4 ms·

I've seen enough over- or mis-charging "errors" from healthcare billing departments that I'm 100% sure a good portion of them are intentionally committing fraud

by asark 7y ago

I've seen enough over- or mis-charging "errors" from healthcare billing departments that I'm 100% sure a good portion of them are intentionally committing fraud, knowing that if you call them on it they can just go "oops sorry didn't mean to send that here let me fix it" and not get in any trouble at all. Even if they do it over, and over, and over.

blackflame7000 7y ago
You're exactly right. I called them out on it and the bill mysteriously vanished. Funny how that works.
LorenPechtel 7y ago
I have long felt that errant bills should be inverted, not simply gotten rid of. You legitimately owe $100, they bill you for $300. Now they owe you $200. There are far too many such mistakes for it to be pure chance. Some of it certainly is carelessness but they don't care if they make such mistakes. (For example, once my wife got back to the exam room before it was realized that the appointment shouldn't have ever existed--she was sent home without anything being done. Many months later they bill for the co-pay for that visit. Obviously some auditing procedure noted the "visit" and the lack of a corresponding bill and "fixed" it.)
- perl4ever 7y ago
  I volunteered at a hospital not too long ago, and they required all volunteers to have an up to date physical. Well, I hadn't had one in the previous year. So I checked with my primary care doctor, but they couldn't give me an appointment for about 6 months. Ok, no problem, I can get it done at the hospital's employee health clinic. Oops, they're too busy with new employees, they don't have time to do volunteers. Ok, I live right next to one of the urgent care clinics run by the same hospital so I thought I'd go there. Well, they have never heard of such a thing, and they charge $100 for anything, but I figure, if I'm donating my time, might as well not worry about it. So they do the exam, but on my way out, some manager or whatever buttonholes me and says "oh, we didn't realize you were a volunteer, there won't be any charge". I say, well, I already paid...so they reverse the charge on my credit card, after a couple of tries. So...a week later, I get a bill, because their system knows I was there and didn't pay them. And I think about calling up and telling them it was supposed to be free, and then I ask myself if I really want to debate this with their billing department and I just paid it.

by asark 7y ago

blackflame7000 7y ago

You're exactly right. I called them out on it and the bill mysteriously vanished. Funny how that works.

LorenPechtel 7y ago

I have long felt that errant bills should be inverted, not simply gotten rid of. You legitimately owe $100, they bill you for $300. Now they owe you $200. There are far too many such mistakes for it to be pure chance. Some of it certainly is carelessness but they don't care if they make such mistakes. (For example, once my wife got back to the exam room before it was realized that the appointment shouldn't have ever existed--she was sent home without anything being done. Many months later they bill for the co-pay for that visit. Obviously some auditing procedure noted the "visit" and the lack of a corresponding bill and "fixed" it.)

perl4ever 7y ago
I volunteered at a hospital not too long ago, and they required all volunteers to have an up to date physical. Well, I hadn't had one in the previous year. So I checked with my primary care doctor, but they couldn't give me an appointment for about 6 months. Ok, no problem, I can get it done at the hospital's employee health clinic. Oops, they're too busy with new employees, they don't have time to do volunteers. Ok, I live right next to one of the urgent care clinics run by the same hospital so I thought I'd go there. Well, they have never heard of such a thing, and they charge $100 for anything, but I figure, if I'm donating my time, might as well not worry about it. So they do the exam, but on my way out, some manager or whatever buttonholes me and says "oh, we didn't realize you were a volunteer, there won't be any charge". I say, well, I already paid...so they reverse the charge on my credit card, after a couple of tries. So...a week later, I get a bill, because their system knows I was there and didn't pay them. And I think about calling up and telling them it was supposed to be free, and then I ask myself if I really want to debate this with their billing department and I just paid it.