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I've got power of attorney for an elderly relative who is in a nursing facility and just got one of these -- a bill from "PDQ Medical, Inc." (not the actual nam

I've got power of attorney for an elderly relative who is in a nursing facility and just got one of these -- a bill from "PDQ Medical, Inc." (not the actual name) with no other information on it. Their web site lets you log in with the patient name and date of birth, but there's also no information there. Just the amount that is supposedly due. I'll be calling them Monday and telling them that unless they send me an itemized bill detailing what doctor (or other medical professional) she saw, what the treatment date was, and what service was provided, I'm not paying squat. Frankly, she's got more important things to worry about than an account getting sent to collections, and I'm legally responsible for how I spend her money. I'm not going to pay bills from any rando who feels like sending one. Not gonna happen.

Spooky23 5y ago
I had a similar issue with my dad at a rehab facility. In his case, the mysterious bill was for a psychiatric session from a doctor we had never heard of. We kept digging and had to threaten the facility with a referral to the Medicare inspector general to get information. Turned out that the guy prescribed some random drugs and billed for a “3 hour evaluation”, which supposedly took place on a day where my dad was accompanied by family members or in physical therapy for the entire day. (Context: he had a stroke and was unable to speak) The doc just showed up and wrote random scripts. We didn’t get the feds to care, but the state medical licensing people did censure the doctor. Good luck. These facilities aren’t very forthright and will retaliate against your helpless relative.
- vkou 5y ago
  > but the state medical licensing people did censure the doctor. Censure? In the sense that he's doing five-to-ten stamping license plates for wire fraud?
  - Spooky23 5y ago
    Nope, more like a mean letter in his permanent record and lost hospital privileges due to higher insurance rates.
- Turing_Machine 5y ago
  Well, it's not the actual nursing facility sending this bill, just some unknown provider. It may even be legit. But I don't know that. Edit: at least yours had a doctor's name! This bill doesn't even have that.
- akomtu 5y ago
  We usually call this "organized crime": a gangster in a white suit, pretending to be a psychiatrist, commits fraud and enjoys the protection of the mafia bosses who run the casino 'Hospital'.
throwawayboise 5y ago
It's probably a subsidiary unit of the nursing facility. Most of these have the room/apartment rental, the skilled care, the unskilled services, and the facility administrators all employed by separate legal entities. Be prepared for a notice of eviction for your relative if the bill is not paid.
- Turing_Machine 5y ago
  If they satisfy me that the bill is for a legitimate service, I will pay it. That's not the issue.

Spooky23 5y ago

I had a similar issue with my dad at a rehab facility. In his case, the mysterious bill was for a psychiatric session from a doctor we had never heard of. We kept digging and had to threaten the facility with a referral to the Medicare inspector general to get information. Turned out that the guy prescribed some random drugs and billed for a “3 hour evaluation”, which supposedly took place on a day where my dad was accompanied by family members or in physical therapy for the entire day. (Context: he had a stroke and was unable to speak) The doc just showed up and wrote random scripts. We didn’t get the feds to care, but the state medical licensing people did censure the doctor. Good luck. These facilities aren’t very forthright and will retaliate against your helpless relative.

vkou 5y ago
> but the state medical licensing people did censure the doctor. Censure? In the sense that he's doing five-to-ten stamping license plates for wire fraud?
- Spooky23 5y ago
  Nope, more like a mean letter in his permanent record and lost hospital privileges due to higher insurance rates.
Turing_Machine 5y ago
Well, it's not the actual nursing facility sending this bill, just some unknown provider. It may even be legit. But I don't know that. Edit: at least yours had a doctor's name! This bill doesn't even have that.
akomtu 5y ago
We usually call this "organized crime": a gangster in a white suit, pretending to be a psychiatrist, commits fraud and enjoys the protection of the mafia bosses who run the casino 'Hospital'.

throwawayboise 5y ago

It's probably a subsidiary unit of the nursing facility. Most of these have the room/apartment rental, the skilled care, the unskilled services, and the facility administrators all employed by separate legal entities. Be prepared for a notice of eviction for your relative if the bill is not paid.

Turing_Machine 5y ago
If they satisfy me that the bill is for a legitimate service, I will pay it. That's not the issue.