Update: Unbelievably enough, today I received a vaguely-threatening letter printed on bright green paper from DuPage Medical Group about my past due bill for $35. When you attempt to phone the office, you are sent all around through voice-prompt hell, only to be told to leave a message, nothing else. does anyone wonder why i call them morons?
from the just shoot me now category. Have you every had problems with billing companies? Stupid question, I know. I fought for months to get the captioned company to correctly code a visit so that BC/BS could pay; original code asked BC/BS to pay hundreds for a routine office visit.
About six years ago a lazy-eye correction was performed by this doctor when she was affiliated with another practice. Every year was the same examination and BC/BS paid immediately (excluding the $35 dilation charge), year after year.
Doctor moves to DuPage Medical Group…silly me decides to follow doctor. Annual eye visit is made in September. Explanation from BC/BS shows that no payment will be made. huh? Turns out that it’s been miscoded as a routine office visit. Call billing office… they’ll send it back to the office to be recoded. Another bill from DuPage. Another call to DuPage Medical Group’s billing office…will be sent to office to be recoded marked as rush. Another bill from DuPage Medical Group, threatening collection.
I call BC and find out the actual code that should be used. Call DuPage Medical Office billing and give code to them. Call doctor’s medical office and tell them that I will no longer be using them for my daughter and why. Well, now something actually happens. Several calls that it’s being handled, don’t worry, I won’t be turned over to collections, etc.
Receive Explanation of Benefits from BC/BS, showing that the proper code has been used and the entire bill, with the exception of $35 charge for dilation, has been paid. No bill sent from DuPage Medical Group for $35 charge.
Saturday, February 18, 9 am. Call from collection agency about $35 charge from DuPage Medical Group (which I immediately pay). Monday I visit their offices and tell them (politely) that not only will I never again use them for my daughter’s annual examination, I will never patronize a doctor who uses or switches to the DuPage Medical Group.
A short while ago I receive a phone call from the terminally stupid at the billing office to inform me that I shouldn’t worry because they’ve taken care of the $35 charge and it won’t be sent to collection. I politely inform this lackwit that not only was it turned over to a collection agency, I had paid it immediately. Oh, she didn’t know any of that, she’s in the billing office – in other words, part of the group that created the original problem. the end… thud