ComplaintsforOrlando Acupuncture, Inc.

• Initial Complaint

  04/14/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  3/25/22 - 4/1/22. I paid them $1545. I went there for treatment on my eyes bc I have a rare genetic retinal disorder. I went there for micro acupuncture to help improve my peripheral and night vision. Mr ******* did not perform micro acupuncture. He performed regular acupuncture and charged me for micro acupuncture. Treatment consisted of 10 treatments 2x per day which rendered NO results. My vision was exactly the same as the day I first walked in there. Mr ******* is not my treating physician for my condition and I only sought out what I thought was micro acupuncture as an alternative treatment as there is no cure for what I have. The office manager Danielle contacted me and assured me they did not want me to feel taken advantage of and said she would speak with her team about what could be done to rectify the situation. I asked for a full refund from her. She said she would call me back and never did. Mr ******* assured me an insurance claim would be filed which he never did either according to my insurance company. I feel this business took full advantage of me during a vulnerable time and they refuse to give me a full refund including the $45 consultation fee. They want me to go back and agreed to charge me an additional $650 to do another round of treatment which I consider a slap in the face, since there was no improvement the first time and he blamed me for a poor sleep routine which he is setting up unrealistic expectations for me as I don't sleep a full 8 hours a night and haven't for many years. Mr ******* claimed he treated others with my same condition. I want a FULL refund since he was not able to help me improve my vision as promised.

  Business response

  06/03/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2022/04/19) */ We are very sorry that this patient did not get the results that she was hoping for. Before we began treatment this patient asked about Micro Acupuncture, and it was explained that this is a style of acupuncture that, contrary to her understanding, did not involve the use of electro therapy. She was also advised that the standard course of care for her condition was 2-3 (or more) sets of treatment with the goal of improved vision. After each set some vision improvement should be seen (measured as 1-2 lines of improvement on a vision chart). The recommendation is to start with one set, and move forward with additional sets as long as the vision continues to improve. In this patient's case her improvement was not as great as she had hoped for. The fact that her insurance would not cover these visits was also discussed with her before beginning treatment. If she would like us to send billing over so that she can see them be denied, we would be willing to do so. Both the office manager, Danelle and I asked the patient what she would like to see happen at the conclusion of her care, and were open to any reasonable suggestions. The offer of a second set of treatment at a half price discount was extended in good faith when she expressed dissatisfaction with her result. It is important to note that if no improvement was seen, no additional treatment would have been recommended. It is also important to know that because this is a medical procedure, I can only give typical results, no guarantees, and this patient asked that question and was told this explicitly when we sat down to discuss her case. Getting more sleep was a suggestion given when she was asked what, if anything, she could do to improve her results. Lack of sleep can inhibit healing, and this was communicated as a matter of helpful information and an answer to her question, not as blame. It was also explained as something important to implement before beginning any additional care. To summarize, no specific result is ever "promised" at our clinic or by any healthcare provider. We promise to give you our best and use methods that work for the overwhelming majority of our patients. The fact that there was no guarantee, and no refunds was asked about and explained prior to treatment, as were the exact methods used in our therapy. We treat thousands of patients, and specialize in severe, chronic, and complex cases. It is not reasonable to expect that we will be able to completely eliminate everyone's symptoms. We strive to give our patients specific, measurable goals that we are able to achieve in 90% or more of our patients. We sincerely wish this patient the very best moving forward. Consumer Response /* (3000, 7, 2022/04/21) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) The attached web page explains the type of treatment I thought I would be receiving when I visited Orlando Acupuncture. Maybe not exactly the same but similar. The treatment I received instead was very basic and consisted of 10 acupuncture treatments 2 times a day for 5 days. My initial exam consisted of reading letters off of a chart and looking at a dot at the center of a grid on an Ipad and that is all. At no point during my initial consultation was there any discussion of using electrodes or a special machine until I brought it up during my first treatment to which Dr. ******* relpied "I am the machine" and that the same result would be achieved regardless of using electrodes. It certainly was never discussed at any point in time that I would not be eligible to receive a refund for services rendered. In fact, I did ask for a full refund during my discussion with the office manager when she asked me what could be done to rectify the situation. She told me she would get with her team and she would call me back and I haven't heard from her since. It is Dr. *******'s opinion that I showed minimal improvement based on the eye exam that was performed on me. He has no diagnostic testing to compare the condition of my eyesight to so it would be hard to ascertain whether or not my vision improved after treatment. It is a fact that Dr. ******* does not have a doctorate in the field of ophthalmology and it is a fact that he is not an expert in retinal dystrophy so his opinion in this matter would be invalid. I never came to Orlando Acupuncture seeking a cure for my eye condition neither did I expect to have my symptoms completely eliminated. I did however expect to see some improvement in my peripheral vision and/or night vision and it is a fact that I did not. Reading 2 add'l letters on the same lime from the same eye after treatment concluded hardly constitutes an improvement, especially since I am not experiencing any trouble with my central vision and that was not the reason I came there seeking help. To follow up, I went to my retinal specialist on 4/19/22 and they confirmed there was no change in my vision since my prior visit a year ago. I think it is absurd to ask a patient to return for more treatment and spend more money if there was no improvement the first time around. A patient may be inclined to do so if they saw some improvement and didn't feel like it was a waste of time. Dr. ******* knew there was no change in my peripheral vision and that is why he recommended I come back for another round of treatment at a discounted rate. It is a fact that my vision has not improved at all and I have evidence to back that up and that is why I am asking for a refund in full. As far as billing goes, when I contacted my insurance provider on 4/14/22, 2 weeks after treatment, they informed me NO claim was ever made from Orlando Acupuncture and the rep put a claim in on my behalf at that time. Seeing as I have not received any EOB from my insurance provider, I would definitely like the claim number and a copy of the denial of the insurance claim they say they submitted along with an itemized receipt of charges. To conclude, I am left feeling completely taken advantage of by Dr. ******* and his staff and if it was truly about making the quality of life better for his patients and not about money, then giving me a refund would not be an issue. Business Response /* (4000, 12, 2022/05/18) */ Most of the information in the patient's response was the same as what she originally stated. She mentions a website that outlines the treatment she was looking for. Here is what that website says, "Micro Acupuncture 48TM is a procedure involving 48 newly discovered acupuncture points located only in the hands and feet, and not associated with any other acupuncture system. The MA48 system is currently the Gold Standard in ophthalmic acupuncture and is a powerful form of acupuncture that is used to help people with macular degeneration, retinitis pigmentosa, glaucoma, and a host of other eye conditions." As you can see it does not mention electro-acupuncture and is exactly what was explained to the patient before treatment. The patient details that she received a series of treatments. If the treatments were not what she was expecting she could have cancelled after her first visit and gotten a refund for her remaining visits. She also mentions insurance. As was explained to her when she first came in, and on subsequent phone calls her insurance does not cover treatment for this condition. Almost no insurance does. We offered to bill one visit for her if she wanted to see the denial, but she declined. Generally, when an insurance company tells us that they will not cover we do not send in bills. We were willing to make an exception in this case so that the patient could see for herself that this was the case.

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩