Bergen West Pediatrics Charges $20 If You Decline a Vaccine They Want To Sell You
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Pardon the Trump'ism, but I think we can say safely to this practice, "You're FIRED!"
Imaging charging $20 to a family because they say "no" to a vaccine? Bergen West Pediatric Center is doing just that. How much money do they lose when they don't sell the vaccines that Merck and Insurance companies demand? The rationale is nonsense. Records are already pulled and ready. Verify vaccine? What does that mean? They have the lineup ready for each visit. Voila. Verified. Put them away. Assess the patient? Isn't that the point of the visit ANYWAY? Patient needs clearly do not come first. There are reasons whereby a parent says "no" to a vaccine including that day's health status, bona fide exemption rights and that basic America tenet called FREEDOM.
From their website, "we are currently accepting new patients." Indeed.
CONGRATULATIONS to Drs. Douglas Fenkart & Cynthia Triggs who have been named "NJ's Favorite Kids' Docs". We are pleased to mentioned that they are both highlighted in the New Jersey Family's magazine December, 2016 issue or online at njfamily.com/thelist.
Care Philosophy:
If you would like experienced and friendly doctors to treat your children, Bergen West Pediatric Center in Wyckoff is the place for you. Conveniently located off Route 208 in Wyckoff, NJ, call to schedule your complimentary consult to meet our staff and see our facilities.
Bergen West Pediatric Center offers medical care for families with infants, children, adolescents and young adults; ages birth to 26 years of age. We provide services to families from Wyckoff, Allendale, Fair Lawn, Franklin Lakes, Glen Rock, Haledon, Hawthorne, Mahwah, North Haledon, Oakland, Paramus, Pompton Lakes, Ramsey, Ridgewood, Wanaque, Wayne and many other surrounding towns. Learn more about our specialized approach, talented staff and the benefits of turning to us for the wellbeing of your children. We are currently accepting new patients.
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@Shelly Tzorfas, or perhaps $20 for each vaccine each time you refuse when they ask (over and over) if you want to "catch up."
Though to me it sounds like the policy aim is probably charging a flat $20 extra at each visit (per child) for setting your own schedule (which might be a never vaccinating schedule).
Posted by: Jeannette Bishop | September 17, 2017 at 12:58 AM
Let's see..If you spread out some 72 vaccines and multiply it x 20 you get $1,440.00. Now if you have 3 or four children...that is a lot of money for the fiasco of well visits. I wish we could go back to the time when doctors only made house calls when your child was ill and he did not carry dangerous vaccines.
Posted by: Shelley Tzorfas | September 16, 2017 at 05:12 PM
Parents have to raise the bar, I guess. The insurance companies and medical schools and boards certainly aren't going to do it.
Did you see?!? There was this wonderful doctor interviewed by the Vaxxed team in Montana who actually makes house calls, wants his patients to feel like they are in charge of their health, etc!
And then there was the interview of a family in Dr. Mayer Eisenstein's practice. At their first (I think) child's 4-month visit, the physician said he was doing well, and he didn't want to see him again unless he was sick! All of their children were healthy, too! I doubt this family went in very often to their doctor (even with eight children), and yet somehow Homefirst is still in business!
So, raising the bar might simply mean seeing less of pediatricians and their pharma-based interventions, let the best practices rise, and the rest seek out more gainful employment in which an actual voluntary exchange of goods and services occurs, for the good of all of us!
Posted by: Jeannette Bishop | September 14, 2017 at 12:03 AM
Sound like fraud to me in its most basic form-charging something for nothing.
Posted by: Jenna | September 13, 2017 at 10:04 PM
My local paper keeps running depressing stories about people who got cancer from HPV. The latest one, however, is a guy who's apparently cancer-free now due to Keytruda, and he goes on about how he's making sure all his kids have gotten the HPV vaccine. It all feels a bit like media manipulation...
Posted by: arawn | September 13, 2017 at 08:08 PM
The best twenty bucks you will ever spend.
Posted by: Reader | September 13, 2017 at 05:21 PM
Since when do pediatricians care for birth to 26 YEARS?
What can pediatricians do for "children" up to age 26?
Oh, I know. They can give the HPV vaccine up to age 26.
UN BE LIEVABLE.
"Learn more about our specialized approach, talented staff and the benefits of turning to us for the wellbeing of your children. [HA HA HA VERY FUNNY]
We are currently accepting new patients."
Hopefully, new patients will not be accepting these charlatans.
Posted by: Linda1 | September 13, 2017 at 04:51 PM
Gotta love this doctor's office update below. First of all I don't believe them at all and have no doubt they attempted this and now are trying to do damage control. Secondly, the fact that they state they are taking names and phone numbers and releasing their lawyer on people just continues to show what a POS this practice is and what miserable tyrants they appear to be. Hopefully their patients run fast from this practice.
Update: We have called this center and they told us "This is not our practice. This was never our practice. This is completely false. We are a small practice and we are being berated by phone calls all day and we don't even know what you are referring to. We are taking your names and phone numbers too, because this is harrassment. Call back tomorrow and get the name of our lawyer."
Posted by: Pharma doesn't care about patients | September 13, 2017 at 03:05 PM
The practice seems intended to coerce families into vaccinating. In that sense it subverts informed consent and accordingly violates medical ethical principles. Still, I’d be happy to pay $20 if it would mean not having to listen to lectures about putting kids at risk and/or threats about calling social services.
Posted by: Matthew Plache, Wolfeboro, NH | September 13, 2017 at 03:01 PM
Also note that vaccine injury has ICD-10 codes:
Measles vaccine causing adverse effects in therapeutic use
http://www.icd9data.com/2015/Volume1/E000-E999/E930-E949/E949/E949.4.htm
Smallpox vaccine causing adverse effects in therapeutic use
http://www.icd9data.com/2015/Volume1/E000-E999/E930-E949/E949/E949.0.htm
Miscellaneous on vaccines:
http://www.icd10data.com/Search.aspx?search=vaccin
Posted by: nhokkanen | September 13, 2017 at 12:31 PM
Aren't doctors already able to bill insurance companies for vaccine refusal?
ICD-10 stands for International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, 10th revision. ICD-10 manuals list 68,000 medical diagnosis codes -- revised from 13,000 in 2015.
Immunization not carried out for unspecified reason
http://www.icd10data.com/ICD10CM/Codes/Z00-Z99/Z20-Z29/Z28-/Z28.9
"Z28.04 is a billable/specific ICD-10-CM code that can be used to indicate a diagnosis for reimbursement purposes."
http://www.icd10data.com/ICD10CM/Codes/Z00-Z99/Z20-Z29/Z28-/Z28.04
A doctor’s office medical biller assigns an ICD-10 diagnosis code, then matches it with its corresponding Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) code to bill insurance companies. Here are two about not administering a vaccine:
G8865 Documentation of medical reason(s) for not administering or previously receiving pneumococcal vaccine (e.g., patient allergic reaction, potential adverse drug reaction)
G8866 Documentation of patient reason(s) for not administering or previously receiving pneumococcal vaccine (e.g., patient refusal)
https://www.findacode.com/code.php?set=ICD10CM&c=T50.A11A
In the old days, medical billers had to look up those codes in thick manuals. Now that information is catalogued online, speeding searches. Using the partial word “vaccin” in the search field would cover “vaccine” or “vaccination.”
Posted by: nhokkanen | September 13, 2017 at 12:28 PM
Give me their mailing address, please. I was to send them a $BILL$ for wasting my time on this nonsense!....
Posted by: Bill | September 13, 2017 at 12:26 PM
Moms Across America ran an update regarding this photo. You can view it here: https://www.facebook.com/MomsAcrossAmerica/posts/868126866687185 Practice is claiming "This is not our practice. .... and She would not confirm or deny if the image itself below is a fake. Just know that they are denying this. "
Posted by: Rita | September 13, 2017 at 12:04 PM
Wow! Kind of like the "protection" money organized crime syndicates charge shop owners to "keep them from getting injured."
Posted by: Jenny | September 13, 2017 at 11:43 AM
One of the many reasons I left the f'd up state of NJ. NJ is also praised for their ABA centers which is puzzling since all they produce are a bunch of robots for the most part. NJ...crowded, clueless and criminals when it comes to vaccine damage.
Posted by: NJ-the garbage state | September 13, 2017 at 09:59 AM
What a joke!
Reporting from Canada where there is still 'vaccine choice':
In the province of Québec, the government recommended this year to girls and boys (NEW) in 4th grade, 9 yr olds, to get VPH vaccine and (bonus) combined with Hep B for a double dose of aluminium and of course, never studied administered together! Best protect against STDs and IV use infections in primary school. Makes no sense!!
All vaccines are given at schools - parents are sent an incomplete (not to say biaised) info sheet for parental signature. No chance to ask questions to a nurse although probably best as this way hopefully some parents will do their own research!
Posted by: Harvard MD | September 13, 2017 at 09:14 AM
Any chance they can "charge" me for not "joining" their "e-mailing iist"?
Posted by: bob moffit | September 13, 2017 at 08:24 AM