I would like to know if it is legal for a doctor to charge you a fee
for a missed appointment in the state of Florida. We were not happy
with the service that we were provided, and chose to go to a different
Dr. since then, we have been getting a bill for $61.00, and now he is
sending to collections. My thought is that we did not recieve service
from the Dr., therefore I do not feel I am legally liable. What are
the laws pertaining to this matter in the state of Florida.

Hello Juddspence,

   I don't know if it's illegal or not-I'll leave that to another
researcher. However, if the office posts that it charges for no-show
appointments that are not cancelled within 24 hours of the appointment
time, I believe they can. By not appearing for an appointment, it
causes the office to lose revenue for your alloted time, and it is too
late to schedule another patient. If several patients a day do not
show up, this can seriously impact a medical office's income.

Regards, Crabcakes

This is not a DIRECT answer but we can INFER the answer from the following site:

http://www.doh.state.fl.us/mqa/enforcement/enforce_howto.htm

This site is run by the Florida Department of Health and deals with
Filing Complaints Against Licensees or Unlicensed Persons (Licensees
includes Doctors and their offices).

If you read through the site is specifically says:
What issues are NOT within the authority of the Department?

    * Fee disputes (i.e. broken or missed appointments)
    * Billing disputes
    * Personality conflicts 
    * Bedside manner or rudeness of practitioners

From this I would INFER that there is NOTHING illegal in the CHARGING
of fees for missed appointments.  In fact, if there is a billing
problem the Florida Department of Health doesn't hear these cases.  I
would assume that it would go the route of 'normal' disputes such as
arbitration or small claims court and would depend on properly posted
signage or consent (ie. When you first became a client of this Dr. did
you sign patient forms that also may have outlined fees for missed
appointments?)

It is also 'not handled' by the Florida Department of Elder Affairs
http://elderaffairs.state.fl.us/CRG/sec06.html

Also....

Refer to the Statute of 2005
381.026  Florida Patient's Bill of Rights and Responsibilities.--

http://leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?mode=View%20Statutes&SubMenu=1&App_mode=Display_Statute&Search_String=381.026&URL=CH0381/Sec026.HTM

Some points.

5.  A patient in a health care facility has the right to know what
facility rules and regulations apply to patient conduct.

3.  A health care provider or a health care facility shall, upon
request, furnish a person, prior to provision of medical services, a
reasonable estimate of charges for such services. Such reasonable
estimate shall not preclude the health care provider or health care
facility from exceeding the estimate or making additional charges
based on changes in the patient's condition or treatment needs.

AND

A patient is responsible for keeping appointments and, when he or she
is unable to do so for any reason, for notifying the health care
provider or health care facility.

A patient is responsible for his or her actions if he or she refuses
treatment or does not follow the health care provider's instructions.

A patient is responsible for assuring that the financial obligations
of his or her health care are fulfilled as promptly as possible.

A patient is responsible for following health care facility rules and
regulations affecting patient care and conduct.