Be Sure to Get EXACT Cash Pay Price

So yesterday... called the office 20 bagillion times to find out what time todays preop appt was at Memorial Hermann... and then asked the price.

This morning at Chase bank.. called both surgeon's office and business office of Memorial Herman to get cash price...

Arrive at hospital.. pay The Davis Clinic their share... head over to East Tower to pay the hospital... I have a cashiers check...

Sit down with admitting to do the paperwork.. and find out the hospital's fee is 1100 less than I was told.. because the anestesiologist's fee is separate..

But I won't get my 1100 back for a few weeks because "refunds take a while"....
Call the Davis Clinic.. and they're like, "Well that's the price total... and not many people bring just two checks.. don't you use personal checks?" (yes. chastised for bringing the amount of checks that THEIR office told me to)...

Then the business office at Memorial Hermann is refusing to give me a time table on WHEN the 1100 can be returned... and I wouldn't even HAVE 1100 in limbo if it weren't for the Davis Clinic misquoting me..

Their excuse was that they're new to that hospital.. only like a month old... and people weren't sure of the procedure.. but thanks to that level of unsure-ness.. I'm going to have 1100 in limbo for god knows how long...

She said it could take up to 3-4 weeks probably for it to process.. but couldn't even promise THAT time frame... The Davis Clinic gave me a number to someone who could POSSIBLY expedite it...

I demanded something written and signed by an administrator that I had, indeed, overpaid by 1100 at the misquoting of my surgeons office...

They didn't have to timeframe me on the refund.. but I'd have been stupid to leave without something in writing...

So yes. Before self paying, get a breakdown of the charges... who gets what...

and Please Dear God.. let the Davis Clinic get their **** together in the office in terms of returning phone calls, giving paperwork and all that.. It sucks when you have primo doctors.. and office staff that are either burnt out or dont care...

And you'd think someone self pay.. paying a non negotiated price... would get a little more attention... apparently not.

Unfortunately, it's common that the office staff is a problem. It's not a high paying job within the office and good people don't last.

Even though I had approval from my insurance company and my hospital was in network, the bonehead business manager at my surgeon's office insisted that United HealthCare was not going to cover everything and 9 days before my surgery called me that she was canceling my surgery because I hadn't paid the $2000 co-pay. This was the first anyone had ever mentioned a co-pay to me. So, I did the whole cashier's check thing, drove it 90 miles to their office, and 3 months post-op, I received a check back from my surgeon's office. For $1927. Stupidity I tell ya!

They said, "well think of it as a buffer in case there ends up being extra charges.."

I'm like.. uhh.. extra charges would indicate that there were problems with surgery.. and I'd kinda like to focus on POSITIVES...

I feel your frustration with the Davis' office people. My husband saw Dr. Robert a month ago about hernia surgery. Long story short....as far as BCBS is concerned Dr. Robert left their network at the end of April. The office's billing and scheduling people insists that's wrong info and promises everything is fine. I'm sorry but I need proof from the insurance company, not someone's say so in the office! They've had almost a month to get this corrected so today I canceled his surgery, we'll go to another Dr. THAT's when the office manager finally got involved and promises to get this straightened out in a couple of days. Yeah, right!  I know lots of folks just love Dr. Roberts office staff but so far I haven't been very impressed. So far I haven't had much interaction with Dr. Garth's office but I'm assuming it's all the same staff. I really hope we are the exception and not the rule of the way things are done at that office but I'm beginning to wonder!

Well, I've never had a bit of trouble with the Davis office staff, but the surgeon I ALMOST used had the worst staff I've ever met.  Could never get them to return my calls, then two weeks before my surgery was scheduled, at the end of my pre-op appointment, the office manager sits me down and asks for a check for NINE THOUSAND DOLLARS! Yeah, I'm gonna pull that out of my  . . . well, you know. Then, when I complained about her attitude, the surgeon proceeded to scream at me! That's when I cancelled with him and found Garth Davis. In less than 3 weeks I was in surgery. (The first surgeon has since then quit doing surgery.)

Paul,

I just have to tell you that I like the way you think! 

hey there,
i was self pay also (NOT with the davis') but at the same hospital you used.  Im really surprised the davis' asked about personal checks as i had to bring several checks but they had to be cashier's.  I had a very specific breakdown on how much for each check, who it was to be made out to etc. 
as for them sayin the extra could cover possible issues.. i had complecations and the price i paid was THE PRICE! I did not get any other bills and i was in the hospital 5 days for a lap RNY. I had countless labs drawn, had extra docs brought in blah blah freakin blah lol.  You should not be charged any additional should you have issues (im not saying you will, i had previous abdmoninal surgeries, scar tissues and previous anesthesia issues so we were expecting issues)
No you dont get more attention being self pay lol.  I plunked down 20K and still got the most hateful nurse and the same drama you deal with on insurance.
I feel for you in dealing with Dr. D's staff. One of his staff members used to work with my surgeon. She's more intersted in 'her story' than doing her job. The stories i could tell you about her :)
I would definately go today and speak to the CFO about your refund. I worked in the $$ dept of one of the major hospital systems and i can tell you from experience, you will be lucky to get it back in 6 months. with MH being such a big system, definately hit it NOW!!.
Hope your surgery goes well, and keep in mind, soon this drama will be a distant memory!

I was self pay and was given a breakdown of who was to be paid what.  I wrote personal checks to the anethesiologist, my surgeon, and the hospital.  No one requested cashier's checks.

I had the same response from a different hospital.  The collected my copay, but didn't tell the insurance and insurance applied the deductable to something else.  Insurance says that I have to get a refund from the hospital.  the hospital says they have to wait and see what the insurance does before a refund can be issued.  Meanwhile, I have to pay the deductable again.

mary