Teruel Lawrence N MD

My husband visited Dr Teruel at Cochise ENT in the summer of 2012 and then for a follow-​up about 6 weeks later. We have primary and secondary insurance that covers the visits. But the office staff waited almost a year before billing the insurance company, then it was a few later before they received payment.
By then it was summer of 2013. The billing office sent us one bill for our co-​pay which we paid two months later. By then, they apparently decided to send our account to collections because the next thing we know, we were receiving calls from a collection agency for a $ 32 bill that had somehow ballooned to $ 240! Apparently according to the collection agency Cochise ENT wanted us to pay interest for the year that they waited to bill the insurance company. It’s their fault they waited so long to bill.
We called Dr Teruel’s office (Cochise ENT) and tried to straighten this out and offered to pay in full including any interest incurred for the 4 months that the bill hadn’t been paid but all they kept saying was it was out of their hands, they can’t take any money from us (what kind of business refuses to take payment in full from its clients?) and we would have to deal with the collection agency (what kind of business prefers their clients give money to a collection agency rather than take it themselves?).
Dr Teruel and Cochise ENT are simply unprofessional. His business practices and office policies regarding insurance billing and payments are highly suspicious particularly since they seem in such a hurry to send your account to collections after only sending you one bill.
Dr Teruel owns and practices at Cochise Ear Nose & Throat and while he might be a good doctor, his office policies and office staff have ensured that neither my husband nor I will ever go there again and would not recommend them at all. There are other ENT doctors in Sierra Vista and the surrounding area who will work with you when it comes to insurance billing and payments. The hassle that Cochise ENT caused us is not worth it.