Charged for medical services never given...

[PrincessKitty1]

Have you called your insurance company yet?

I once had a problem with my then-PCP charging me what insurance didn't cover. Problem was, they were a preferred provider, and weren't supposed to. Office wouldn't budge, so I called insurance. They LOVED to know that this office was charging, she put me on hold, called the office, got it straightened out, and it was all done.



I'd also request records AND an itemized bill. Low staff or not, they have to get that info to you.

I had exactly the same thing happen with a very expensive lab bill--the lab tried to get me to pay what insurance didn't cover, BUT they were a preferred provider. I asked them to send me a corrected bill, and they refused. I told them I would be calling BCBS to report their insurance fraud and voila! they agreed to send me a corrected bill.

 

[Pin Wizard]

The way these offices keep records is horrible. And thanks for reminding me to call the pediatrician! I paid the copay and what I owed from DS's flu shot. Then a couple weeks later I get a bill saying I owe $5. For what? I need to call them. Not a big deal, but better that I keep the $5 than the pediatrician get it!!!

Oh, and while we were in the pediatrician's office, they were asking if DS had chicken pox. I told them he had the vaccination and probably had a mild case. Red spots on the trunk. You had to look at them and wonder...does he have chicken pox? LOL! She said yup, that's how he would have gotten it if he had the vaccine. She said there wasn't a record of it in his chart from the previous pediatrician. They were the ones who recommended it! They forgot to write it in the chart? (I'm wondering if they actually wrote it in the chart at the time but didn't include it on the vaccination record that was sent.) I said yes, he was 4 years old and in pre-k. Too much.

 

[mum4jenn]

After I gave birth to my Dd back in 97, I got the itemized bill and the bill showed that I had a C-section....I did NOT have a C-Section!!! I had to go to billing dept to fight it. The lady asked me if I was positive that I did not have a C-section...she said maybe I had forgotten( yeah right). I offered to show her my belly and she finally said she would check into it. Once they determined that I did not have that procedure they finally corrected the bill.

OP..I feel your pain.

 

[dbogen]

After I gave birth to my Dd back in 97, I got the itemized bill and the bill showed that I had a C-section....I did NOT have a C-Section!!! I had to go to billing dept to fight it. The lady asked me if I was positive that I did not have a C-section...she said maybe I had forgotten( yeah right). I offered to show her my belly and she finally said she would check into it. Once they determined that I did not have that procedure they finally corrected the bill.

OP..I feel your pain.

I had a similar experience after the birth of my son. I asked for the itemized bill from the hosp and they charged the insurance company for 2 circumcisions. I called the hosp and said he only has one PeePee (the filter doesn't like the technical term lol) and there for only one circumcision. We all laughed and they fixed the bill.

 

[Piecey]

Okay. I might have just gotten a crappy insurance customer service lady but she told me they can't change what the Dr's office claimed and I have to take it up with them.

Ugh.

 

[Dizzy4Disney90210]

I didn't know you could determine a baby's sex via a blood test???

 

[Carpenters]

My Dr. When I teted positive at home with my DD10, I went to the Dr. office. I was first given a urine test to determine if I was pg or not (had issues with a previous pregnancy that ended in miscarriage), then they took blood to determine exactly how far along I was.

Both were done on the same day, and insurance paid for both of them.

The reason they would both be covered for the same day is that the urine test was a qualitative test that just delivers a result of positive or negative. The serum test on the blood sample would have been a quantitative test that told them exactly what your HCG levels were and they get a number that lets them know how the pregnancy is progressing.

 

[Nancy]

Okay. I might have just gotten a crappy insurance customer service lady but she told me they can't change what the Dr's office claimed and I have to take it up with them.

Ugh.

She is right, we can't legally change what is submitted to us, but they can call the billing office and let them know that there is a member on the phone disputing the bill and ask them to look into it and make sure the member was charged correctly. sometimes when the insurance reps call the billing office is a bit nicer...but I have talked to some very very nasty billing clerks.

 

[Piecey]

She is right, we can't legally change what is submitted to us, but they can call the billing office and let them know that there is a member on the phone disputing the bill and ask them to look into it and make sure the member was charged correctly. sometimes when the insurance reps call the billing office is a bit nicer...but I have talked to some very very nasty billing clerks.

I'm giving the Dr.'s office one more phone call before I ask to speak to the Dr. directly (I do know one of the nurses there, went to high school with her, and I'll just call and ask for her and tell her to have the Dr. call me but won't say what about.)
I know the Dr. will call me, I was one of her first patients. She has always remembered me. Might just be her, but even though she's only seen me once a year the last few years she recognizes me walking around the mall.

I would think she would believe me. Thats my next step. Next time I get a lunch break! :-D

 

[dizzy203]

I would fight it. Better the money in your pocket than the DR's pocket. If they do this to a few people a day they're taking in a lot more $$ than what they worked for. In Nov 2007 I had to take my son for a physical for school sports and I called to the dr's office and they said they charge $28.00 for a sports physical and they don't put it through the ins. I took him and I was going to pay cash but I noticed they took visa so I charged the $28.00. A few weeks later we got a bill for $29. My husband thought I didn't pay it but luckily I had my receipt so he called the billing dept. It took a while but they finally said they found my visa charge and they would post it to the account but the the fee was $29 and the person in the office that charged me $28 was wrong. Low and behold a few days later we got a bill for $1! I refused to pay it. They made the mistake and it would cost me more to mail them a check. About a month later we received a reminder about the $1 balance but we haven't received anything since then.

 

[Piecey]

I didn't know you could determine a baby's sex via a blood test???

You can't.

I just know it's a boy now because I'm much further along.. Just wanted to share that extra little bit.

 

[bumbershoot]

After I gave birth to my Dd back in 97, I got the itemized bill and the bill showed that I had a C-section....I did NOT have a C-Section!!! I had to go to billing dept to fight it. The lady asked me if I was positive that I did not have a C-section...she said maybe I had forgotten( yeah right). I offered to show her my belly and she finally said she would check into it. Once they determined that I did not have that procedure they finally corrected the bill.

OP..I feel your pain.

I got my hospital records immediately after being booted from there, and it says on there that my GIRL had a circ. Um, NO ONE had a circumcision, my boy is intact, thank you very much. (and even if we believed in that surgery, the hospital does not even DO them) Lies and errors all over my records...

The itemized bill, however, is completely correct.

 

[ROIE01581]

Tell them you want to see the results of both test. The blood one and the urine one. When they can not find the urine results then you have your proof. ( I work in a doctors office. )

 

[dbogen]

Is there any update?

 

[Piecey]

Yep, sorry.

DH's birthday was Thursday and we've been celebrating.

Called me at work yesterday and told me they were refunding the charge "Sorry"

Woohoo!

 

[Tuffcookie]

Piecey,

Make sure they didn't put a negative mark on your credit report by turning it over to collections!

TC