A Navy veteran and retired teacher said he was billed $11,500 after a single visit to a medical center that advertised free treatment for erectile dysfunction.
Calvin Pauling, 73, heard the radio advertisement for Priority Men’s Medical Center in Dunwoody, a city just north of Atlanta.
The veteran, who has been married for 50 years, was drawn by the ad's promise that 'Your consultation and first treatment are free.'
But after visiting the clinic, he immediately felt like something was off. Pauling told Atlanta News First that the consultation felt more like a sales pitch than a medical exam and that he is unsure if a doctor ever diagnosed him.
Indeed, the outlet reviewed the retired teacher's paperwork and found that it was only stamped with a signature from a licensed nurse practitioner rather than a physician.
Although nurse practitioners are allowed to treat patients for erectile dysfunction, the Priority Men's Medical Center website and a YouTube ad both state that appointments at the clinic are with doctors.
After the appointment, Pauling received the hefty five-figure bill and despite his misgivings, felt pressured to sign an agreement with the clinic to help pay off the bill using a health care credit card.
He told Atlanta News First that he quickly second-guessed the decision, but he thought he had three days to decide whether to cancel the agreement.
Calvin Pauling, 73, said he was billed $11,500 after visiting an erectile dysfunction clinic that advertised a free consultation and first treatment
Pauling is a Navy veteran and retired math teacher who has been married for 50 years. He is pictured with his wife
Pauling's $11,500 bill was broken down into five parts. He was charged $948 for urological treatments, $6,947 for ICP therapy, $2,000 for PRP therapy, $1,378 for ESW therapy and $227 for a medical applicator.
Medical professionals interviewed by Atlanta News First said that erectile dysfunction clinics and urologists offer the same services, and the only difference tends to be the price.
One urologist the outlet spoke to said he could prescribe a treatment plan for just a few hundred dollars. Erectile dysfunction clinics justify their elevated prices by claiming they offer highly specialized care that urologists do not offer.
The health care credit card agreement that Pauling signed stated, 'there are absolutely no refunds of any kind under any circumstances for all doctor examination charges, medical products and medication(s), whether picked up or not.'
Even so, the veteran had attempted to call Priority Men’s Medical Center several times to cancel the agreement within the three-day timeframe he believed he had, but the clinic never picked up, he told Atlanta News First.
After he received the first shipment of medications at his home, he attempted to return it, but the pharmacy sent it back.
Pauling told Atlanta News First that he never used any of the treatments sent to him and asked for a refund several times.
A spokesperson for Priority Men’s Medical Center told Atlanta News First that it was '100 percent reasonable' for Pauling to expect a refund for treatments he never used, but the veteran has yet to receive one.
Pauling said he was drawn by a radio ad for Priority Men's Medical Center in Dunwoody, Georgia, which is just north of Atlanta. The building in which the clinic is located is pictured
Pauling said he felt pressured to sign an agreement to pay off his bill with a medical credit card and that his frequent calls to request a refund went unanswered
Pauling told the outlet that a representative from the clinic said they would issue a refund if the Atlanta News First story was not published.
Both Pauling and the outlet said that Priority Men's Medical Center has since stopped responding to their communications.
The Daily Mail has reached out to Priority Men's Medical Center for comment.