Surgeon Abandoned his Patients - Dr. Eric Pinnar

[elizabeth-k 1]

Eric Pinnar seems impressive because of his phony, warm and caring approach. Don't be fooled. He is heartless. I have personally seen it in several ways. Beware. Hopefully, enough said.

Hello! I was wondering if anybody is familiar with Dr. Eric Pinnar here in Jax, Fl? I have heard some wonderful things about him and his team in Virgina/D.C but I was wondering specifically for his team in Jax. I recently attended one of his seminars and was very impressed. I have not yet met his staff and am curious what the general opinion is! Thanks!

[happy with my band 0]

I think you all need to think about what you are saying here. This is a doctor who is mostly being criticized for his decision to move. If you are talking medically, may people out there have had GREAT results from this talented surgeon. While he did sell his practice, his intention was to have his patients taken care of. If her really didn't care, Phil wouldn't have tried to stay on as a PA nor would Shelly and others have stayed to work in the office. Did it ever occur to you all that Dr. Pinnar may have been GREATLY SADDENED to see what the new owners did to the practice. Did you ever consider how difficult it was for DR. PINNAR to learn of how his patients were being treated.

When I had problems, i contacted Dr. Pinnar and I heard back from him personally and he went to great lengths to make sure I knew about doctors that could take care of me.

I think you all are looking at this very one sided. Ovbiously you trusted him like I did to be a great doctor and like many of you who who operated on by him you got a great technician who did a great job along with his team of taking care of you helping you and reach your goals.

If you are looking for a physician with integrity, who cares about his patients and their results and a docor who is extremely competent than Dr. Pinnar is the doctor for you.

[band2sleeveinNoVA 5]

What may be interesting to note is that in the last 14 business days I have received 46 explanation of benefits from 3 insurance companies (1 of which has not been active since 2007 and I had surgery in 2010)....these EOB's state that Dr. Eric Pinnar is billing all my insurance companies for nearly $150k of treatments and procedures and when I looked up the procedure codes some of these procedures are for things I never had! I've got calls into the fraud departments at all insurance providers and a fellow Pinnar patient who has become a friend of mine also has had repeated claims filed for surgery and aftercare that we both paid $17,000 up front for. Fraud at its finest. The "billing department" that was given to my insurances listed a number that was tied to a Synchrony Health which was tied to Dr. Merchia's personal residence in Great Falls, VA where it lists him as selling it in summer of 2011. Shady.

Would be interested to hear what anyone else has to say?????

[band2sleeveinNoVA 5]

Hi all - anyone who is a former ERIC PINNAR patient getting EOB's from their insurance that they never paid for anything? I am and I know others are as well. My insurances (yes insurances, I switched jobs midway through my treatment) are getting bills 2 years after my surgery for the actual surgery amongst other charges for things that I never had done.

Would appreciate any insights - send me a private message, I am seeking legal advice as well.

thanks!

[food expert 1]

So it has been well established that Dr. Eric Pinnar has packed up shop and abandoned his patients that paid for his services for life.

Now that sorry excuse for a doctor has decided to commit some great insurance fraud and send out claims for previous services. This includes billing my insurance company for my surgery THAT I PAID FOR and then billing them for all kinds of crazy services that I never had. So far, I've received 15 EOBs most of them on dates I wasn't even there. My insurance company was billed $18K for a fluroscopy that I never had and $24K for a fill. No lie, twenty-four thousand dollars for a fill!

What makes it worse, they are billing for dates that I wasn't even in the country. I'm furious and have a feeling that the next step will be them sending this to a collection agency.

Anyone else having this issue?

Once again, AVOID AVOID AVOID Dr. Eric Pinnar. I can now add crook to the list of not so nice things I have to say about him.

[NWgirl 574]

I would personally look into hiring a lawyer. Have you contacted insurance to explain what is going on? You must have proof of payment, so it seems they should also be able to take action against him.

[DELETE THIS ACCOUNT! 12,703]

I agree, I'd look into a lawyer asap.

I'd also contact your insurance company immediately and let them know what's going on and NOT to pay his bills.

[Cazzy 725]

If you were self pay and part of your agreement was for you to get fills for life and he isnt around to do that i would look at making a claim against him to finance any future fills u may need. To me this is a clear breach of contract, verbal or written .. Let the insurance company worry about his bogus claims to them and look at a small claims court action ( or whatever the equivalent is in the US) where u can, if necessary take him to court wihtout a lawyer to get your future fills paid for .

[Sojourner 2,446]

food expert" data-cite="food expert" data-ipsquote-timestamp="1331774559" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="125862" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic">

So it has been well established that Dr. Eric Pinnar has packed up shop and abandoned his patients that paid for his services for life.

Now that sorry excuse for a doctor has decided to commit some great insurance fraud and send out claims for previous services. This includes billing my insurance company for my surgery THAT I PAID FOR and then billing them for all kinds of crazy services that I never had. So far, I've received 15 EOBs most of them on dates I wasn't even there. My insurance company was billed $18K for a fluroscopy that I never had and $24K for a fill. No lie, twenty-four thousand dollars for a fill!

What makes it worse, they are billing for dates that I wasn't even in the country. I'm furious and have a feeling that the next step will be them sending this to a collection agency.

Anyone else having this issue?

Once again, AVOID AVOID AVOID Dr. Eric Pinnar. I can now add crook to the list of not so nice things I have to say about him.

Most states have a professional regulatory board to monitor the unethical practices of licensed medical professionals. I would most certainly report these suspect charges for services to your insurance company. Legally, you can dispute these charges, which will create a "red flag" for the insurance company to investigate further.

Even if this situation would end up going to collections, it is your legal right to have included a statement from you as to why the disputed bill was not paid.

I'm really sorry you have to deal with a situation like this...I was seriously injured last year in a car accident, and all funds from insurance to cover my medical bills were in an escrow account with payments handled through my attorney's office. Though I contacted them, they demanded that I pay them from my own funds, which is not legal to do in the state where I live. The best defense is a good offense...good luck!

[tabithal1127 0]

food expert" data-cite="food expert" data-ipsquote-timestamp="1331774559" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="125862" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic">

So it has been well established that Dr. Eric Pinnar has packed up shop and abandoned his patients that paid for his services for life.

Now that sorry excuse for a doctor has decided to commit some great insurance fraud and send out claims for previous services. This includes billing my insurance company for my surgery THAT I PAID FOR and then billing them for all kinds of crazy services that I never had. So far, I've received 15 EOBs most of them on dates I wasn't even there. My insurance company was billed $18K for a fluroscopy that I never had and $24K for a fill. No lie, twenty-four thousand dollars for a fill!

What makes it worse, they are billing for dates that I wasn't even in the country. I'm furious and have a feeling that the next step will be them sending this to a collection agency.

Anyone else having this issue?

Once again, AVOID AVOID AVOID Dr. Eric Pinnar. I can now add crook to the list of not so nice things I have to say about him.

This happened to me too! I Didnt even have the procedure- I went in for a consult on 6/2010 and I just recieved another bill for this for $955 dollars last week. I never saw Dr. Pinnar but instead saw the nurse and billing. I am thinking about getting a lawyer bc I cant get anyone to answer any of my questions and I already got in touch with the fraud department at Aetna... The worst part is that the bill is addressed to someones HOME address... shady

[tabithal1127 0]

What may be interesting to note is that in the last 14 business days I have received 46 explanation of benefits from 3 insurance companies (1 of which has not been active since 2007 and I had surgery in 2010)....these EOB's state that Dr. Eric Pinnar is billing all my insurance companies for nearly $150k of treatments and procedures and when I looked up the procedure codes some of these procedures are for things I never had! I've got calls into the fraud departments at all insurance providers and a fellow Pinnar patient who has become a friend of mine also has had repeated claims filed for surgery and aftercare that we both paid $17,000 up front for. Fraud at its finest. The "billing department" that was given to my insurances listed a number that was tied to a Synchrony Health which was tied to Dr. Merchia's personal residence in Great Falls, VA where it lists him as selling it in summer of 2011. Shady.

Would be interested to hear what anyone else has to say?????

This happened to me too!! I got my bill last week for 955$ for an office visit for a consult. I never saw Dr. and I was there for 45 minutes to see if I should get the band or not - I dont understand why they are billing us 2 years later and for such insane amounts.. I am tempted to go to the news too and look into a consumer affairs report on what is going on with this!

[Jodi_620 37]

Oh no, that is insane! I haven't seen anything like this yet but will let you know if it happens. So is it Merchia that is doing this?

[pmcohenpac 0]

It is my understanding that AWLS (Dr. Pinnar's former practice) was purchased by an entity managed (and at least partially owned) by Dr. Merchia in February of 2011. The plan was that the transition was to be seamless, that all prior patient commitments would be honored and all staff would be retained.

Within days of the management change, half of the staff were let go and patients were being advised that there would be a new billing structure. Dr. Merchia circulated an unsigned, undated memo on 4/6/11 stating that "AWLS went out of business. A new bariatric aftercare group is now based in these offices, AfterBand. Phil Cohen, Dr. Pinnar's former PA, now works for the new company." The commitments of AWLS would not be honored. When I challenged Dr. Merchia regarding this memo, I was promptly terminated. Two hours later, I was un-terminated, but on 4/18/11 I was terminated again for advocating for our patients. I could write a boatload more about all the things that happened after Dr. Merchia took over the management of the practice, but for the sake of brevity I will say that none of this was supposed to happen the way it did.

It is also my understanding that Dr. Pinnar is contractually prohibited from contacting the patients of AWLS. I have no reason not to believe that any claims that have been submitted after 3/1/11, have been submitted by business entities managed (and most likely owned) by Dr. Merchia. Many complaints have been submitted to the Virginia Board of Medicine. I know this because I, too, was a patient of Dr. Merchia. I was evaluated for a sleep issue, had two sleep studies and a total of nine additional office visits between November 2008 and June 2010 for which claims were submitted (in 2011) for <$140,000 (none were paid, by the way). I also had to submit a complaint to the Virginia Board because "SleepHeart" (managed and at least partially owned by Dr. Merchia), would not release copies of my medical records. My complaint resulted in a phone call from a Board investigator and a two hour face-to-face meeting. The Board was "well aware" of Dr. Merchia and his business practices. However, despite all the complaints and all the innuendo, the Board, to my knowledge, has not been able to do anything of a substantive nature, yet.

If anyone has complaints about the business practices of AWLS, AfterBand, Quantum Bariatrics or SleepHeart, I suggest that you contact the Virginia Board of Medicine http://www.dhp.virgi.../complaints.htm .

[pmcohenpac 0]

Posted from another forum but needs to be here too.

It is my understanding that AWLS (Dr. Pinnar's former practice) was purchased by an entity managed (and at least partially owned) by Dr. Merchia in February of 2011. The plan was that the transition was to be seamless, that all prior patient commitments would be honored and all staff would be retained.

Within days of the management change, half of the staff were let go and patients were being advised that there would be a new billing structure. Dr. Merchia circulated an unsigned, undated memo on 4/6/11 stating that "AWLS went out of business. A new bariatric aftercare group is now based in these offices, AfterBand. Phil Cohen, Dr. Pinnar's former PA, now works for the new company." The commitments of AWLS would not be honored. When I challenged Dr. Merchia regarding this memo, I was promptly terminated. Two hours later, I was un-terminated, but on 4/18/11 I was terminated again for advocating for our patients. I could write a boatload more about all the things that happened after Dr. Merchia took over the management of the practice, but for the sake of brevity I will say that none of this was supposed to happen the way it did.

It is also my understanding that Dr. Pinnar is contractually prohibited from contacting the patients of AWLS. I have no reason not to believe that any claims that have been submitted after 3/1/11, have been submitted by business entities managed (and most likely owned) by Dr. Merchia. Many complaints have been submitted to the Virginia Board of Medicine. I know this because I, too, was a patient of Dr. Merchia. I was evaluated for a sleep issue, had two sleep studies and a total of nine additional office visits between November 2008 and June 2010 for which claims were submitted (in 2011) for <$140,000 (none were paid, by the way). I also had to submit a complaint to the Virginia Board because "SleepHeart" (managed and at least partially owned by Dr. Merchia), would not release copies of my medical records. My complaint resulted in a phone call from a Board investigator and a two hour face-to-face meeting. The Board was "well aware" of Dr. Merchia and his business practices. However, despite all the complaints and all the innuendo, the Board, to my knowledge, has not been able to do anything of a substantive nature, yet.

If anyone has complaints about the business practices of AWLS, AfterBand, Quantum Bariatrics or SleepHeart, I suggest that you contact the Virginia Board of Medicine http://www.dhp.virgi.../complaints.htm .

[pmcohenpac 0]

Posted on another forum but need to be posted here too.

It is my understanding that AWLS (Dr. Pinnar's former practice) was purchased by an entity managed (and at least partially owned) by Dr. Merchia in February of 2011. The plan was that the transition was to be seamless, that all prior patient commitments would be honored and all staff would be retained.

Within days of the management change, half of the staff were let go and patients were being advised that there would be a new billing structure. Dr. Merchia circulated an unsigned, undated memo on 4/6/11 stating that "AWLS went out of business. A new bariatric aftercare group is now based in these offices, AfterBand. Phil Cohen, Dr. Pinnar's former PA, now works for the new company." The commitments of AWLS would not be honored. When I challenged Dr. Merchia regarding this memo, I was promptly terminated. Two hours later, I was un-terminated, but on 4/18/11 I was terminated again for advocating for our patients. I could write a boatload more about all the things that happened after Dr. Merchia took over the management of the practice, but for the sake of brevity I will say that none of this was supposed to happen the way it did.

It is also my understanding that Dr. Pinnar is contractually prohibited from contacting the patients of AWLS. I have no reason not to believe that any claims that have been submitted after 3/1/11, have been submitted by business entities managed (and most likely owned) by Dr. Merchia. Many complaints have been submitted to the Virginia Board of Medicine. I know this because I, too, was a patient of Dr. Merchia. I was evaluated for a sleep issue, had two sleep studies and a total of nine additional office visits between November 2008 and June 2010 for which claims were submitted (in 2011) for <$140,000 (none were paid, by the way). I also had to submit a complaint to the Virginia Board because "SleepHeart" (managed and at least partially owned by Dr. Merchia), would not release copies of my medical records. My complaint resulted in a phone call from a Board investigator and a two hour face-to-face meeting. The Board was "well aware" of Dr. Merchia and his business practices. However, despite all the complaints and all the innuendo, the Board, to my knowledge, has not been able to do anything of a substantive nature, yet.

If anyone has complaints about the business practices of AWLS, AfterBand, Quantum Bariatrics or SleepHeart, I suggest that you contact the Virginia Board of Medicine http://www.dhp.virgi.../complaints.htm .