Ryan W. L. Burleson, DDS, MS, PLLC in Apex

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comments 2

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  Bill Carson

  :: 08 June 2021 15:19:37

  I was referred to this endodontist by my regular dentist even though Ryan Burleson is not a member of the cigna ppo network. They are a part of the cigna network however. During my first call with them, Betsy, I asked Betsy what the fee was for a root canal and she told me and stated that it was about $100.00 more than the plan would allow for the procedure. About $1200. So my out of pocket would be that $100 plus 30 percent of the allowed by insurer amount ($1100), so about $430 total. I chose to go with them because my dentist recommended them and if it cost me only $100 plus the extra 10% of the allowed amount, then I should go with that recommendation versus staying in network with an unknown endodontist. Also, finding an in-network endodontist using cignas ppo list was impossible. Every one I called, told me they don't do that or they refer them out. I even called cigna ppo and asked them for a list which they gave me. Every one of those said to me that they don't do root canals. But looking online the out of pocket cost to me with my insurance in-network all showed around $200 for a $1000 procedure. So I chose to go with this provider because i was told it wouldn't cost me that much more as mentioned above. And NOWHERE on cigna ppo's site does it show how much out of network their allowable fee would be. One would assume it would be the same as in-network as that's the discount rate for being in-network and most out-of-network providers charge more than that rate. To my surprise I get a bill a month later stating I owe an additional $400 or so- Bill was for $621 but taking into consideration the above figure, I still owed $200 or so as I have paid $210 or so in the office. I called and spoke Betsy who works at the front desk and voiced my displeasure and brought up our conversation before i decided to have them do the work and she countered that they just give estimates. She told me she would call the insurance company and see what they say and me being rude isn't helping matters. I wasn't rude, just upset that this happened. I knew the insurance company would push back, and they did and it's in appeal after i called them, so now I am on the hook for this additional fee that I could have avoided as I feel Betsy missed something here in getting the details on my coverage during my initial call with them. It's her daily job to figure this stuff out. I feel she should have called the cigna ppo and asked them on my behalf while confirming coverage. But obviously she did not. How am I supposed to figure this out without having access to the codes and what not that I would need to give to the insurer? I would have surely went elsewhere if I knew then what i know now. Does Ryan do good work? He fixed my issue. Was nice. Pleasant. So I will say yes. That's why 2 stars and not 0. But because of the experience on the business side of this office in terms of out-of-network, I will not be using this provider for any future work i need done as they are not in my network, will be sticking to only in-network providers from this point onward and am warning my friends and family to stick to in network as well. i would have thought in-office staff would know about things like this happening. I guess I was wrong.

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  Maureen Doetzer

  :: 16 September 2020 19:48:17

  I arrived today fully expecting to get a root canal. After xrays and inspection showed a crack to the gum line Dr Burleson took his time to explain why I might want to consider extraction instead. He was very thorough and knowledgeable and I so appreciated his honesty. So I’m moving on to an oral surgeon but if I ever need a root canal again (hopefully not!) I’ll be coming back to this endodontist. I don’t remember the name of his administrative assistant but she was super nice too- she facilitated my appointment for extraction with the implant doctor. Thank you!