Complaints

• Initial Complaint

  11/11/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I have attached below my attempts to contact *************** Center in ******** which is Physicians billing department. They will not discuss anything or look at my financial assistance application for the remainder of my bill. Also have screen shots of me calling their ****************** (@ ************) which is supposed to be able to discuss these things when it is in collections as several people have told me. When calling it forwards straight to a voicemail saying "They are busy helping other callers" Which has been that way for weeks and no one has called me back to every voicemail I left. The business first incorrectly didn't bill insurance and sent me a bill for 18K. I gave them my correct insurance information and they received $15K from insurance. I got bill for the remainder of the amount and asked them for an Itemized receipt of why it was so much. When looking at the billing i have found $6,029 of fraudulent charges which is backed up by my uploaded medical chart. I filed fraudulent medical billing with my insurance. I qualify for financial assistance which NO ONE will discuss with me as no one returns my call and no one at "***************" will discuss with me as this is a legal matter. There is reasonable about a $3957 dollar extended ** visit charge when I was there for about 1.5 hours total. My medical chart backs this up by showing Labs were taken at 4:06 PM, abdominal CT was taken at 4:12 PM, The doctor reviewed labs and CT results at 4:21 PM, at 4:34 PM They educated me on no signs of kidney stones and being unsure of the pain reasoning, and then at 4:44PM they discharged me. This is quicker than my primary care's doctors office. There is nothing extended that warrants this charge. Also, if i was there for 1.5 hours & between lab, scan and other areas of the ** i was not hooked up to an IV for 2 hours to receive this care they are charging for. the IV Hydrate each additional hour stating that i was there for 3 hours then for $2072.

  Business response

  11/25/2024

  ******* *********, the Patient Liaison at Collier Blvd., investigated this complaint and thought that she responded to you on 11/12/24. Ms. *********** allegations regarding the bill are unsubstantiated. Her insurance did not pay $15K that was a self-pay discount. With respect to her accusation of there being fraudulent charges, that is the amount charged for an Emergency Extended visit. If the patient has any questions, please have her call ******* at ************. 

  Kind regards,

  ****** ********
  

  Customer response

  12/03/2024

   
  Complaint: 22529835
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  
  1st of all this bill is taking 13 MONTHS  o sort out with being consistently re-directed to a different person who then reports they unable to help me. 
  
  2nd of all, I HAVE APPLIED FOR FINANCIAL ADD AND DO QUALIFY so this should not even be a bill or matter that is STILL being sorted out with BBB and other regulatory offices. 
  
  3rd of all I HAVE NEVER been a SELF-PAY patient.  Your hospitals incompetence in the billing department is just been mind blowing.  I HAVE ALWAYS HAD INSURANCE which again is attached below.  Why does your business have me listed as self pay still 13 months later?  If there was ever a problem with my insurance you should have as a business and billing department reached out to me and not sent me first the $18k bill and then wrote that i was self pay and lowered it to $3,100??  And then within 30 days sent it to collections already when you as a business never even then billed my insurance.  Just kept listing me as self pay?  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***** *********

  Business response

  12/05/2024

   

      ***** *********,   In response to "the rejecting of response" The reason the bill took 13 months is because of  different insurances submitted. Per the notes at one point we were under the assumption you were a self pay and then traveling insurance came into play. The hospital as a curtesy tried to bill as the best ending for you.  As far as the charity discount applied for four days ago, it has been approved and your balance will go down to $1500.00. I am glad we could come to this favorable outcome for you. All the best.

  Customer response

  12/27/2024

   
  Complaint: 22529835
  
  Hello, 
   
  I am rejecting this response because:
  
  I have not gotten ahold of ******* - I have left voicemails for her response.  
  I also called SARASOTA ****** services AGAIN and informed them i was recording the calls to try to discuss further questions on my bill and they first said the bill is down to $1500 and then she came back on the phone and said no the lowest the bill can be is $1875 (Which they tacked on the $375 legal fee that THEY OWE because their process is just to get this bill to the debt collectors within 30 days even though we have been trying to get it correctly billed to my insurance for the past year.). It is not my job to pay the hospitals $375 dollar lawyer fees when there INCOMPETENCE and NEGLIGENCE in their billing and managerial department is such. 
  
  I said i wanted to talk to ******* or a manager about my bill because this hospital took so long to sort out this bill and I switched travel therapy companies So I no longer qualify for the Employee Assistance Program that I HAD for my ER bills for cases like this and will have trouble making a large payment plan. 
  
  But no one was willing to discuss a smaller amount or a payment plan.  The billing department is just back again to the games of "You need to talk to the legal department.  at ************"
  
  I have called this legal department number 35 Times in the past 3 months and NOT ONE CALL BACK!!! 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***** *********

• Initial Complaint

  10/28/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  Please see attached letter/concern. Thank you.

  Business response

  11/06/2024

  Good morning.

  I have been in contact with *** *******. I sent an email to the contact that I have for Integrated Emergency Physicians asking that she make sure *** *******'s insurance information is correct with them. She has yet to respond to my emails. Therefore, yesterday I spoke to ********** and provided him with the number for the billing company **************. He also gave me his current address of ** ******* ******* **** ***** ** ***** so Physicians Regional can update our records. *** ******* seems to be satisfied, and he has my phone number if he needs anything further.

  Kind regards, 

  Brenda Poczatek

   

   

  Customer response

  11/06/2024

  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID 22483552, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  

  I called Integrated and confirmed that the Physicians bill of $1,332.00 was paid in full by my insurance on November 04, 2024. The ER has my insurance information on file already, so they should be getting paid with the same insurance, since they have the correct insurance information on file already.

  
  Sincerely,
  
  ******** *******

• Initial Complaint

  10/14/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  October 6, 2024..went to ER with possible allergic reaction to Covid booster sho and flu shot..had vomiting, headache, temperature, elevated blood pressure and some tightness in chest,,they did blood work and chest X-ray,,was told because of heartattack 12 years ago they were admitting me,,from then on I was like an after thought waiting for hours in er with no one checking on me,,called several times to nurses with no response,,asked for results from tests never received them, asked for food never received any,,I felt neglected,,asked to see patient adverted was given a number to call,,asked to be discharged,called patient advocate ..left message and never heard back..I am 85 years old and was made to feel like an after thought,,this is not right,

  Business response

  10/15/2024

  Hello. Please see the attached letter that I sent to Mrs. ******* She was very happy with my follow up and call. In the future, please send all BBB complaints to me as ****** ******* and **** ******* are no longer in our department. Thanks.

  Kind regards,

  ****** ********
  

• Initial Complaint

  06/17/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On 3/29/24 I had an annual physical/wellness exam (claim # ********) and on 4/2/24 l had lab work (account # ******** as a part of my annual wellness exam. Both of these services are fully covered by my insurance and I do not pay out of pocket. However, Physicians Regional has coded both services as being a part of a normal office visit and submitted it to my insurance accordingly. This has resulted in my insurance not fully covering the costs, me having to pay $677.94 out of pocket to avoid this going to collections, and being disqualified from receiving a $500 HSA incentive from my employer for completing the annual wellness exam.My medical records clearly indicate the reason for this visit was a physical exam and that my doctor performed the exam at my appointment. I have made multiple attempts to get this corrected and pointed out the coding mistake, but I have been told this was clearly not a physical despite records clearly showing it was. I even spoke to a patient advocate, but they were told the same thing I was by the practice manager.It should be noted this is the 2nd year in a row Physicians Regional has billed my annual wellness exam as a normal office visit. In 2023 they corrected it after I pointed to the evidence, however in 2024 they are refusing to correct it when being shown the same evidence. There appears to be an inadequacy in their system that leads to appointments being coded as normal office visits either unintentionally or intentionally and individuals are unwilling to correct the mistakes.I am seeking the following from Physicians Regional to rectify the situation:1.Correct the coding of both the exam and the lab work to be consistent with an annual wellness exam, then submit the amended claim to Anthem BCBS.2.Send a refund of $677.94 to my original payment method. I will not accept a credit to my patient account for future bills, as I no longer live in ******* and will not be remaining under the care of Physicians Regional.

  Business response

  06/19/2024

  Dear BBB of West Florida, Inc.
  

  Please be advised that we had previously had this claim sent back for coding review per *****'s request on April 23, 2024. It was determined that the claim was coded correctly as an office visit per medical documentation. Areas of concern were addressed by the physician which makes it an office visit not an annual wellness exam/physical. There is nothing that needs to be corrected or resubmitted. Thank you.

  *****************************, Patient Liaison

   

  Customer response

  06/21/2024

   
  Complaint: 21861251
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  This was booked as a physical/wellness exam in Physicians Regional's system, the exam was performed as shown in the documents, and this exact situation happened at my previous wellness exam in 2023 and was only corrected after fighting to get it fixed. Physicians Regional made the same assertions in 2023 that it was not a physical exam after a coding review, but later corrected it after I sent screenshots of the documents from the appointment.

  This is a flagrant mis-coding of my appointment, despite the assertions made by Physicians Regional, that is costing my nearly $700 I did not budget for and it is the second time they have done this to me.

  Sincerely,
  
  ***********************

  Business response

  07/09/2024

  Case reviewed by Corporate coding and the coding is correct based on the physician's documentation. Per review with the physician, the patient came in for adjustment of his prescriptions for chronic medical conditions.  The patient was charged for the visit, and part of the charges went to the patient's deductible. The patient owes $214 that is part of his deductible that was not met. The notes are per the physician and his medical judgment. There will be no changes to medical record or the patient's bill.

• Initial Complaint

  04/09/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  The outpatient surgical desk claims they do not have a remote for the *** waiting room ** there fore they cannot add closed captioning to the *** **.SOMEONE had to have the remote to turn on the **...so odds are someone is lying.Why does the ** in the surgical check in section have a ** with closed captioning and the *** ** does not have closed captioning turned on? It would be a simple fix to turn on closed captioning but the check in staff claims ignorance of the process...again probably a lie. They turned cases cationing on on the ** by the check in station...why not in the *** WAITING area where people will be staying for over 8 hours of time Oh and the surgical update board does NOT WORK in the *** WAITING ROOM EITHER.I bet the same person turned on both systems and does not know how to do their job Put on closed captioning in the *** waiting room.

  Business response

  04/09/2024

  Hello ******.

  On behalf of Physicians Regional Medical Center-Pine Ridge, I want to respond to ******************* complaint. The employee at Desk 20 does not have a remote for the ** in the *** waiting room. We apologize that she didn't offer assistance in getting the closed caption turned back on in the *** waiting room. She has been educated that there are universal remotes in our ********************** We keep our televisions on with the closed caption and HG**. The patient board in the *** waiting room was working today. I apologize for ******************* dissatisfaction, as we try to keep patients and their family members comfortable in our facility.

  Kind regards,

  *****************************

   

   

• Initial Complaint

  01/19/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  Was 30 minutes early for a 1:30 timed arrival. Took nearly 2 hours Staff at the front desk seemed out of sorts and had a difficult time explaining their billing procedure Techs and nurses are great but administrative oversight is just awful Also, took a metabolic stress test 3 months ago and the facility lost my results.Last week Tuesday, had to have a CAT Scan. I was told that the results would be sent to me within 24 hours, but did not happen Again, the doctors, nurses and techs are wonderful, however, the administrator of this facility does a LOUSY job!

  Business response

  01/23/2024

  The letter below was sent to the patient.

   

  Better Business Bureau complaint ID - ********
  
  
  January 23, ****
  
  
  ******************** (****) *******
  9161 ***********
  ******, **  34108
  
  Dear ******************,
  On behalf of Physicians Regional Healthcare System, I want to thank you for sharing your comments and concerns regarding your experiences with our facility. We take complaints very seriously, and continue to implement improvements based on identified needs. 
  As per our telephone conversation on January 18, ****, you spoke to **************** that day and received the results of the stress test and the ** scans. We sincerely apologize that you did not receive your results as timely as was communicated to you.
  With respect to billing, you did not mention anything to me about a bill. However, I called the ****** Services Center and account #******* has a credit of $679.86. Account #******* is still pending with insurance. I am unsure what $10,000 you were disputing in your complaint with the Better Business Bureau. 
  If there is anything more that I can do for you or if you have any further questions, please feel free to call me at ************,
  Kind regards, 
  
  *****************************
  Patient Liaison
  Physicians Regional Healthcare System
  Cc: Better Business Bureau
  

  
  

  Customer response

  01/27/2024

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *******************************

• Initial Complaint

  12/28/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I have called the billing department 15 times and they never answer the phone. I am trying to resolve a billing issue before it goes to collections. On April 24, 2023 I visited my primary care physician. The outpatient visit was a follow up to some medical issues. The bill is $297. My insurance company, Florida Blue denied the claim because it is coded wrong. Florida Blue thinks it is related to a car accident in January, but it is not related. I have sent Florida Blue documentation to support this and I am pushing them to *************. They said they will be reprocessing this claim as of 12/27/2023. I can not get anyone on the phone with Physicians Regional in billing to go over this with them. Even my doctors office at Physicians Regional said that the billing department never responds to them either. My credit is important to me and Physicians Regional owes me a call. This claim will be paid by my insurance. It is not related to my January car accident. Not acceptable communication.

  Business response

  12/28/2023

  Patient was contacted on different times trying to resolve issue along with the insurance company.  It has been sent back to insurance to be reprocessed

  Business response

  01/16/2024

  Please see attached.

  Customer response

  01/16/2024

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *************************

• Initial Complaint

  11/10/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Hello*I had an unbelievable experience with billing at ****. I went to a adjacent building *on the property and saw a Specialist. At the initial scheduled visit* not emergency * no anthesia I was there for less than two hours and was charged $******* by ****. In addition the doctor charged me for his services which where reasonable *for the service provided* to note.Then for follow up visits to inspect the wound for closure and infection* each time I went to visit the doctor * who billed separately again reasonable charges invoiced. BUT in addition ! **** charged me $ ******* each time I went. Each time I went the total treatment time was .5 hrs. No surgery room * No anthesia * just a standard ************** and room to treat* inspect.Ist visit $4600. One inch wound Debridement.2nd visit wound inspection $4600. Again a One Inch Wound. Treament time .5 hrs 3rd visit $4600.4th visit $4600.5th visit $4600.6th vist $4600.7th visit $4600.I interpret this as a Facilities charge* just to walk on the property* as way to describe it. If this Specialist was not on that Property* I woundn't see the $4600... In addition their billing **** used and incorrect address and I did not receive there mailings*invoices* no phones calls* no emails... and went to collections a year later. The ****************** and Doctor had my correct address in conjunction with this claim/incident and I received their; mailings* email* phone calls. I spoke to Upper Managements Assistant on this matter and can not make sense of way CEO ******************** CFO *************************** and company* are running this business* it is totally wrong* and not acceptable.I have been using Millenium / NCH for a series of years* and in COMPARISON always saw; good services* correct papework and billing. I could make sense of what I was seeing * hearing* reading. I cannot believe this!

  Business response

  11/11/2022

  
  To Whom It May ****************** behalf of Physicians Regional Medical Center-Collier Blvd, I want to thank you for sharing Mr. ************* and concerns regarding his July, August, September, and October, 2021 ***** care visits. We take complaints very seriously and continue to implement improvements based on identified needs.
  
   ************** brought his Explanation of Benefits to the wound care clinic August 2022. The ***** Care Clinic Director and the Doctor went over the charges with him and verified that they were correct. ************* asked for the contact information for the Patient Liaison to further address the bill and see if he could get it written off.
  
  ************** called Patient Liaison on August 31, 2022. Patient reported that he did not receive his bills,because they were mailed to the incorrect address. Patient ******* completed an investigation that found the patients bills had been sent to the address that the patient had provided to the billing department. Patient asked at that time to have collection agency work with him on a payment plan. Patient did call and change the address before contacting the Patient Liaison. Patient bills went into bad debt after 12 months of nonpayment. Patient Liaison spoke with the patient on September 2, 2022. ************** was given a number to work with the collections agency to help with a payment plan.
  
  Patient called Patient Liaison on November 2, 2022. ************** said since he did not receive the bills timely, he felt that he should not be held responsible for them. Patient explained that he had received his Explanation of Benefits from his insurance company knowing that he had bills that he would have to pay. It has been determined by his insurance company and our billing group that ************** is responsible for the charges for the care that he received in our wound care clinic.
  
  We continue to strive and work with staff on the importance of providing safe, compassionate high-quality care to all our patients and the community we serve. To know that we did not meet your expectations is disappointing and we will continue to make improvements so these situations do not repeat themselves.
  
  Although we cannot change the experience you had with us, your observations and comments will help us in continuing efforts to improve the care we provide.  If you need further assistance, please feel free to contact me at ************.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  
  
  ***********************, BSW
  Patient Liaison
  Physicians Regional Medical Center 

  Customer response

  11/14/2022

   
  Complaint: 18380912
  
  I am rejecting this response because: 

  Hello ****,

  I wanted to respond to the invoicing issue ,again.  We had talked before that **** Billing vendor/system had an incomplete address which shows on pdf attachment.  You can see there is no number next to PO box, and the zip code is incorrect, no logo, no date.  I got a copy of  this a year later,after it went to Collections ******* **.  That invoice was not like the ones on your website" PORTAL EASY MATCH CODE" FROM INVOICE...  **** Management has to accept responsibility for their in house system; that anything I was mailed was sent back by USPM as incomplete address, and your system or vendor did not correct it, no phone calls, no emails...  ****, I did not receive your invoices,  and it went to Collections as fault of how the *** business as is managed, supervised.   All other Businesses involved in these services/ claim had the correct contact information, and I received all there correspondence  in a timely manner.  Please see pdf comparison.

  I stand my ground on the charges  from ****, for the services provided as stated earlier .  It is an extreme overcharge, and fraudulent to" code it " as Surgey, and submit to insurance.  I have consulted many people in your industry and they stated the charges are insane.  I didn't ask you to "Write it Off"  I am asking to have discussion on a reasonable resolution.  As a goodwill gesture I PAID one Invoice of the three. ( I wonder if your records reflect that?)   I am not willing to pay a Stated Amount to $4600 Surgery Code every time I walked on the property.  As you agreed if that Doctor, was not on the property, I would not be seeing the $4600 X7  "walk on the property visits" costs.  Ask your management what they would do if they where my shoes?  I would be happy to meet on site and review my records.  I can back up everything I am stating here.

  In addition the ****************** you use;  ******* **, ********* **, SSA ******** Billing , personal, protocols , procedures are an embarrassment to ***-all.

  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *********************

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩