Several patients of shuttered Dr. Molar Family Dentistry in Milwaukee are disputing bills sent to them for visits that they claim were paid, Fox6 Milwaukee reported Sept. 22.
One couple, Anthony Sutton and Dana Olivero-Sutton, said they received bills for $750 and $550 three years after their appointments. The couple told Fox6 that they were not told they owed the practice anything before they got the bills some three years after services were rendered.
Another patient is suing the practice for bills he received.
The invoices were reportedly sent by Andie Family Dentistry, a trade name for the dental practice, according to Fox6.
The Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions told Fox6 it had not filed or received dissolution paperwork for Dr. Molar Family Dentistry. The news agency visited two former locations of the practice but found vacant buildings. It also contacted the Better Business Bureau, which said the practice received two complaints in the last 15 years, was not responding to complaints and had disconnected its phone numbers.
An attorney for the dental practice told Fox6 "these are collections that are in the normal course of business for unpaid bills."
The attorney said a Sept. 13 letter was sent to the Bureau of Consumer Protection about the couple, stating that the practice would be "writing off" Mrs. Olivero-Sutton's remaining balance to avoid more attorney fees.
The practice was "forced to discontinue providing dental services due to patients such as these patients who refuse to pay their bills," the attorney told Fox6.
The attorney forwarded dates to Fox6 of when billing statements were sent to the Suttons, but the couple denied receiving them.
Fox6 contacted Dr. Molar's former insurance provider, Delta Dental of Wisconsin, which launched an audit into the practice's billing history. Delta Dental said it found two claims that had not been submitted for payment and sent a check to the Wisconsin couple for the amount it would have covered as a courtesy.