Stay Away: Tri-County Infectious Disease & Travel Medicine

[salpal]

Hubby and I are getting ready to take an overseas trip that does NOT require shots, but recommended to have them. We decided to take precautions and get shots. We asked the cost and were told, approximately $500. Here's a real important word, each: they did not say $500 each!!!

Here is the charges we paid:

Hepatitis A $220 per shot per person
Typhod $100 per shot per person
Tetanus $80 per shot per person

And a $260 consulting fee that resulted in the doctor handing us a printout from the CDC website (which we already had printed ourselves).

We had already consulted with personal physician regarding the shots we needed and told Tri County exactly what we needed when we walked in. I hardly think that it was worth $260 to get a printout from the CDC webpage.

Now, some of you will comment that we should be glad we took precautions, and believe me, we are, however, we just thought that $1000 was a exorbitant amount of money for 3 shots each!!!

We wished we had done some research into other doctor's costs and we wished that we were told $500 each....the word each was left out when we asked the price. Water under the bridge now, but a word of warning for others.

[LatDoc]

I think the health department is a more practical route if you just want the shots and not the advice.

[Waverunner]

Costco, Minute Clinic (in CVS) and Walgreens may be other alternatives.

[graciegirl]

You were ROBBED, Salpal. I am sorry. That just isn't right. Does your insurance cover any of it, I hope?

[NottaVillager]

Almost anything locally related to medicine that has "Tri-County" attached to it's name is related to the main corporation that operates The Villages Regional Hospital and Leesburg General.

[rn1tv]

Do you get your flu shots from your PCP? If so, why didn't he/she order and administer in their office? My dr. orders special injections when needed and bills insurance for me.

[CFrance]

Thank you for the heads-up. That was highway robbery. My DIL paid nothing like that for her shots to go to Kenya. They totaled around $100 (Michigan)

[anaug67171]

I guess the first question should always be "do you accept my health insurance
For this visit" (since you already knew the
Purpose of
The visit ! Same thing happened to me with a
Dermatologist's visit.
To forgot to ask if they
Take AETNA Medicare and they didn't bec it wasn't Medicare primary!

[Russ_Boston]

Hubby and I are getting ready to take an overseas trip that does NOT require shots, but recommended to have them. We decided to take precautions and get shots. We asked the cost and were told, approximately $500. Here's a real important word, each: they did not say $500 each!!!

Here is the charges we paid:

Hepatitis A $220 per shot per person
Typhod $100 per shot per person
Tetanus $80 per shot per person

And a $260 consulting fee that resulted in the doctor handing us a printout from the CDC website (which we already had printed ourselves).

We had already consulted with personal physician regarding the shots we needed and told Tri County exactly what we needed when we walked in. I hardly think that it was worth $260 to get a printout from the CDC webpage.

Now, some of you will comment that we should be glad we took precautions, and believe me, we are, however, we just thought that $1000 was a exorbitant amount of money for 3 shots each!!!

We wished we had done some research into other doctor's costs and we wished that we were told $500 each....the word each was left out when we asked the price. Water under the bridge now, but a word of warning for others.

I had the unfortunate experience of having to go to the Villages Health system urgent care (across from the hospital) for some stitches in my hand last week (I'm fine - just sore now:)).

The prices for ALL functions they perform, right down to individual prices for various immunizations, were clearly posted on their wall in the waiting room. I think the immunization prices you mention are about the same or lower and they do not have the $260 add on.

Yes, always ask what the FINAL cost will be before signing anything.

[blueash]

Yes the prices were excessive. No, most insurance does NOT cover travel vaccines, only those vaccines which the ACIP considers routine for wellness. If the patient had not had a DTaP ever then that would likely be covered. The OP did not say he had gotten an influenza vaccine from the travel doctor. In fact the 2014 flu shot is not even available at this time. The ACIP list is age dependent. So simply asking if the office accepted the patient's insurance would not have changed whether the patient would be responsible for the cost of travel vaccines, although there may have been a required write off on the shots and the office fee. And while I am very aware of the domination of the ruling family, there is nothing about the term Tri-County which points to them. As the community is in fact named "the villages" I would doubt that the Morse family could even control the use of that term any more than they could Sumter County in the naming of a business. As long as there was no intent to defraud...

[Thnonne]

I have been a patient of Dr Jaimangal of Tri County for quite a few years and have been very pleased with how I have been treated. My problem is an infectious disease problem and they have been very helpful in treating me. It often seems for everyone who has a problem they post about a business there is someone with an opposite opinion.

[Jazzper]

Called Emmanuel Christian Health Care (http://vivianjwoodardmd.com/Travel.asp) out on Rolling Acres Rd. to see what they charged. $115 for Hep A, $95 for Typhoid, $72 for Tetanus -- all prices per person. No "consulting" charge was mentioned but I did not ask specifically about that, sorry.

While I can not project about "Tri-County" in general, it certainly seems like this office is in the business of professionally ripping off people.

I wonder if something like this falls under what Seniors vs. Crime (http://seniorsvscrime.com/) looks into and if they would be interested in investigating the story.