting a total of $8 million in unethical and possibly illegal consulting payments in 2006 alone.Polly declined to comment for this story. He referred all questions to his Minneapolis attorney, John Lundquist, who represents 82 of the surgeons named in the Massachusetts lawsuit -- including Polly and other doctors from Minnesota.
Lundquist would not confirm the amount of consulting fees the suit alleges were paid to Polly. "We are not going to comment on the personal finances of any of our clients," he said.Seven of the other defendants are from the Minneapolis-based Twin Cities Spine Center, a nationally known practice headquartered at Abbott Northwestern Hospital. The complaint alleges they accepted consulting payments from Medtronic totaling approximately $466,400 in 2006. They are Drs. Timothy Garvey, Francis Denis, Joseph Perra, Manuel Pinto, James Schwender, Ensor Transfeldt and Amir Mehbod. A Twin Cities neurologist, Stanley Skinner, is also named.
Report Attachments
Rachis
Hudson,Wisconsin,
United States of America
Bloomberg Agrees
#4Author of original report
Tue, January 10, 2012
I wondered if the office was run like a cheap boiler room how is the rest of the practice? It didn't take long to find out. If you are considering treatment with Twin Cities Spine you should read this Bloomberg Report, "Highest-Paid U.S. Doctors Get Rich With Fusion Surgery Debunked by Studies"
Of all the spine centers in the US Bloomberg used TCS as it's example of greed and corruption and that says something. Do your research before you have any procedures that could effect the rest of your life.
