I think after my oldest is “of age” I’m going to switch to a different healthcare provider. As of now me and my three girls have a family doctor with Alegent Health. I also see a specialist with Alegent at a different clinic for other things. In any case…they really ticked me off today.
I called to make a doctor’s appointment for my oldest and the gal on the phone wants to know what the appointment is about. I let her know that it’s personal and that we just need to see our family doctor. (It’s none of her business!)
So we set up the doctor’s appointment for this afternoon and towards the end of the phone call she says, “were you aware that you have a balance with Alegent Health?”
I chimed in…”no I was not aware. how much do we owe?”
She says, “your balance is $159.09.”
I say, “Well…we don’t have that cash as of today so we will not be paying that today. I can make today’s co-pay with the checkbook but not this balance. Maybe you guys can bill me for that amount. That’s what you all normally do anyway.”
She says, “Let me give you the number to our billing office and you can call them and request that they send out another bill.”
I say, “Uh no, how about YOU call the billing department and request that they send me a statement since this phone call has turned into a collection call.”
She says, “We don’t normally do that Mam but for this time around I will go ahead and do that.”
I say, “Well…you just make sure that when we come in today that I am not harassed about the $159.09 and since this has turned into a collection call and Alegent Health has taken it on themselves to treat their patients this way…that they can surely mail me out a statement for the amount of $159.09.”
You know….I know we have a balance with Alegent but that is only because they have not worked out the entire co-pay amounts with the insurance company yet. I always wait until the doctor works it out with the insurance company first.
I know there is a balance because we had a hospitalization earlier this year that they are still going back and forth with the insurance company over it. So this is just more “cost saving” that Alegent Health is having their people do to their patients. It’s a bunch of baloney.
So I’m thinking that once my oldest is “of age” we are saying good bye to Alegent Health and finding a healthcare provider that is not going to harass their patients every time they call to make a doctor’s appointment.
Can you imagine how things are going to be if and when healthcare in this country becomes socialized?
14/05/2009 at 1:04 PM Permalink
Dear Angela,
I read your blog posting and am concerned about the customer service you encountered with one of our Alegent Health Clinic locations. We strive to provide outstanding service, and it is evident you did not experience this on a recent phone call to our office. We did recently begin trying to notify our patients of their remaining balances, and I actually think your post was a blessing for us to re-evaluate our process.
You have probably kept up with all of the media attention on the status of the costs of healthcare in this country, and we at Alegent are trying to be at the forefront of this discussion. I understand the frustration that comes with these difficult economic times – especially as a mom with young children. I hope you won’t let this experience drive you away from the things you like about your family’s physicians. Thanks again for sharing your experiences. It is through this transparent communication exchange that we are truly able to get feedback from our patients. Happy blogging!
By the way, congrats on losing 5 pounds.
Eric Mooss, Alegent Health Clinic Administration
19/05/2009 at 12:23 AM Permalink
Well hello Eric Mooss. It was nice of you to stop by and say hello. Thank you for responding to my Alegent woes. Since you are taking constructive feedback seriously on the web I would just like to mention that normally when patients call in to schedule an appointment they are either 1.) very sick 2.) caring for a family member who is very sick or 3.) are attempting to stay on top of their health. Under those circumstances (especially when somebody is sick) I don’t think it’s appropriate for the secretary to engage with the patient about their bill. It’s not the time or the place to discuss such matters. I believe the billing department should be handling those issues directly and preferably when the patient is not trying to make an appointment to be seen. I also think that the billing department upon reviewing an individual’s record on the computer can check the patient history and see that the family is normally very good about paying their bills and co-pays in a timely fashion. Alegent would save a lot of trees if they would wait for the insurance company to kick in their part before billing the patient right away. Didn’t mean to chat your eyes out of their sockets but do appreciate you having devoted your time to say hello and soak up my feedback. By the way, how did you figure out I was upset the other day? Do you keep a google news alert going on the keywords “alegent health?” or was there some other way you were able to be notified about my comments?
19/05/2009 at 10:14 AM Permalink
Angela, it’s like that everywhere. I work at Lakeside, but for a private physician who’s not affiliated with Alegent. Alegent can get persnickity about money, but that’s why they are successful. They charge a lot for ancillary services (like radiology) and they are on top of their collections.
Healthcare is a business, just like lawyers, accountants, etc. If your insurance is pending, that woman shouldn’t have asked you for any money, but you wouldn’t believe how many patients we have who think it’s ok to go 60, 90, or 120+ days on their debts (after insurance has paid). If people went 90+ on their attorney fees, their lawyers would stop representing them. If people didn’t pay their accountants, they wouldn’t get their tax returns or other work products. Why are doctors any different? It takes enormous amounts of money to run an office, including rent, utilities, insurance, employee wages, taxes, supplies, medications, laundry, and scads of other costs and fees.
I’m not commenting on socialized vs privatized healthcare. Just throwing my two cents in about the cost of doing business. If you aren’t being treated courteously by your doctor and office staff, I can recommend a few good practices that would be happy to have you and your family as patients.
19/05/2009 at 10:40 AM Permalink
One thing Eric mentioned above, and I’d like to reiterate:
Many people don’t know this, but Alegent DOES have an extremely generous financial assistance program for patients and their families. If someone you know is having trouble paying their Alegent bills, tell them about the program. I believe they can download an application online or pick one up from any Alegent facility.
27/05/2009 at 12:45 PM Permalink
I appreciate your comments Andrea. I just think that Alegent could do a much better job at fine-tuning their collections. They should not have come after me. We have health insurance. I also do not think they should be trying to collect payment when somebody is sick trying to make an appointment. It’s bad enough that they are sick but to be badgered over the phone while making an appointment to be seen is just wrong. I also don’t think that patients with health insurance should be billed until AFTER it’s been worked out with the health insurance company. Patient Assistance programs are great for those that do not have health insurance and can not afford the cost of healthcare.