For not appearing for two doctor's visits, I am being charged roughly
$200, and a collection agency is coming after me for the money. I have
the money, but I'd really like to not have to pay them, I don't feel
its fair for them to charge me a hundred dollars for missing an
appointment, I wouldn't charge them if they didn't show up for me.

What are my recourses? Is there any way I can lower or remove this
balance without doing any further damage to my credit?

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Request for Question Clarification by websearcher-ga on 28 Feb 2005 08:10 PST

Hi osirisx11:

To answer your question, we need to know what country/state you live
in and where the doctor operates.

Thanks. 

websearcher

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Clarification of Question by osirisx11-ga on 28 Feb 2005 08:17 PST

I live in Montgomery, AL, the doctor's office is for a psychologist
and a psychologist, the office also operates out of Montgomery, AL.
I'll be happy to provide any other needed information,

I appreciate your research and advice.

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Clarification of Question by osirisx11-ga on 28 Feb 2005 08:18 PST

Typo:
office is for a psychiatrist
and a psychologist

Considering the professional expertise of the doctors, it may be
advisable to politely ask them to help reduce your stress by stopping
the collection effort.

I believe it's common practice for many professional service providers
(doctors, hair dressers, accountants, etc.) to charge a fee (or the
full price of the appointment) if you don't cancel within specified
time limits (usually 24 hours). The rationale is that you have to pay
for their missed opportunity cost. They could have filled the time
slot with someone else if you had given them notice.

You could apologize and plead mitigating circumstances and ask them to
forgive the charge.

Good luck.

http://216.239.63.104/search?q=cache:2pdNEbkWiYkJ:www.medscape.com/viewarticle/484540_3+charge+for+missed+appointments&hl=en
No-Shows

Some health plans permit physicians to charge their patients who don't
show up for their appointments and don't call to cancel within 24
hours. Medicare allows this as well, as long as the policy applies
equally to Medicare and non-Medicare patients. Falkoff charges more
for missed physicals than for other types of missed appointments. Some
physicians have found this fee especially difficult to collect,
however. Steven Johnson, MD, used to charge patients for missed
appointments at his four-physician family medicine practice in New
London, Conn. "We found that patients never pay this bill. After
several billing cycles they were sent to collection and dismissed. Now
we just send reminder letters and dismiss patients after three missed
appointments."

http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2004/11/01/bisa1101.htm
Nabbing no-shows: What can you do when patients are absent?

Missed appointments cost a practice in three different ways, said Bob
Murphy, MD, a reconstructive surgeon with a three-physician practice
in Allentown, Pa. First you take the lost revenue from the missed
appointment itself, then you add the cost of employees who spend time
scheduling the appointment and making follow-up calls with the
patient, and then there's the empty time that otherwise could have
been filled with other patients, he said.