Medical billing...just a vent

[wdwmom2]

Took DD to the ER back in February. Gave the ER the insurance info, my exDH is the policy holder.

In the past couple months I have gotten mail with his name and my address. Our older DD took it to him. I never knew what the letter contained. I didn't open it. Not sure if he paid any attention to it, but it was given to him.

Fast forward to today. Older DD show me the mail, a newer letter. It was a bill from the ER docs for their services, $300 and some odd dollars. It says we owe the money, no mention of any insurance payments or rejections. Apparently the hosital ER and the ER docs who bill separately, do not share the insurance info. I immediately call ex's BC/BS. I thought maybe they sent him the ususal letter of "do your children have any other insurance?". This happens alot, ex never answers the letters and I have to call them to tell them no, they don't have any other insurance. Just to let you know, many years ago ex signed something from the BC/BS that allows them to talk with me.

Well, BC/BS never received a claim from the ER docs. I immediately call the billing phone number on the letter. I said that I wanted to give them the insurance info so that they could process it. The lady said she needed to speak with the policy holder that she couldn't give me any info. I kept telling her I don't want any info, I wanted to give HER info!!!! I kept telling her to please take the insurance info so that they could process the claim. I know all the info that they need to do that. I know HIPPA, I work in the medical field. I never asked her for ANYTHING!!!!! I just wanted to give her the info so that they could get paid!!! No deal, she wouldn't take it. Finally, she took ex's cellphone number and I had her change the mailing address to his. Now, she would do that!

Now, I know it isn't my responsibility, it is ex's to get them the info. But if anyone has an ex like mine who just doesn't follow through with anything, sometimes it just easier to do it yourself!!!! Hopefully they got in touch with him and didn't have to leave a message. I'm afraid the message won't be returned. My concern is me being a part of being sent to collections for an unpaid bill. And no, I am not going to pay a balance before it is submitted to the insurance company. I tried my best, but my best wasn't good enough!!!

If you made it this far, thank you for letting me vent!! I feel better now!!

 

[mrsgus06]

If you were the one that took your dd to the er you should be the guarantor and they should be willing to discuss every bit of your dd info with you. I would call the billing department back and speak with a supervisor. They should be willing to take the info and bill bc/bs without a problem. It sounds like the person you talked to was lazy and didn't want to "go the extra mile" and enter all the info in the computer. Also, you can just make a copy of the card (front and back) and mail it back in with the letters or you should be able to call and ask for a copy of the bill. Chances are they really didn't even update the patient address to your ex address. They really can't deny updating the file and doing the right thing if they can't figure out if the card is coming from the mom or ex. Good luck!

 

[wdwmom2]

Also, you can just make a copy of the card (front and back) and mail it back in with the letters or you should be able to call and ask for a copy of the bill. Chances are they really didn't even update the patient address to your ex address. They really can't deny updating the file and doing the right thing if they can't figure out if the card is coming from the mom or ex. Good luck!

Actually already thought of this. Tomorrow I will look at the letter again. If it has a fax number, I will fax the info. If not, I will mail it to them.

Why do they have to make this so hard?? Don't they want their money??

 

[CajunDixie]

I do billing and I would have taken the info as I want the money!!!
Is your daughter under 18? If yes, if you call back inform them that since the patient is a minor you know you are legally obligated to take care of this bill if the insurance and father do not pay (at least in my state both parents are responsible regardless what the divorce papers say). Then tell them if they refuse to file with the insurance you want a signed statement releasing you of all responsibility for her bills. They won't like that one bit!
I'd send the FAX to the attention of the Billing Supervisor

 

[snowy76]

I had something really strange happen to me with a medical bill this week. I got a bill for my DS's ENT visit with my DH's ex-wife's name on the envelope. Keep in mind, this is my son, not stepson! She is no relation to DS, and has never lived at our address.

I called the doctor's office and they told me that the ex's name was on the referral from the ped's office. Uh, NO. Although her children are under my insurance, they don't see that ped! My son's pediatrician wouldn't know DH's ex if she walked up and poked him in the eye.

Then the ENT's office gave me some line about my husband being the common name on two accounts that they merged. Thing is, it's my insurance policy, not his. I suppose my stepkids might have been patients there but I don't ever recall it, and I get all the insurance statements.

Then they double-checked: was DH my ex? Nooooo. I already told you guys that. How hard is this to get?

Why did I bother filling out the new patient paperwork if they're going to arbitrarily give my kid a new mom??

 

[wdwmom2]

I do billing and I would have taken the info as I want the money!!!

I called the biller for the practice I work for. She didn't understand it either. As long as someone, anyone, can give the info, she will take it!! And yes, she was under 18 at the time.

I had something really strange happen to me with a medical bill this week. I got a bill for my DS's ENT visit with my DH's ex-wife's name on the envelope. Keep in mind, this is my son, not stepson! She is no relation to DS, and has never lived at our address.

Oh, I had something like that years ago. My church would put out a member directory every so often. One time DH and I got one with my ex listed as one of our children!!!!! Ex never attended the church, not sure how they got his name.

 

[snowy76]

Oh, I had something like that years ago. My church would put out a member directory every so often. One time DH and I got one with my ex listed as one of our children!!!!! Ex never attended the church, not sure how they got his name.

Usually I just explain the situation to whoever we're dealing with, but it's a little scary how easily names and identities can be mixed up like that! To add to the weirdness, my DH's ex has also been remarried for two years now with a different last name!

 

[XOoOoVEEoOoOX]

If you were the one that took your dd to the er you should be the guarantor and they should be willing to discuss every bit of your dd info with you. I would call the billing department back and speak with a supervisor. They should be willing to take the info and bill bc/bs without a problem. It sounds like the person you talked to was lazy and didn't want to "go the extra mile" and enter all the info in the computer. Also, you can just make a copy of the card (front and back) and mail it back in with the letters or you should be able to call and ask for a copy of the bill. Chances are they really didn't even update the patient address to your ex address. They really can't deny updating the file and doing the right thing if they can't figure out if the card is coming from the mom or ex. Good luck!

Yep, this is how it is handled in my hospital, whoever brings the PT is guarantor for that patient...now as far as them not taking the info, that is the person in the hospital being lazy, it is in their best interest to add the ins info b/c in most cases the hospitals greatly reduce rates for self-pay pt (at least they do here in my hospital). And BCBS does not require auth for ER so there shouldn't be any worry on their part of denial....dont really know why they are being difficult w/ you I hope you get it worked out...I know medical bills can be a headache.

 

[wdwmom2]

UPDATE:

The bill wasn't from the ER docs, it was from a collection agency!!! I just didn't read the fine print.

Anyhow, I called the hospital billing department to get the phone number to the ER doc billing. At this time the lady said that they always give the ER billing the insurance info. So I call the ER billing. They have the insurance info. Unfortunately, when they entered the subscriber ID number from the face sheet (I had them double check the info), they entered the 3 letter prefix wrong by one letter. That's where the problem is.

So now they are calling the collection agency and putting a hold on them for 2 months while they process the claim with the correct information.

Oh, and I called my ex to see if the collection agency had gotten in touch with him. I got his voicemail, left a message telling him to call me back and what it was about. That was over a day ago and I haven't heard from him yet. Sometimes I think I should just have let him go to collection without any help from me to get it straightened out!

 

[bumbershoot]

I know HIPPA, I work in the medical field. I never asked her for ANYTHING!!!!! I just wanted to give her the info so that they could get paid!!! No deal, she wouldn't take it.

Some places have the strangest understanding of HIPPA. My son's dentist, that he adores and I won't say anything until he's done seeing that dentist, seems to think that HIPPA governs the patients' parents, and they cite HIPPA for parents to have their cellphones turned OFF, even while in the waiting room. And they do that b/c they will come out and discuss cases, with names, with parents in a full waiting room. They seem to be fine with other patients and parents hearing it, but they draw the line at having someone outside the office hearing it. HIPPA doesn't govern me, people, it governs YOU.

And we also saw interesting interpretations from hospital floor to floor, ward to ward, when FIL was in the local horrible hospital. Awful.

Why do they have to make this so hard?? Don't they want their money??

Sometimes it seems like they don't! I'm re-organizing my filing, and putting things in order by incident then putting them into binders chronologically. This is allowing me to see the junk that we've been put through the last few years... Our chiropractor's billing people are AWFUL. We get EOBs within days, but they are still trying to figure out what we owe from last October (work done June '08, wasn't sent to insurance until October, that is)...hello, I could show you the EOB, would you like to see it? No? OK, I'll just wait to pay you.... I think right now they are pretending that our Health Fund didn't pay them for some other stuff, and are sending it back through insurance. AUGH.

So I call the ER billing. They have the insurance info. Unfortunately, when they entered the subscriber ID number from the face sheet (I had them double check the info), they entered the 3 letter prefix wrong by one letter. That's where the problem is.

At least you figured it out and got through to the people who could fix it! Hubby went to MultiCare Urgent Care last Fall, and although they took our new insurance info there, they didn't give it to the Billing people. So the Billing people billed some ancient insurance company they had on file (I don't even think they had a file with hubby's name, I think it was from MY visit, and that's odd, since we don't have the same last name) and it took probably a month for me to get through to their Billing office and get them to change it.


I hope your situation gets resolved quickly!