Medical billing question

[MaggieTheCat]

Some of you may remember that I was having some trouble with UTIs a few months ago. I had two dr appointments relatively close together: One with the walk-in clinic, because they couldn't fit me in for a standard office exam for two weeks, and then the standard office exam two weeks later. Both of them were covered by my insurance, with a $15 co-pay. I paid both in cash at the time of the visit, and got receipts for both.

Now, they're billing me again for the second exam. I can't find my receipt. I don't know if I tossed it or not; I'm still looking through my paperwork, but haven't uncovered it yet. I did find the receipt for the first visit, for all the good that does me, but the second receipt wasn't with it, as I thought it was. Anyway, I feel like I'm pretty much boned here. Since I paid in cash, I have no proof from my bank that I paid (as I would if I'd paid with a credit card or a check.) I haven't actually called the hospital yet, since I just got the bill this evening. Is there anything I can do?

I'm pretty damn upset with this entire hospital; I was supposed to have an appointment with radiology a week after the second office visit, which got fubar'ed in about as many ways and with as many departments as they possibly could have. Then a nurse from my primary physician's office called me and bitched me out for "canceling" my appointment with radiology and not rescheduling it (fun fact: I didn't cancel my appointment. Radiology never had it scheduled in the first place, which is just one of the ways they screwed the entire procedure up.) I told her why and she said she would have my dr. call me back. She never did, and I didn't bother following up because I was so fed up with the whole thing that I didn't want to deal with the hospital any more. I have been given the run-around at least 6 times with this hospital, all over 2 simple office visits and one appointment in radiology that never happened. I almost feel like the receptionist who took my cash when I had my last appointment pocketed it and just noted that I didn't pay and needed to be billed.

[HYHYBT]

Interesting. I've been told that a doctor's office *cannot* bill for the copay; the insurance companies require them to collect it when you visit or else they won't pay their part at all. Of course, that may vary by insurance company and by state, and either way doesn't help you.

I'm sorry they're so disorganized and are blaming it on you.

[draggar]

Our clinic did that for years with my wife and it was a PITA for us - having to drive 45 minutes each way just to show them a receipt - even being billed 3-4 times for the same visit.

I hope you find your receipt but even if you don't - I'd say don't pay them again. (I wonder how many people just pay the re-bills?)

[bookworm]

Quoth HYHYBT

Interesting. I've been told that a doctor's office *cannot* bill for the copay; the insurance companies require them to collect it when you visit or else they won't pay their part at all. Of course, that may vary by insurance company and by state, and either way doesn't help you.

I'm sorry they're so disorganized and are blaming it on you.

I do medical billing for a neurologist, but I doubt there's much difference.....We often do not collect the co-pay at the time of the visit because when the insurance pays they often pay the full amount and end up not requiring the patient to pay the copay. After refunding several patients, we stopped collecting until after we receive the insurance payment. So I always bill copays after the fact.