Stupid medical billing types!

[livendive 8]

I got a call in December from some company asking me for money. They said I owed $44 to a doctor for reading an MRI two years prior, even though he hadn't previously sent me a bill or a copy of his impressions of the MRI. Their excuse was that he had previously had a poor billing contractor, and that they were his new contractor and were trying to chase down everything that the previous company had not done. I told them to send me some sort of proof that he'd actually done the work and that I'd agreed to pay for it and I would in turn send either a check or proof that I had previously paid it. I didn't hear back from them.

Today I got a call from a collection agency. After venting for a moment after hearing what it was about, the gal told me I had 30 days to pay the bill before it would be reported to a credit bureau. It's only $44, so I just went ahead and paid it, but am pretty freaking irritated at the principle of it. I did offer to send her 400 other random names and phone numbers out of the white pages so she could call them and demand payment to avoid negative credit feedback, but she didn't want them. I'm not sure she realized she would be putting them in the exact same position as she put me.

Blues,
Dave

"I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!"
(drink Mountain Dew)

[sunshine 2]

When i ran a credit report on myself last year i had a $40ish dollar 'debt' from a medical collection agency listed. I clicked a few buttons to dispute the charges, and voila - approx 3 weeks later i got an email telling me they dropped the charge, and the negative mark on my credit report was removed. I really had no knowledge of this so called bad debt of mine, and even though it was a small amount i'm a cheapskate and didn't wanna pay it.

___________________________________________
meow

I get a Mike hug! I get a Mike hug!

[TrophyHusband 0]

you were not told the whole truth. if you were to send a letter to the collections agency disputing the bill, they couldn't legally report you until the issue had been resolved and they proved to you that you owe the money. too bad you already paid it.

"Your scrotum is quite nice" - Skymama
www.kjandmegan.com

[sartre 0]

You did exactly what they'd hoped you'd do....since it was a relatively inconsequential amount, you decided to go ahead and just pay it and be done with the hassle.

Of course, they probably spent close to 40 dollars in collecting it from you, which is a little bit funny.

[vskydiver 0]

Wow! If it's not one thing it's another. Did you ever get your taxes worked out? I hope today is a better day for ya! {Hug}

[NWFlyer 2]

Having worked in the industry, it's all a big old mess, and as other have said you probably could have written the collection agency and fought it, but probably not worth it.

Funny story of the mess working in my favor. At the Eloy Holiday Boogie in 2005 I ended up in the ER in Casa Grande on New Year's Eve 2005 getting checked out b/c I gave myself a concussion on a hard landing. Paid my ER copay ($75, IIRC) and everything else went through insurance, and I never got any other bills, which seemed appropriately handled between the hospital and the insurance company.

Fast forward to a couple months ago, and I received an envelope in the mail from the hospital in Casa Grande, containing a check for $30 and change. The letter alluded to a reconciliation of patient accounts and that this was a refund for an overpayment.

I decided I would deposit it and not ask questions.

"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

[livendive 8]

Quote

Wow! If it's not one thing it's another. Did you ever get your taxes worked out? I hope today is a better day for ya! {Hug}

Meh...it was just the principle of it that pissed me off, not the actual dollars. Got my taxes done last Friday after putting in for an extension. Spent the weekend jumping my new suit(s) and got at least a few jumps on 4 of the 5 pieces (haven't jumped the camera top yet). Thank you! Overall, things are good...when are you and your lucky husband going to make it over this way this year?
Blues,
Dave

"I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!"
(drink Mountain Dew)

[drdive 0]

Hey Dave,

You owe me 56.21.

Pay up or I'm sending you to collections

Doc

"We saved your gear. Now you can sell it when you get out of the hospital and upsize!!" "K-Dub"

"

[livendive 8]

Quote

Hey Dave,

You owe me 56.21.

Pay up or I'm sending you to collections

Doc

Actually, if you billed me, I'd owe you a lot more than that. Then again, you'd be liable for psychological damage etc . I say we call it square. You find the tanks out there? And my new trailer was still tire-side down after the last couple windstorms? You'll be happy to know nothing broke on your trailer this winter, and I fixed the fan over the stove. Tomorrow morning is antenna, and it'll be good to go. And yes, I actually expect you to help me with the FJC while you have a new toy sitting just outside the hangar.

Blues,
Dave

"I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!"
(drink Mountain Dew)

[happythoughts 0]

When I worked in the IT dept of a hospital for 2 years, I had two areas.
- Install the new A/R system.
- Figure out why the pharmacy billing system was so f-ed up.

One woman disputed a maternity bill for a circumcision and was adamant that she wasn't going to pay the $350.

Personally, I was kinda in her corner. I don't believe that her daughter needed one.

[popsjumper 2]

My Dad died and had a hospital bill outstanding,
Being the executor and wanting to do the right thing, I went to the hospital to get, and pay for, his bill.

2 years later I got a letter saying he still owed over $1000 dollars. I sent them his address - street address and plot number - to collect directly from him.

Evidently they got paid. I never heard back.

My reality and yours are quite different.
I think we're all Bozos on this bus.
Falcon5232, SCS8170, SCSA353, POPS9398, DS239

[BillyVance 34]

Quote

My Dad died and had a hospital bill outstanding,
Being the executor and wanting to do the right thing, I went to the hospital to get, and pay for, his bill.

2 years later I got a letter saying he still owed over $1000 dollars. I sent them his address - street address and plot number - to collect directly from him.

Evidently they got paid. I never heard back.

If that ever happens to me when my parents go, I'm gonna use that tactic.

"Mediocre people don't like high achievers, and high achievers don't like mediocre people." - SIX TIME National Champion coach Nick Saban