PLEASE HELP

I JUST CAN'T STOP BALLING. I JUST GOT A BILL FROM MY SURGEON FOR $500 GOING BACK TWO YRS AGO THEY HAVE BEEN BILLING AN INS. CO THAT I HAVE NOT HAD FOR THREE YRS. I DID NOT HAVE THIS INS EVEN 3YRS AGO WHILE THEY WERE BILLING THAT CO. I GUESS THEY FINALLY GAVE UP TRYING TO COLLECT. THIS IS NOT A MISTAKE OF THEIRS--THE INS REP AT THEIR OFFICE TOLD ME THAT SINCE I NO LONGER HAD INS THEY WOULD DO MY FILLS FOR $100. I PAID IN CASH AND KEPT THE RECEIPTS. THEY HAVE BEEN TRYING TO BILL THIS INS CO FOR FILLS THAT I HAVE BEEN PAYING FOR IN CASH. I AM SO ANGRY. THEY CHARGE 3X MORE FOR FILLS THAN ANYONE ELSE. AS MUCH FOR A FILL IN THE OFFICE AS IT COSTS UNDER FLOURO FOR MOST PPL!! AND I GUESS FIGURED THEY WOULD MAKE UP FOR THEIR "LOSS" WITH MY INS AND BILL ME IF IT FAILED. I HAVE NEVER ENCOUNTERED ANYTHING SO CRUEL AND CORRUPT--AT THIS POINT I MUST ASSUME MY SURGEON IS AWARE AND COMPLICIT IN ALL OF THIS EVEN THOUGH I'M STILL HOPING AGAINST HOPE THAT THIS IS AN ERROR. I HAVE NEVER FELT SO BETRAYED IN ALL MY LIFE. MY SURGEON HAS NEVER BEEN VERY NICE TO ME LIKE WITH HIS OTHER PATIENTS. THE TIMES I WENT TO HIM FOR ADJUSTMENTS HE WOULD FOLLOW ME TO THE CASHIER AND HOVER WHILE I PAID LIKE I WAS SOME DEADBEAT. I HAVE JUST DESPARATELY SEARCHED EVERY BIT OF PAPER FROM THEM AND OF COURSE CANT FIND THE RECEIPTS I SO CAREFULLY SAVED. SOMEBODY WITH SOME INDUSTRY KNOWLEDGE PLEASE HELP--ISN'T THIS DOUBLE BILLING OR FRAUD? I CAN' T BELIEVE THEY WOULD DO THIS. FOR THE LAST THREE YRS I'VE TRIED SO HARD TO IMPROVE MY FINANCIAL SITUATION AND STUFF LIKE THIS KEEPS HAPPENING. GOD, WHAT DID I DO TO DESERVE THIS **** STORM? DOES THE WHOLE WORLD HATE ME??????THANK YOU DR., FOR MAKING ME FEEL ABSOLUTELY W R E T C H E D

Is this the first bill you have received? Google your statutes to see if what the statute of limitations for billing is. Also, call the ofice and tell them that you had a deal to pay 100 and their system would not have allowed you in to get a fill without having paid as you went. Calm down and think more clearly. It is not corrupt to bill as they are, but it is not in their favor to wait three years for a first bill....you may be saved by a statute of limitations.

Billing you 3 yrs after the fact is a bit extreme, but its time to calm down.  Put your energy into solving the problem instead of crying about it. First of all, my surgeon always follows me out to the front desk after each visit, not because he's waiting to see if I paid but because he needs to hand over my file to his assistant, tell her when he wants to see me again, and give her any other instructions needed.  I wouldn't read too much into that behavior.  And some surgeons don't have a great bedside manner - that doesn't make them bad people. This isn't necessarily double billing.  They may have considered your $100 payments a co-payment. I would write to them (send it Certified, Return Receipt Requested) explaining that your agreement with them was to pay $100/fill.  If possible, give the name of the person you had discussed the agreement with at the time. As Banana suggested, there may be a statute of limitations on medical billing in your state.  Check it out and quote it verbatim in the letter you send to the surgeon. And maybe Vicki, our insurance guru, would have some suggestions. Not to be discouraging, but I had a similar problem with a doctor I had years ago and ended up having to work out a payment plan with the doctor.   It took me forever to pay it off, but I did, and I kept seeing that doctor because medically he was great.   Good luck. Jean

I AM NOT OVERREACTING. THE BILL SAYS >90 DAYS AND WILL BE GOING TO COLLECTIONS SOON. The staute of limiations I believe is SEVEN years. Then there is the issue of "zombie debts' were people are being blindsided by debt that is even older than that. In addition, I still have to use him for follow up since, as you all are well aware, we cannot change surgeons. Hell, they may not even see me while this account is due. Yes, it COULD be a mistake since this is the same ins coordinator who wrote RNY on my hospital ordersand I do not see the dr. follow anyone else.

Your surgeon has absolutely nothing to do with the business off.  First off, calm down and stop spinning out of conrol for what could easily be a billing error and call the business office.  But wait until you've calmed down, if you call gunning for bear, you aren't as likely to get assistance, especially on a Monday.

Sounds like you have other issues as well.  How do you know how your surgeon treats other patients?  Oh, I see, you lost your receipts and you paid in cash.

I'm sorry you are having a tough time, but it really annoys me when people have tough times and try to blame a corrupt system for their own failures....and add fraud on top of it.  Fraud is a serious accusation, and shouldn't be bandied about lightly in order to get out of paying for something that may have been YOUR mistake.  Why do I care? Because I have to pay the price in increased rates and yes, it does PI** me off.

If her deal with the office was that she was self-pay and she has been paying them AND they have been billing an insurance company (which is my understanding of her post) then that actually is fraud.

Carefull. Fraud is an intentional act.......could just as easily be that they billed the insurance as a matter of course, not as an extra attempt to obtain something to which they were not entitled. Business offices are nortoriously overwhelmed with paperwork...each file requireing a different set of criteria for every insurance company out there. The paperwork part of medical has spun out of control...thank you INSURANCE companies......so to conclude that because there was a cash pay deal and because there was a billing equals fraud will not pass the smell test to a judge....there would need to be some pattern and practice and definately an intent to defraud. OH....since they got no money it never will be fraud.....MAYBE attempted fraud if it can be shown they knowingly submitted a claim to the company to which they were not entitled.

 

If you paid cahs.....they should ahve a record if you lost your receipts. Look for that as well.

And I wonder since I already wasn't a client of that ins if the claims are not valid to begin with

little **** the thread said please help. and btw I am not the one with issues.

Watch the potty mouth, missy, or you will alienate someone who sincerely wanted to help you. Jean