Bio Reference Laboratories

BioReference has researched the account, substantiated Ms. [redacted] claims about not being responsible, and has contacted the collection agency to remove the account from any further collection activity.  The agency has also sent a letter to Ms.[redacted] confirming this...

and is having the account removed in its entirety from any credit reports.BioReference was not provided with any insurance information until long after the file submission time had lapsed.We have adjusted the amount to zero on our A/R system.

I have researched the complaint provided by the patient.  Her account was updated to bill her insurance with the corrected information on December 29, 2016.  We will await their determination.  I apologize for the long wait times that the patient experienced when calling our Billing...

Customer Service Department.  We have installed new billing software which has created longer than normal wait times while our staff is trained.  If the patient would like to follow up to receive a status on her claim, she can e-mail me personally at [redacted] and I will assist her.  Please have her supply her account number which is [redacted].  Thank you.

[A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response.  If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]
Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me. If possible, it would be helpful to receive a confirmation via email or mail that my bills are paid in full, as I received another bill from BioReference a couple of days ago.
Regards,
[redacted]

BioReference offers hundreds of groups of laboratory tests called profiles.  Some doctors or clients who use our services have negotiated a special price for specific groups of tests, called custom profiles.  The patient, [redacted], went to our Patient Service Center for the testing...

done in February, and the employer's doctor or homecare representative, ordered a custom profile with a special price.  The doctor that the patient went to in July was a different doctor, and that doctor ordered a different profile which did not have a special price.  While the testing was similar, it was not identical.  However, since the patient was not aware that her primary care physician did not have a specially negotiated price for a specific profile, I am willing to offer that same price to the patient.  I have noted the account to accept $28.00 as payment in full.  I cannot send out a discounted invoice.  If the patient would like to verify that this payment is accepted as payment in full, or if she has any other questions, she may call me at ###-###-####, extension [redacted]

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted] and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.

BioReference was successful in the resubmission of the corrected claim.  However, the multiple attempts at updating this resulted in multiple electronic records being received and overlapping each other.  Due to this, I am manually adjusting the account balance to zero.  I apologize for the inconvenience.  If the patient has any further questions, they can reach me at [redacted].  Thank you.

[A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response.  If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]
Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
Regards,
[redacted]

I apologize for the time it took to reply to this complaint.  We have had billing system problems which have prevented us from sending a corrected invoice to the patient.  It was originally billed to the patient's insurance and, since we are not in network with his plan but we are in...

network for other plans from the same carrier, our system automatically adjusted the patient's account to zero.  When the patient contacted us, we reversed the adjustment but the claim went back out to insurance.  Since this is no fault of the patient, I am re-adjusting his account to zero.  There will be no balance and no patient responsibility.   I apologize for the inconvenience.  If the patient would like a confirmation e-mail from me showing that the balance on his account is zero, you can give his my e-mail address.  It is [redacted].  Thank you.

BioReference first contacted [redacted]  Per "[redacted]" at UHC (reference #[redacted]), many of the tests ordered did not fall into the category of preventive care and were therefore applied to the patient's deductible.  We were instructed to contact the ordering physician for more...

information.  We did so today, and the ordering physician provided additional information.  We have resubmitted the claim to [redacted] and will await their redetermination of benefits.  I apologize for the multiple, unsuccessful attempts that the patient made to get this resolved.  Please give the patient my direct contact information and I will follow up with any new details and answer his questions personally.  My e-mail address is [redacted].  Thank you.

[A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response.  If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]
Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and although the issue was not resolved by the Revdex.com or by the respondant from the agency, there is no longer an issue on the table. GenPath/Bioreference was unable to find prior communication or invoices despite their constant harassment.
Regards,
[redacted]

Tell us why here...I apologize for the time it took to reply, but I had to obtain information from the physician's office before I could proceed.  The invoice from the physician was for the procedures performed in their office and my conversation with them confirmed this.  That included...

obtaining the specimen that was sent to BioReference (obtaining the biopsy sample).  The invoice from the doctor's office did not include the laboratory analysis that BioReference performed.  The BioReference invoice was for the balance after the insurance company processed our claim.  I checked the results and they are all valid and all testing was performed and final resulted.  The charge on the invoice of $182.69 is valid and due from the patient.  After listening to a taped conversation of the call that the patient's husband made to BioReference, I did confirm that the billing customer service representative that the patient's husband spoke to was a trainee, who may not have answered all of the questions completely.  The patient or her husband can contact me at ###-###-####, extension 8486, if they need further information.

I delight in leaving positive reviews. The lab tech was lovely but the woman at the front desk was unprofessional and unpleasant. I called to company to discuss but never received a reply. When I mentioned this to my doctor's office, they claimed unsatisfactory comments about Bio Reverence Laboratories are common. I will not return and encourage others to go elsewhere.

On an annual check up Bio Reference Lab charged my insurance carrier $1900 for a PSA ( Oncology HG Prostate Cancer) test CPT 0010M. My insurance carrier United HealthCare (UHC). Dramatically Adjusted the cost down to $760.00 as the highest cost it would approve for any reimbursement on the cost for this test. UHC did not reimburse any cost for this PSA test as it is a lab test that is not included or covered as part of the cost it covers in full for an annual check up. I am a 63 year old man with a family history of prostate cancer and other complications from prostate related diagnosis. From my research, even this adjusted cost of $760 for the PSA test is highly exorbitant and should be challenged for an explanation why BioReference is charging me $760 for something that easily costs 3 to 4 times less than what I'm being charged. Please advise me on how to appeal or challenge BioRerence billing such an exorbitant fee.

On June 21, 2016 I went to my family doctor, Dr. Fangqin Li M.D. for a yearly checkup with no complaints. She drew blood as she would normally and sent the blood to Bio Reference labs. My complaint stems from a 4K test that was done instead of a PSA test. The difference in cost is approximately $800. Dr. Li has told me that I should not have been billed that much money and she would contact her salesman, Mr. Erick Greer at Bio Reference labs. My first bill was printed on July 11, 2016. Since July 2016 I have made an abundance of calls to Dr. Li’s office speaking to Dr. Li and her medical biller Kathleen. All to no avail. The doctor and the biller have passed the buck to the salesman and he or his company NEVER returns my calls.

I had a set of blood drawn for a set of standard lab tests at their Englewood office on 5/13/16. The results were to be faxed to two of my doctors and a copy of the report mailed to me. When I went to one of my appointments on the 25th, the doctor told me he never received a report. I called BioReference that day. After a lot of hemming & hawing, I got some apologies and assurances that the results would be faxed out immediately and mailed out to me right away.

No report in the mail after a decent period. I live in the same county as their HQ for gosh sakes, what the hell is their excuse? I call up my other doctor on the 1st of June. Guess what? No fax from BioReference. Call them back. This yutz can't find any record that I exist! She has to consult a supervisor, puts me on hold. Gets back on the line, "We did fax it out to the two numbers you gave us and also mailed it out to you". Unbelievable! I pointed out to "Maria" that there are serious flaws in the way their systems/people operate and their recordkeeping.

One of my doctors referred me to this lab solely for the 70% discount to uninsured patients, which is my situation. Well, that "70%" is a rough figure, they round it up or down, take it with a grain of salt. Also, keep in mind you have to pay it all in full on the spot. Highly doubtful I'm ever going back, in fact, I'm seriously thinking of going to the proper authorities and reporting them.

I saved $50 over Labcorp's uninsured discount, but you get reliability and secure website based access to your report.

You get what you pay for.

I had a set of blood drawn for a set of standard lab tests at their Englewood office on 5/13/16. The results were to be faxed to two of my doctors and a copy of the report mailed to me. When I went to one of my appointments on the 25th, the doctor told me he never received a report. I called BioReference that day. After a lot of hemming & hawing, I got some apologies and assurances that the results would be faxed out immediately and mailed out to me right away.

No report in the mail after a decent period. I live in the same county as their HQ for gosh sakes, what the hell is their excuse? I call up my other doctor on the 1st of June. Guess what? No fax from BioReference. Call them back. This yutz can't find any record that I exist! She has to consult a supervisor, puts me on hold. Gets back on the line, "We did fax it out to the two numbers you gave us and also mailed it out to you". Unbelievable! I pointed out to "Maria" that there are serious flaws in the way their systems/people operate and their recordkeeping.

One of my doctors referred me to this lab solely for the 70% discount to uninsured patients, which is my situation. Well, that "70%" is a rough figure, they round it up or down, take it with a grain of salt. Also, keep in mind you have to pay it all in full on the spot. Highly doubtful I'm ever going back, in fact, I'm seriously thinking of going to the proper authorities and reporting them.

I saved $50 over Labcorp's uninsured discount, but you get reliability and secure website based access to your report.

You get what you pay for.

Review: 1. Poor biling statement (wrong name , wrong address)

2. Sending bills that without any concern for what.

3. Poor customer service.

4. Asking too much personal information over the phoneDesired Settlement: 1. That buisness should get there billing information from the party whom they get the job; in this case it's from doctor office. As patient we personally know Dr. and his or her office; so personal information should gather through Doctor's office.

2. Good customer service and billing information.

3. They should not harassing people by sending bills for job that not given by the same people.

Business

Response:

Tell us why here...As a laboratory, we are totally reliant on the ordering physician to supply us with the correct patient demographic and insurance information. On the account in question, the only information given to us on the order was to bill the patient, which we did. I listened to a recording of the telephone call from this patient. The Billing Customer Service Representative was courteous. The patient's spouse (who called), became unwilling to provide us with the necessary (required) information to bill his insurance. The question that he was unwilling to answer was the request for his date of birth, which is necessary since he is the policy holder. If we do not receive insurance information from the ordering physician, our only recourse is to bill the patient. While the services were ordered by a physician, the services are performed for the patient, who is the responsible party. Subsequent to his conversation, I was able to obtain the missing information from researching other accounts for the same patient.

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted] and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.

Review: On 11/05/14, I took an order for lab work to a satellite of Bioreference Laboratories in [redacted]. Before the blood draw, I asked how much the tests and blood work would cost. I was given a vague response that did not mention any costs for the blood draw. My insurance information was copied down. After the blood draw was done, I was told that I would need to pay a $50.00 fee for the cost of the blood draw. I handed over my credit card and paid the $50.00 fee. I was given no copies of the documents I signed or medical receipts. I received a bill subsequently for an additional $63.82. I contacted my insurance company and they informed me that my co-pay for the blood work that was conducted on 11/05/14 was $63.82. I made a copy of my credit card statement reflecting the $50.00 co-pay, which was collected at the time of my visit, and sent in a check for $13.82. I also specified on my check that the check was "payment in full. " I mailed my check, which was cashed. I then received a call from a representative from Bio Reference Laboratories informing me that there were yet more charges. He indicated that the $50.00 collected at the time of my visit only covered the blood draw for one test, a test that was done by [redacted]. I had, however, already paid for the test conducted by [redacted] (NJ): my credit card was charged $83.51 for this service. I was told I would receive copies of the documents I signed on 11/05/14; instead I received another copy of the same bill. I would like to request that Bio Reference Laboratories cease and desist from contacting me. Bio Reference Laboratories is contracted with my insurance company and has been paid in full according to my insurance carrier, [redacted] If a fee for blood work for NJ were a legitimate medical charge, it should have been billed through my insurance. To date, the lab has not billed my insurance for blood work done for NJ nor provided me with any documentation.

Business

Response:

I apologize for the delay in replying to this complaint. I had to request detailed information and explanations from our West Coast laboratory location. There appears to be a misunderstanding about the $50.00 payment made by the patient. This $50.00 represented two $25.00 fees, for special blood draws, kits and expedited shipping to two different laboratories that performed the additional testing, [redacted] and Igenix. These service fees are not covered by insurance and are reflective of the costs of drawing, separating, packing and shipping two specimens from the BioReference Patient Service Center to these two labs. The actual testing itself, from all three labs including BioReference, was billed to the patient's insurance. These service charges are not billable to insurance, and are collected from the patient in advance. I obtained copies of the Explanation of Benefits for the lab testing performed at BioReference and the total patient responsibility is $63.82. There will also be two additional explanation of benefits that the patient will recieve (from [redacted] and Igenix) after they adjudicate the claims and she may have patient responsibility for them, also. I hope that this explains the situation. The unpaid $50.00 balance for the actual laboratory testing is still due. You may give the patient my e-mail address if she has any further questions.

Review: Bio-Reference never billed me for services. I had no idea I owed anything. After not billing me, turned my account over to a collection agency (AMCA). The first I heard of these charges was on October 25, 2013 when I received a call from AMCA. I did not know what the $250.00 charge was for. After finding out what the charges were for, contacted the office these tests originated from. The doctors office told me specifically what the charges were for, and that $250.00 was not the correct amount. This $250.00 should have been discounted. Again, Bio-Reference never sent me a bill and the doctors office these tests were run never told me prior to October 28, 2013, that I owed this money. In addition, according to the doctors office, I am being over charged for this test.Desired Settlement: Correct amount to be billed by Bio-Reference Laboratories. Bill sent to me. AMCA to stop harassing me. Nothing put on my credit report.

Business

Response:

I do not know why the patient did not receive the initial invoices from BioReference. I checked the address and it is the same as the one on the letter from Revdex.com. There is one issue, and that is that BioReference does NOT send out discounted invoices. We offer discount cards to doctor's offices for patients without insurance, and also, accept 30% payment as payment in full if the patient calls us or sends us a letter stating that they do not have insurance. The discount cards state plainly that the discount is applied only when the paytment is received. The amount that we will accept as payment in full for this invoice is $75.00. Ms. [redacted] can send the $75.00 and we will accept that amount as payment in full. I have put the account on a 30 day hold at AMCA pending receipt of the payment from Ms. [redacted]. I have also mandated that AMCA not report this amount to any credit reporting agency.

Consumer

Response:

Review: [redacted]

I rejected Bio-References offer because they are still overcharging me. The company has still not sent me a bill. I need to know what test I am paying for before I agree to pay. I would also like the statement dates of the initial invoices Bio-Reference is claiming they sent to me. As I have stated, I did not receive anything from Dr. [redacted]'s office, nor did I receive any bills from Bio-Reference. With no billings, there is no way I could have known that I owed this money. The June 2013 visit to Dr. [redacted]'s office was my new patient visit. I was told on that day by Dr. [redacted]'s office that I was paid in full. I authorized one test to be performed. A pap smear. According to the information I was sent on October 29, 2013 by Bio-Reference representative [redacted], there are two types of pap smears listed on the self pay envelope. One costs $30, the second one costs $40. I should only be charged for one of these two types of pap smears. I paid $30, using the self pay envelope, on October 30, 2013 by credit card. I have been quoted different amounts since AMCA called me on October 25, 2013. Dr. [redacted]'s office claimed I owed either $30 or $40. [redacted] in an email dated November 12, 2013 claimed I owed $70. Bio-Reference claims I owe $75. I need to see a bill. I will only pay the amount for the test that was performed. I will not pay late fees as I am not responsible for charges I was never made aware of.

Desired Settlement

Bio-Reference claimed to have put AMCA on a 30 day hold in their Revdex.com response for ID [redacted]. Since that statement I have received 4 phone calls from AMCA. I would like AMCA to stop harassing me. A bill detailing what test was performed and the self pay cost. No information put on my credit report.

Regards,

Business

Response:

I have a notation on the patient's account stating that it is on hold at the collection agency, AMCA. And we have no record of having ever received a credit card payment from this patient. As I stated before, we do not send out discounted invoices. We do offer discounts, including the ones mentioned by the patient, but the discount is applied when the payment is received. The disturbing issue is the statement that the agency has contacted her several times since I placed it on hold. That should not have occurred. Due to this, as a courtesy to the patient, I am adjusting the balance on this account to zero and having it removed from any further collection activity.

Review: I received a phone call on 2/15/2014 from a collection agency stating I had not paid my bill to bio reference laboratories for $305.00. I told them I had not received a bill from them and that I had no Idea that I owed them any money. I asked them to send me an ITEMIZED bill for the services I was being charged for, and the woman on the phone gave me the # of the lab.

So I called the lab and asked them to send me an ITEMIZED bill and the man on the phone said he would. 2 days later I received in the mail a bill from them stating I owed the $305.00 but it was NOT itemized. So I called the number on the bill to request an itemized bill and I was connected to a customer service center in India and got the run around from a vude man who kept interrupting me when I was trying to explain the situation.. Then he told me no one was able to help me today and would I call back tomorrow. I asked for a name of a person who could specifically help me resolve this issue and he refused.

I think I have done my due diligence in this case and I am very frustrated with their stonewalling. I Never got a bill from these people in the first place and then I get a nasty call from a collection agency out of left field which could hurt my credit rating. I just want to see WHAT it is I am being charged for. But I am not going to just blindly pay them, what's to stop them for making some other claim?Desired Settlement: An Itemized bill. If they cannot provide one I shouldn't be asked to pay them.

Business

Response:

I do not know if the patient received the itemized statement that she requested. We do not have a call center in India, all of our Billing Customer Service is handled in Elmwood Park, NJ, our corporate headquarters. The customer did pay the full amount and the balance on the account is zero.