As most mothers of children with special needs know, finding time for yourself is hard. Finding time to take care of your medical needs is even harder with ongoing doctor appointments and specialists for your child.
In October 2016 I was in a car accident. I really hurt my shoulder and was sent to a chiropractor. On the very first day I saw Dr. Abercrombie, I informed him that I was the sole caretaker of a child with special needs, and if she became ill I would need to cancel my appointment to care for her. I explained that my husband works far away as a military contractor and even though I have 3 other children, they cannot care for my daughter when she is ill.
Dr. Abercrombie was VERY kind and compassionate. He assured me that he understood and just to call as soon as I knew I couldn't make it. I missed 3 appointments in the month of November and early December. For each of those appointments I called as soon as I knew I couldn't be there. One night I called at 3am, while I was tending to my sick child, in hopes that they would be able to fill my spot. They never said anything in my subsequent appointments, only to ask me how my daughter was doing. I eventually let them know I would not be continuing my treatment there because my daughter was taking so much of my time and thanked them for helping me as much as they could in the time that I was there.
Imagine my surprise when I received a bill for $600 in no-show fees for those 3 appointments!! I called and explained the situation and reminded them of what Dr. Abercrombie had told me about missing appointments. I even reminded them that I did call all three times to cancel. They said they would make a note of it and I heard nothing more until January 2018 when I received a phone call from a lawyer's office. I I told her the same thing, she said she would make a note of it and I never heard another word. Last month my teenage daughter was served with a summons letting me know I was being sued by Alliance Health Partners for the $600.
Exhausted and beaten down, I came to court today to just pay the $600 and be done with this mess. When I met with their lawyer though, I was informed the bill is now over $1500 which obviously I cannot afford. And now I am making payments at 18% interest forever. All because one time I chose to try to take care of myself.
Colorado Springs patients BEWARE!!! If you have kids, even without special needs... kids who might catch a bug or hurt themselves and you cannot make your appointment with Dr. Abercrombie, calling in to cancel will not help you and you WILL be charged a $200 no-show fee. My mission now is to make sure no one ever ends up in the same position I am in with this doctor. There are many other great chiropractors in this city, and I beg of you to choose someone who doesn't screw over families of kids with special needs.