Ask the expert—Even the OSHA boogeyman gets a bad rap, sometimes
Q: My dental bill shows additional $10 fee (service code D9999 for “unspecified adjunctive procedure”). When I asked about it, the receptionist said: “Oh, that’s for the OSHA sterilization fee.” Did I just get ripped off?
A: You may not have been ripped off, but you certainly did not get an adequate explanation. Services that do not have a code receive the “99″ designation, so it would appear ambiguous on your bill.
OSHA has nothing to do with fee structure, so your dental practice may be displaying ignorance, sarcasm, or poor customer relations by pulling an answer out of thin air, perhaps hoping to prevent you from inquiring further into the matter.
You could pose the question: How can an occupational safety and health matter translate into a charge on a patient bill. After all, the receptionist did reference OSHA, probably incorrectly.
In any case, you deserve a better explanation, and the staff at the dental practice should be better educated on the procedure codes in the practice and what OSHA covers.
Remember, some people will cite the OSHA boogeyman in many situations (see “Don’t fall for all red flags”), but the agency only regulates employee health and safety, not patient safety or billing.
Safety officers, educate staff members on what OSHA covers. Using OSHA as the default bad guy makes your practice appear unprofessional.
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David LaHoda
David LaHoda, the managing editor of Medical Environment Update and OSHA Watch, has produced healthcare training videos and consulted for medical practices and ambulatory healthcare facilities.
David has written 196 posts.
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