24/7 Chat About Anything

[Happy Camper]

Morgana, it looks like the medical office sometimes sends invoices out of date order. It does happen for various reasons.

Then the insurance might not process them in order as well, further confusing the situation when you get something like what you explained.

I would ask them for an invoice sorted by date. It's within their means to do that. It would be clearer for you overall. Except when you see something earlier that insurance hasn't paid on yet.

Just ask and let them do the work.

Medical billing is an odd thing in some ways. And I'm sure there are some here with experience in doing just that. Your one visit can have 5 different billing codes they have to send to the insurance company so they get paid for each of those things. And those get paid separately. Which is why your invoice is like that.

Date sorted, you'll be able to see it clearly.

 

[Morgana]

In case it wasn't clear from the original post ... yes , that's exactly what I have been asking for and what they have repeatedly refused to do.

 

[NctryBen]

I have not noticed much difference with AI other than a positive one. Less time spent waiting on hold on the phone to get to a human who has access to information to answer an inquiry. That scenario is now down to just a couple of times in a year instead of it being a normal situation.

Good for you… not my experience…

 

[NctryBen]

In case it wasn't clear from the original post ... yes , that's exactly what I have been asking for and what they have repeatedly refused to do.

That’s been my experience… when I pay I find out I didn’t have to because insurance eventually does… but good luck getting a refund… mostly the problem is these professionals that bill insurance companies never run it through with the proper codes or whatever… knowing it’s probably not going to go through. I had a dentist that removed a tooth run it through as a cleaning to get paid. So I had to skip a year of cleanings.

 

[Frood]

Good for you… not my experience…

Lol. Yeah, if a company is using a poorly trained or programmed AI it's worse than nothing.

 

[maki2]

Good for you… not my experience…

You have had a lot more issues involving insurance these last few years. I only had that rat chewed wire issue for a claim and it got complicated as I did not have a strong enough cell signal to send out photos to the AI that setup the files for the human adjuster. The app kept timing out and/or losing connection. I finally had to walk a ways with all the photo files saved into my phone and then log onto a neighboring camper’s Starlink service to avoid the timeouts.

 

[Sage]

So ack, another question from the PT wars. Something is happening on the billing end that seems bizarre and inappropriate to me, but if it turns out to common practice, then I want to know that before I decide whether/how hard to fight it. Have you ever gotten a medical bill that looks something like this --

June 3 -- X service
July 17 -- X service
May 31 -- insurance payment credit
July 17 -- X other service
June 3 -- insurance payment credit
May 31 -- X service
June 3 -- X other service
July 17 -- insurance payment pending
Total due: ###

-- in other words, all jumbled up out of date order, not obvious how they arrive at the total, "insurance pending" items mixed in with "insurance paid" items, multiple "service" entries for the same date scattered rather than grouped together?

I have five pages of single-spaced gibberish like that, all to cover ~8-10 visits.

I used to pay whenever the receptionist said "hey, the computer has spit out a new charge for you," and all I noted in my records was the date of service. But then there was one large charge where they said that the credit card payment "didn't go through" and would I pay it again please. (It wasn't for lack of funds, and nobody could ever explain what it meant, and they basically refused to troubleshoot it, even though the glitch clearly happened at their end.)

Since then I have been holding out for a "proper" itemized invoice -- which they wouldn't send for >1 month, and then I got this mumbo jumbo. This very genial staff looks me calmly in the face and acts like they can't imagine why I'd have a problem with it. And then the kiss-o'-death words: "Nobody else has ever complained." They act like the billing process is totally outside their control and their hands are tied. I have been through six or eight rounds with these people already just on billing -- and that's in addition to the problems with the actual PT. It's like wandering into an alternate universe.

Is this as bizarre as it seems to me? Or is it one of those "sucks, but everybody is doing it these days" things?

If anyone has seen this kind of chaos billing before, I'd like to know about it. I feel like I need to push back against this c@rp but I don't want to overplay my hand. Thanks for listening and thanks for any insights!!!

I'm with you on this. They need to give you a clear itemized bill that even a second grader could read. This is clearly something the office people don't want to deal with and have perfected a system of don't bother us that works with some. I bet you are not the only person at that office that is miffed.

A medical office I go to demands initials and signature for things you don't have a clue beyond what they tell you it is. I demand copies. I probably should refuse to sign anything that isn't a hard copy (paper). Good luck getting it straightened out.

 

[Morgana]

And then there's that new thing where they just hand you a hand-held widget about the size of a pack of playing cards and expect you to put your signature on that and trust them what document they're attaching the signature to. Surreal!

When I was still working full time freelance, clients were forever asking me to sign outrageous contract language, and if I complained they'd say "oh it's only a formality, we'd never hold you to it." Seriously???? I never signed that c@rp but a lot of my colleagues did. Lost some good gigs because of it too.

I wrote a pretty tough letter (took me most of the day, grrr), enclosed a check for partial payment, insisted on a proper invoice for the rest, and sent it registered mail. Secretly though, if the next bill is within $50 of what I estimate I owe, and they write "final bill" on it (so I know there's no evil future surprises), I'll just pay it to get rid of them.

Crazy the stuff people get away with if they just kind of blandly act like it's normal.

 

[maki2]

Receptionist at medical clinics are possibly as ignorant of what all those billing codes mean as Iam. The software they use for their assigned work tasks is unlikely to interface directly with the full set of software used by the billing department. Which means they likely also do not have the ability to look up the specifics on my bill even if they can see the total for what is owed and arrange to accept a payment from me. Jobs are very compartmentalized in medical clinics as is the software access on the computer stations. I would have to make an appointment with the billing department or talk on the phone if I need to know what a code on a bill meant.

 

[Happy Camper]

The receptionist isn't the person doing billing codes. There is a person or persons that know the codes and handles that. It's actually very important to have someone good in that position because they can make or break the office financially.

Someone that's creative and has a good understanding of the codes accepted by a particular insurance can bring in more income. And also find a way for you to get more coverage.

A person with basic skills in this area limits the entire practice in the same ways.

 

[travelaround]

Hate to intrude on this exciting conversation about medical billing, but thought I'd come by and say HI and give you an update on my situation here. I'm still living in the travel trailer on the 1/2 acre I bought... however a new home will be built here starting next week and I may be living in it by December! It will be a very small 2 bedroom home, nothing extravagant. I signed the construction and financial contracts a few days ago. I've already had a nice 10x12 shed built for an art studio and storage kind of place. My daughter is leaving after living here with me about two years... they are tired of RV life which is hard with three children. They're heading into Oregon initially for their future home search. I will have at least one RV space with hookups and one without for visitors... but that will have to start next year. My van currently has a shattered rear window thanks to a rock thrown by a weed eater, and I'm waiting for the Ford dealership to call me with an appointment time, to get that window replaced. Insurance will pay everything over $500. Anyhow, good to see you all here still.

 

[abnorm]

Hiya Linda.............Thanks for starting this Looooong running thread.................Good luck on the house !

 

[maki2]

Linda….Wow a new house built from scratch!!! That is exciting and lots of room for your personal library of books!

Watching construction projects equals good entertainment. You will surely know every inch of it inside the walls and out.

 

[NctryBen]

Good to hear from you and thanks for the update. Sounds exciting to have a new home to live in… keep us informed…

 

[travelaround]

Yes I have to go through it to get past this episode in my life so I'm doing my best though there are times I wish I could take a long, long vacation in my van. So far that window hasn't opened up for me. I'm hoping that after the house is built I can go somewhere for a while. My van build never happened even after I bought so many parts for it, but I haven't entirely given up on the project.

 

[maki2]

At least I made some progress today, I had ordered a new battery for one of my laptops that was having trouble staying “on”. I had ordered a battery for it a couple of years ago but it made that laptop act really flaky. This new one does not seem to do that to it. I do need to order new hinges for it though but had held off until I could see if I could get it up and running. So now two of my three laptops are back to being useable for design work. I will order a new set of hinges later this week.

I also picked up a new printer today. I can now print shipping labels direct from my phone or tablet without having to get a laptop out of storage go online to get postage using the laptop and hook it up to the printer then put everything back away. That will actually save at least a half hour of time when I have an Etsy order come into my storefront. A few more tweaks for a slide out tray for the printer for quick access and a bit of wiring for a dedicated power port for it and even more time will be saved. The Etsy order that came in today covered the cost of the new printer and some extra ink so that was a bonus! That battery though cost three times as much as the printer! Oh well it was still a lot cheaper than buying a whole new laptop that is capable of running 3D CAD software.

The old printer still works great so if anyone is currently in the Flagstaff area and wants a reliable Cannon ink jet printer send me a private message. Otherwise it is getting donated to the Habitat for Humanity Rehab store in the next week or so. I am not going to ship it anywhere as shipping would make no sense cost wise.

 

[maki2]

Yes I have to go through it to get past this episode in my life so I'm doing my best though there are times I wish I could take a long, long vacation in my van. So far that window hasn't opened up for me. I'm hoping that after the house is built I can go somewhere for a while. My van build never happened even after I bought so many parts for it, but I haven't entirely given up on the project.

Glad to hear you still have an interest in coming out camping in your van! Maybe one of the carpenters working on your new house will turn out to be exactly the assistant you need to make that rolling “dream house” become a reality.

 

[Happy Camper]

Maki do you use a printer strictly for shipping labels?

 

[maki2]

Maki do you use a printer strictly for shipping labels?

I also print out a full sized sheet of basic written instructions. However the full set of color photo step by step instructions is hosted on a website. Printing and shipping that many pages would be cost prohibitive.

The shipping I buy from Etsy is set up for printing on a “half sheet sized label” so I buy the labels that come two labels on 8.5 X 11 backer paper. So a regular sized printer really is an essential I need to travel with. Wish it wasn’t but it is doable and not overly expensive either.

 

[Happy Camper]

You might consider a smaller thermal label printer. They are much more compact and print extremely quick. They also take up much less space. I bought a number of them used a few years ago and for shipping labels it made a huge difference in speed and efficiency.

The zebra 450 models can be found used and fairly inexpensive. In my case I found a screaming deal. Ended up buying them for $50/ea. The footprint is small and a roll of 4x6 labels hold a lot.

Just something to consider, as you are working with limited space. Since you have a working solution it might be worth keeping you eyes open for one until you find the right deal for you.