It's Procedure

Yesterday I finally found time to call the doctor’s office about a bill I received. I had an abdominal ultrasound done and everything was covered by my insurance. I even had a copy of the EOB stating that my financial responsibility was $0.00.

I called the office that had billed me $104.00. A woman answers the phone:

Office Hag: Hello, XYZ Office, May I help you?

Me: Hi. I received a bill that I believe I don’t owe.

Office Hag: May I have the account number?

I give her the information.

Office Hag: Ma’am, you were billed because we never received your insurance information.

Me: I gave my insurance information when I checked in for my ultrasound.

Office Hag: Yes, but that was for the hospital. This bill is for the radiologist.

Me: So the hospital didn’t give you my insurance information?

Office Hag: We are separate from the hospital ma’am. We have no way of getting that information until you give it to us.

Me: So why didn’t you call me for it?

Office Hag: We have a billing procedure in place. We don’t call for that information.

Me: It seems odd that you have my name and address to send me a bill. Who gave you that?

Office Hag: The hospital provided that information ma’am.

Me: So the hospital can give you my name and address so that you can send me a bill, but you can’t read further down the page and get my insurance information?

Office Hag: Our billing procedure does not include getting that information from the hospital.

Me: So how do you get a patient’s insurance information.

Office Hag: We send you a bill and when you call us we get your information.

WTF!!!!

What the hell kind of procedure is that!

It seems like XYZ office doesn’t like the piddly amounts insurance companies pay and they are trying to screw their patients.

Nice.