How or Where Does One File A Hospital Billing Complaint?

1. 67

   Lady Guinevereposted 12 years ago

   How or Where Does One File A Hospital Billing Complaint?
   
   I had 2 procedures done in Jan.  I talked with the radiology depart prior to those 2 procedures to set up a payment plan cuz I do not have Health Ins or employment.  We agreed that I was to pay for half if I paid up front for the tests. We paid the bill for the 2 readings.  Then hospital bills us without what we paid.  Called hosp. and asked for item bill.  Got that with an added charge.  They want me to set up billing for this x-tra charge.  I am not paying for something that I did not get.

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2. 79

   cloverleaffarmposted 12 years ago

   Call your hospital to see if they have a patient advocate. I have done this several times, and it works. This person is there to advocate for the patients. I've had several horrible ER visits that I didn't have to pay for, because I wrote a letter to the advocate, and the head of the hospital and complained about the service (one visit, the doc touched my foot and told me I had MS). Best of luck to you.

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   1. 67

      Lady Guinevereposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      The advocate only sent me paperwork to fill out before I had another procedure.  That was all they did.  I have talked with billing many times and ended up in a rage and hung up on them. I will send 1 to head of Hospital too.  Thnx.

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3. 60

   Lor's Storiesposted 12 years ago

   I think you need to go to the billing department itself!
   I would tell them the other test was not performed.

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   1. 67

      Lady Guinevereposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      That the thing, they are not listening to me at all.  I have been going around with them for 3 months and I have told them repeatedly that I did NOT get a 3rd test. Why it showed up after I asked for a itemized bill, I have no idea.

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4. 89

   Austinstarposted 12 years ago

   Most CEOs will respond to patient complaints directly. Just ask who the CEO is and send them a letter. Be sure to include Who, what, when, where, why and how. All complaints should also include what action you expect - either a reduction in the bill, a correction to the medical record or other way to respond.
   Hospitals are just like any other company, they need the good will of the community. If your complaint is not handled satisfactorily, be sure to review them on Yelp or GlassDoor or Angie's List or even on FaceBook.

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   1. 67

      Lady Guinevereposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Thank You and I have posted it on FB and on the Attorney General's FB page and in his inbox. Di I send it to the Main Hospital CEO or the 1 that I was seen at?  I have all the bills and can make copies and send them with the letter. Thnx Austinstar!!

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   2. 89

      Austinstarposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      The hospital you were seen at and cc it to the head CEO if you know who it is.

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   3. 67

      Lady Guinevereposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I found their website and they have a FB page and I wrote my complaint on that.  The only thing they have on their website is services but they have a form for comments and I may just post it on that too!

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5. 61

   mylindaelliottposted 12 years ago

   Hopefully you have been able to document your calls up to this point.  If not go back and make a history of timeline as best you can, with names and dates.  Then call the Better Business Bureau.  They have processes that can help when you have gotten to the end of what you can do with the hospital/business.

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6. 75

   bankscottageposted 12 years ago

   Like many responses, start with patient relations or patient affairs as well as the billing office.  At a large hospital, the CEO is only going to send it there also.  You have no insurance company to contact since your are paying for it yourself.
   
   For the hospital to bill for something there has to be a record, most of the time documented by a physician.  Ask for a copy of your medical record that justifies the extra charge.  If they have no documentation, they can't charge for it.
   
   In many departments in the hospital, such as radiology, there can actually be two bills.  One is from the radiology department (for the xray techs, xray film, equipment, etc.) the other is for the professional services of the radiologist to read the xray.  See if your bill in question is from the radiologist or the radiology department.  You would contact the hospital (as you have been) for a radiology bill.  You would have to contact the radiologist's group or billing company directly if it is for their bill.  The hospital cannot often adjust the bill of the radiologist (unless the radiologist is employed by the hospital, and frequently, they are not).

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   1. 89

      Austinstarposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      While this is all true and useful, the CEOs that I have known really do want to hear from patients too, especially if the lower departments won't respond appropriately. It's bad management if they cannot control public relations.

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   2. 67

      Lady Guinevereposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Like I said, I have all the bills and the first one were from Radiology.  After paying upfront and thought that it was a done deal, then we get the hospital bill with full amount to be paid. It only had 2 procedures on it, not 3 on the 1st bill.

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7. 68

   barbat79posted 12 years ago

   In addition to the most targeted methods that you have done and others have already stated, try your state department of insurance.  If they cannot help you with a complaint, they can point you to a more direct line of filing a complaint that will get a response!  Better business Bureau also will take a compliant as well.  A business is what a hospital is and if they are found billing inappropriately they can be subject to fines.   Sounds like so many situations I have seen and been through some toughies myself.  Sorry to hear you are going through this.
   
   The most important aspect is the documentation..so if they maintain that you had a third test, demand the results of all three they claim you had.  They will turn up empty and be forced to face the correction.  In a political and business atmosphere where people dont want to be "wrong" or actually work, the only recourse is to Make Them Do Their Job.   There is more than one way to skin a rabbit.
   Good luck

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8. 67

   Lady Guinevereposted 12 years ago

   Finally this is all over with.  Thanks for all of your helps.  They finally saw what I was seeing in the billing and they fixed it...after 3 months of going around with the patient finance department. There was 3 tests, but it was not told to me that there was. Only 2 tests showed up on the original orders, but the 1 was a 2 tests and they missed that one and didn't tell me about it.  So we got that all straightened out and I only had to pay half of the total bill now and not the full for 3 tests.  New bill is coming in the mail this week and it will be paid and done with.  OY VEY!

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