UT Southwestern Clinical Center at Richardson/Plano

Dr. Lea has prescribed a cholesterol medication for me. After taking it for about a short time I began to notice an increase in muscle pain, which is a side effect. I called Dr. Lea’s office to ask if he an put me on my previous medication. The office staff told me they would talk to Dr. Lea and call me back. When they called me back, they told me they spoke to his nurse who said I had to come in. When I arrived for the appointment on September 12, 2013, I checked in at the front desk and was immediately charged $ 183.07 for the visit. I was then shown to the examining room and Dr. Lea came in a moment later. When he asked why I was there, I told him about the muscle pain and to please change my prescription. He told me I could have just called and I told him that I tried but his nurse said I have to come in and that I was charged $ 183.07 which surprised him. He suggested cutting the dose in half and offered to listen to my heart so I would «get my money’s worth» and also offered to have his nurse weigh me (which didn’t happen). I saw Dr. Lea for less than 5 minutes. When I left, I stopped by the front desk to complain and they gave me the phone number for UT Southwestern’s Account Services. I called Account Services immediately upon returning to my office. I left a voicemail and heard back from them a couple of days later. They took the information and said they would get back to me in a few days. They never did and I called again and repeated the process. This happened several times over the course of several weeks. On November 5 I finally had enough and left a voicemail that I would be deducting the $ 183.07 from whatever balance I owed for other medical visits. This afternoon, November 7, I finally received a return phone call. Account Services told me that Dr. Lea stated that I had to come in for a change of prescription and that the charges were justified, contradicting what he had told me. When I pointed out that he had told me the opposite, the woman told me I was required to pay all the balances and was very rude about it. I am disgusted Dr. Lea and UT Southwestern’s greed and disregard for a patient’s welfare!