Hair Restoration Specialist Accused by Patients of Adding Unscrupulous Charges Before, During and After Operations
Los Angeles, California – November 25, 2013 – Dr. Craig Ziering, founder and Medical Director of Ziering Medical, has been accused of scamming hair transplant patients out of thousands of dollars at Ziering Medical locations around the country. A former employee of Ziering Medical and three patients have come forth with detailed accounts of these abuses as the embattled Dr. Ziering faces allegations of fraud, racial profiling and discrimination, sexual harassment, and wrong termination suits.
According to the first account, in 2010 the mother of a patient at Dr. Ziering’s Beverly Hills location agreed to Dr. Ziering performing the maximum number of grafts for her son’s hair transplant.Once the patient was in the procedure room, Dr. Ziering approached the patient about adding additional grafts and added the charges to the credit card used for the deposit without the consent of the patient’s mother. According to a former employee, after complaints from the patient and his mother, the patient account was flagged “do not contact” on Ziering Medical’s patient systems.
Prior to the surgery day (on the initial meeting and consultation) Dr. Ziering would have made recommendation on the number of grafts for the patient. On the morning of the surgery patients would sign paperwork stating how many grafts were being don't which reflected cost and this paperwork was taking place.” Says an anonymous source at the Ziering Medical Corporation. “Prior to taking Valium, sign, date and time and witnessed by the patient advocate. Photos were taken, all financial transactions completed. witnessed by the Patient Advocate. Photos were taken, all financial transaction completed. Patient was then walked into the surgery room where the Nurses would prepare them for surgery and give them Valium. Dr Ziering would then review the patient's bald or thin areas and start to discuss how the patient could use more grafts. Some times when the person was face down on the table and he's making the donor incision he would talk about how he could get more donor than he thought. Very rarely would the person say no. They were usually pleased that he could do more until later that day before leaving the surgery center the Patient Advocate would speak with them about the additional money owed. Instructed by Practice Manager, VP of Marketing to when possible keep the credit card number and just charge the amount without discussing it. Then after repeated charge-backs when some refused to pay was advised that must keep the actual card to swipe the card to prevent a charge back by the credit card company. Many times PA was instructed to follow up and collect or figure out a payment plan. Times when Patients would understand that meant they would owe more money Dr. Ziering himself would negotiate with them in the surgery room with all Nurses listening to is suggestions of his compassionate remarks like," Well if you can't afford to pay for the extra grafts which you really could benefit from, how about you pay for half and I'll pay for half. Yes that's right I will give you half free".
This was an ongoing and repeated practice that EVERYONE in the office was aware of and instructed to comply.” Says the anonymous source.
In 2011, another male patient at the Beverly Hills clinic agreed to a specified number of grafts and paid in the full the morning of his procedure. After the procedure, the patient’s partner arrived to pick up the patient and was told that there was an outstanding balance. The patient’s partner used his own credit card to pay these charges. The patient was shocked to hear of these charges, which were never mentioned or agreed upon prior to the procedure.
Finally, in 2011 a third patient was referred to Dr. Ziering by his dermatologist and underwent two hair transplant procedures. After paying in full, the patient found an additional $2,000 charge added to his credit card without notice or consent. The patient has yet to determine the source of this charge. None of the three patients have been able to recuperate the spurious charges.
These revelations surface as Ziering Medical Corporation enters a new turn in the 18th Judicial Circuit Court of DuPage County, Illinois. A former employee of Ziering Medical, to remain nameless, had performed hair restoration services at Ziering Medical of Chicago for several years.
Ziering Medical has 28 locations in the United States as well as clinics in the UK, Spain, Ireland and Dubai. Dr. Ziering serves on the medical advisory board of Biologix Hair Inc., Histogen, Inc., and Sunetics International.
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Hair Restoration Specialist Accused by Patients of Adding Unscrupulous Charges Before, During and After Operations
Los Angeles, California – November 25, 2013 – Dr. Craig Ziering, founder and Medical Director of Ziering Medical, has been accused of scamming hair transplant patients out of thousands of dollars at Ziering Medical locations around the country. A former employee of Ziering Medical and three patients have come forth with detailed accounts of these abuses as the embattled Dr. Ziering faces allegations of fraud, racial profiling and discrimination, sexual harassment, and wrong termination suits.
According to the first account, in 2010 the mother of a patient at Dr. Ziering’s Beverly Hills location agreed to Dr. Ziering performing the maximum number of grafts for her son’s hair transplant.Once the patient was in the procedure room, Dr. Ziering approached the patient about adding additional grafts and added the charges to the credit card used for the deposit without the consent of the patient’s mother. According to a former employee, after complaints from the patient and his mother, the patient account was flagged “do not contact” on Ziering Medical’s patient systems.
Prior to the surgery day (on the initial meeting and consultation) Dr. Ziering would have made recommendation on the number of grafts for the patient. On the morning of the surgery patients would sign paperwork stating how many grafts were being don't which reflected cost and this paperwork was taking place.” Says an anonymous source at the Ziering Medical Corporation. “Prior to taking Valium, sign, date and time and witnessed by the patient advocate. Photos were taken, all financial transactions completed. witnessed by the Patient Advocate. Photos were taken, all financial transaction completed. Patient was then walked into the surgery room where the Nurses would prepare them for surgery and give them Valium. Dr Ziering would then review the patient's bald or thin areas and start to discuss how the patient could use more grafts. Some times when the person was face down on the table and he's making the donor incision he would talk about how he could get more donor than he thought. Very rarely would the person say no. They were usually pleased that he could do more until later that day before leaving the surgery center the Patient Advocate would speak with them about the additional money owed. Instructed by Practice Manager, VP of Marketing to when possible keep the credit card number and just charge the amount without discussing it. Then after repeated charge-backs when some refused to pay was advised that must keep the actual card to swipe the card to prevent a charge back by the credit card company. Many times PA was instructed to follow up and collect or figure out a payment plan. Times when Patients would understand that meant they would owe more money Dr. Ziering himself would negotiate with them in the surgery room with all Nurses listening to is suggestions of his compassionate remarks like," Well if you can't afford to pay for the extra grafts which you really could benefit from, how about you pay for half and I'll pay for half. Yes that's right I will give you half free".
This was an ongoing and repeated practice that EVERYONE in the office was aware of and instructed to comply.” Says the anonymous source.
In 2011, another male patient at the Beverly Hills clinic agreed to a specified number of grafts and paid in the full the morning of his procedure. After the procedure, the patient’s partner arrived to pick up the patient and was told that there was an outstanding balance. The patient’s partner used his own credit card to pay these charges. The patient was shocked to hear of these charges, which were never mentioned or agreed upon prior to the procedure.
Finally, in 2011 a third patient was referred to Dr. Ziering by his dermatologist and underwent two hair transplant procedures. After paying in full, the patient found an additional $2,000 charge added to his credit card without notice or consent. The patient has yet to determine the source of this charge. None of the three patients have been able to recuperate the spurious charges.
These revelations surface as Ziering Medical Corporation enters a new turn in the 18th Judicial Circuit Court of DuPage County, Illinois. A former employee of Ziering Medical, to remain nameless, had performed hair restoration services at Ziering Medical of Chicago for several years.
Ziering Medical has 28 locations in the United States as well as clinics in the UK, Spain, Ireland and Dubai. Dr. Ziering serves on the medical advisory board of Biologix Hair Inc., Histogen, Inc., and Sunetics International.