I'm hoping you folks might have some insight to what just happened to me.Last year, I got sick while camping in Cali. Went to a local doc, who ran some tests, figured out what was wrong, and fixed me. Before handing the lab results to her secretary, she said to me, 'You're paying out of pocket? Here, I'll guve you a discount. 30 percent.' Sick as a dog, I just said 'Thank you!' and did not ask questions.Fast forward to this year. A different doc, a different city, but again in California. A consult with a specialist at a large teaching hospital. No lab tests. Again, at checkout, the sec gave me a massive cash discount. This time it was 67%. Hey, I am not going to argue.That was three months ago. Today, I get a call from the billing dept at the teaching hospital. They say I owe them for the balance. I say, 'But my receipt says paid in full.' Nothing but gibberish from the billing lady. No mention of a mistake, no request for a copy of my receipt, no explanation for the discount or its vanishing.... finally, in frustration, after she refused to transfer me to her supervisor, I said, 'Well, you can have someone who knows what's going on call me, ' and hung up.I mean, do you buy hamburger on sale and then get a call from the butcher three months later saying you have to pay the balance of the non-sale price for that pound of meat you ate this spring?My head is spinning. Anybody know what the heck this is about?

PS My insurance doesn't cover California, so this is an extra $600 out of pocket they are asking for. Not chump change.

Doctors and dentists often do "cash payments" with huge discounts so they don't have to submit paperwork for insurance companies. Someone in their office mistakenly sent the paperwork anyway, thats why you are getting phone calls. I went through this years ago and had a debt collection guy actually threaten me. He didn't appreciate it when I told him that since he knew where i lived, to come on over and collect! My suggestion would be to call that doctor's office and explain the phone call. They should be able to help you. Good luck.

Seems odd you would get a phone call without ever having received a written bill. I would wonder if that caller was a legitimate representative of the teaching hospital's billing department.Sounds like the technique a collections agent would try -not that I have any personal experience with collections.

Howdy. Not sure if this will help but this is what we had happen to us. We had a situation where Angela had an issue that involved a visit to the doctor as well as an Xray. After all was said and done we paid the bill in full and went on our way. A couple weeks later a bill arrived in the mail. Although from the same clinic it was for the Xray. We though everything was covered under the first bill but apparently not. Went back and paid it and insured there was no other bills coming. Had to resubmit to our travelers insurance policy. We are from Canada and not used to the whole money thing changing hands but the reality is it made sense as although it was all under the same roof it was a separate radiology practice hence the two bills. Is it possible that the tests you had done were under a separate practice??Hope this helps. Happy trails.

No tests, no xrays, nothing like that. As for whether it was really their billing department... yes. At least, I called back and that is what the phone tree said.I was thinking about calling the doc's secretary. I know he was not even able to give me a ballpark cost before the apppointmwnt, though -- he has nothing to do with billing.Gah.

Bizarre California health care sitch | Good Sam Community

Naio
Explorer II
May 21, 2015
PS My insurance doesn't cover California, so this is an extra $600 out of pocket they are asking for. Not chump change.
guidry
Explorer
May 21, 2015
Doctors and dentists often do "cash payments" with huge discounts so they don't have to submit paperwork for insurance companies. Someone in their office mistakenly sent the paperwork anyway, thats why you are getting phone calls. I went through this years ago and had a debt collection guy actually threaten me. He didn't appreciate it when I told him that since he knew where i lived, to come on over and collect!

My suggestion would be to call that doctor's office and explain the phone call. They should be able to help you. Good luck.
GMandJM
Explorer
May 21, 2015
Seems odd you would get a phone call without ever having received a written bill.

I would wonder if that caller was a legitimate representative of the teaching hospital's billing department.

Sounds like the technique a collections agent would try -not that I have any personal experience with collections.
John___Angela
Explorer
May 21, 2015
Howdy. Not sure if this will help but this is what we had happen to us. We had a situation where Angela had an issue that involved a visit to the doctor as well as an Xray. After all was said and done we paid the bill in full and went on our way. A couple weeks later a bill arrived in the mail. Although from the same clinic it was for the Xray. We though everything was covered under the first bill but apparently not. Went back and paid it and insured there was no other bills coming. Had to resubmit to our travelers insurance policy. We are from Canada and not used to the whole money thing changing hands but the reality is it made sense as although it was all under the same roof it was a separate radiology practice hence the two bills. Is it possible that the tests you had done were under a separate practice??

Hope this helps. Happy trails.
Naio
Explorer II
May 21, 2015
No tests, no xrays, nothing like that.

As for whether it was really their billing department... yes. At least, I called back and that is what the phone tree said.

I was thinking about calling the doc's secretary. I know he was not even able to give me a ballpark cost before the apppointmwnt, though -- he has nothing to do with billing.

Gah.
the_bear_II
Explorer
May 21, 2015
Doctors working out of a hospital do not have control of the billing. All billing is controlled and processed by the hospital. The hospital would have been the only entity that can offer the discount.

My Dad's dermatologist left the hospital and opened his own practice because he was upset by how much the hospital charged his patients.
toedtoes
Explorer III
May 21, 2015
X2

In large facilities, the doctor has no control over billing. When you paid, the entire packet went to the billing department and they identified that the payment was less than the invoice. I suspect the doctor never even hears about the discrepancy and just thinks it's all working out.
OkSixpack
Explorer
May 21, 2015
I would think that a receipt that says "PAID IN FULL" would trump anything they try to say after the fact.
Jim
WyoTraveler
Explorer
May 21, 2015
Consumer complaints will help. Check consumer complaints in phone book. Aledge fraud. Suspect all will turn out OK. That is what I miss moving to WY.
Naio
Explorer II
May 21, 2015
I did not pay at the doctor's office. I paid at the front desk in the lobby, main entrance to the facility. It was like a supermarket checkout setup. You go see the doc, and then you go to this other place to pay. THAT was where they gave me the discount, and the receipt.

They have not called me back.