Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital

I went to the roanoke memorial hospital on the 24 oof march 2018 they kept giving me shots in the belly and wouldnt tell me what they were for I was getting weak from these shots. They told me on monday I could go home if I could hold solid food down which I did. Then the doctor comes in a said I had to stay. Trying to drain my insurance dry I reckond and trying to experiment on me. Even a nursr was picking her nose and not washing her hand . rude nurses . I think this hospital. 2 faced . I think thier practices are deceiteval. And the social workers always wanting to put people in nursing homes.

Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital - Emergency Room for children

I had to take my little son(21m) to Carilion ER on Sunday 2/25/18 night around 10pm, there was a man in the ER who had no patience at all in attending a small kid who had a temperature of 104.5. He literally pushed over some napkin to me to wipe my son. He impatiently opened a heart rate monitor that goes on the foot of infants and threw it down. He opened one more to go on my son's foot and peeled it off like a snap which made my son's foot burn red and he cried even more, he was really very harsh on my son. His face was full of disgust right from the minute we went in.
We went to the front desk to complain before we left, but there was no one in there; it was already 1-2am and we dint have enough energy to wait there anymore. But this is still very disappointing.

Patient Advocacy is there to protect carilion not you I have seen 27 Doctors in the last three years and the least you can say too a carilion Doctor the better off you are out of them 27 Doctors I have seen one Doctor and only one Doctor has done more too improve my. health happens. and my life in 120 day's the the others have done in two years. The funny thing is the one Doctor that did so much for me DON'T work for carilion its said that all carilion is about is making money not you are your health

Back in May, my Doctor made me an appointment with Dr. Austin to check out my heart. While as on this date 8/28/17 I have not seen him. They have cancelled my appointment 3 times, that is right 3 times. If I do have a problem with my heart, I could be dead by now. This last time they left a message and told me to call and make another appointment. Well that would be nice if they answer their phone. All I get is "leave your name and number and we will call you back" which they have not done, because they said they are away from their phone. Dr Austin can forget about ever seeing me. I will go to Lewis Gale first. I'm just afraid someone else is do the same way and a death occurs because of this neglect.

Review: Carilion Clinic is a not–for–profit health care organization based in [redacted] with a comprehensive network of hospitals, primary and specialty physician practices.My complaint is against just one of their offices.

In early February 2016 my wife and I, who are new to the state, attempted to make medical appointments with the local Corilion Clinic to establish a primary care physician. We were advised the earliest available appointments would be on July 22, 2016. We reluctantly accepted that date.

(A primary care physician is necessary to receive referrals to the specialists my wife and I need.)

On July 12, 2016 we received a call from the receptionist at the practice to notify us the doctor with whom we had the appointments, [redacted], was no longer accepting new patients and our appointments were being cancelled. No alternative of service were offered to possibly fit us in at one of the many other Carilion facilities or find us any other alternate.

As of July 20, 2016 the earliest appointment we can get is for November 2016. That means my annual checkup will be delayed and I will have waited at least 10 months, but likely closer to 18 months, to see a new Cardiologist about my high blood pressure, a new Gastroenterologist about my Barretts esophagus and annual endoscopy and a new Psychologist about my depression. I am also out of the medications needed to treat those and other conditions. My wife will also be forced to miss her six monthly appointment with a new Dermatologist to check her skin cancer. Our old doctors in [redacted] are unwilling, and in some cases legally unable, to write new prescriptions for current medications without physical checkups.Desired Settlement: I would like someone in the vast Carilion Clinic group, who claim in their vision to be "committed to a common purpose of better patient care" to treat us fairly and find us appointments in a reasonable amount of time, even if it takes Carilion Clinic President and CEO, getting involved. I would further hope Carilion takes a serious look at their practices and procedures.

For some patients, this type of service could be life ending.

Business

Response:

Mr. and Mrs. [redacted],

I want to express my appreciation for you bringing your concerns related to the difficulty you experienced in finding a new primary care provider to our attention. We take all patient feedback very seriously and use it in our ongoing improvement efforts. Ms. [redacted], thank you for speaking with our ambulatory practice manager Ms. [redacted]. Your comments were useful and have already helped to shape a new practice for assisting patients with finding a primary care provider in an efficient manner. You have helped us to better serve our community and for that we are grateful. I am very sorry that we failed to meet your expectations, but I am confident, if given the opportunity, we will be able to not only meet, but exceed your expectations in the future. Should you have any concerns in the future I hope you will call on Carilion's Patient Advocacy program to assist you. Thank you for being a part of our Carilion Clinic family.

Director, Patient Advocacy

Carilion Clinic

Review: On 9-11-2013 I was billed $2,344.09 for surgical services from Carilion [redacted]). A $50.00 payment was made on 9-30-2013, 10-23-2013, 11-18-2013, 12-02-2013, 12-30-2013, and 2-03-2014 for a total of $300.00. I received a letter from [redacted] Credit Services dated 2-05-2014 stated that the Carilion account had been turned over to them for collection. I contacted a Patient Services Representative at Carilion to inquire why my account was being sent to collections with me making regular monthly payments. I was told that I only had 90 days to pay the account before it was turned over to collections, however, I could arrange to make payments with Carilion for an approximately 7% finance charge. I then told the representative that no one informed me of these conditions prior to my surgery, during my surgery, or after my surgery.

Had I known this, I would have not had my surgery done at Carilion, but would have chosen a healthcare system such as [redacted] or [redacted] that would have allowed me to make interest free payments.

In addition, I have made payments to [redacted] totaling $125.00.Desired Settlement: I want my account moved from [redacted] to Carilion and allowed to make interest free payments on the remaining balance of $1919.09

Business

Response:

July 29, 2014 In reference to Revdex.com id #[redacted] Dear Sir or Madam:

Thank you for contacting the Revdex.com about Carilion's billing practices. While we are always discouraged to hear that we have failed to meet a patient or family expectation, we are appreciative of the fact that we have been given the opportunity to evaluate and understand the issues to see if there are improvements necessary for the future to avoid such concerns.

We are disappointed that our billing and collection process has been frustrating for our patient. Carilion sends 3 statements for each account; referencing payment options, before sending a final notice to advise that the account could be transferred to a collection agency. Currently, we show that 3 statements and a final notice were sent on this account. Our documentation also shows that this was communicated during a phone call on the account earlier in the year. Our system has generated the maximum number of statements and will not send any more. We do however appreciate our patient’s need to break their balances into more affordable increments. Since our billing system is not set up to take long term payments, Medkey is offered as our extended payment option. This plan offers 90 days without interest on any new balance applied and an interest rate of 5.99% thereafter. There is no credit check or yearly card fee. To thank our patient for the commitment shown in resolving this account, we would like to ask that our Customer Service office is contacted using the information below if it is decided that Medkey is the best option for extended payments in this situation so that we may discuss it further.

We understand that we can not change your experience but we did appreciate your comments and patience as we worked through the process. If we can be of further assistance to you, please call our customer service center at ###-###-####, toll free at ###-###-#### or by email at [redacted].

We wish you and your family the best of heath in the future.

Sincerely,

Manager, Billing Customer Service

Carilion Clinic

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response offer made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.

I am not satisfied with the resolution because if I would have been informed of the payment options prior to my procedure, especially the fact that I would have had to pay interest on the remaining balance, and only given 90 days to pay the balance before being charged interest or turned over to a collection agency, I would have elected to seek out a different healthcare system that does not pile interest on the remaining bill and allows longer than 90 days to pay the remaining balance. I was not made aware of this billing practice until after the fact.

Regards,

Business

Response:

Thank you for contacting the Revdex.com about Carilion's billing practices. We are disappointed that our last response was not acceptable to you.

Based on the response that our patient was not made aware of our payment expectations prior to having the service performed we have researched the account further to determine that the patient was made aware of this through our Patient Financial Agreement. Our records show that this document was signed by the patient 5 days prior to the service being performed. The promise to pay section states that the patient understands that the hospital bill is payable in full within 90 days of discharge. To protect the privacy of our patient, we will mail a copy of the signed document to the patient separately.

We regret that our billing and collection process has been frustrating for our patient. As stated in our previous correspondence, Carilion sends 3 statements for each account; referencing payment options, before sending a final notice to advise that the account could be transferred to a collection agency. Currently, we show that 3 statements and a final notice were sent on this account. Our documentation also shows that this was communicated during a phone call on the account earlier in the year. Our system has generated the maximum number of statements and will not send any more. We do however appreciate our patient’s need to break their balances into more affordable increments. Since our billing system is not set up to take long term payments, Medkey is offered as our extended payment option. This plan offers 90 days without interest on any new balance applied and an interest rate of 5.99% thereafter. There is no credit check or yearly card fee. To thank our patient for the commitment shown in resolving this account, we would like to ask that our Customer Service office is contacted using the information below if it is decided that Medkey is the best option for extended payments in this situation so that we may discuss it further.

We understand that we can not change your experience but we did appreciate your comments and patience as we worked through the process. If we can be of further assistance to you, please call our customer service center at ###-###-####, toll free at ###-###-#### or by email at [redacted]

We wish you and your family the best of heath in the future.

Sincerely,

Manager, Billing Customer Service

Carilion Clinic

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response offer made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.

Again, I was not made aware of the fact that I would not be allowed to make interest free payments for longer than 90 days. Yes, papers were pushed in front of my face requiring signatures with little explanation of the documents. For example, "this if the form allowing us to do the surgery"..."this is the form allowing us to bill your insurance"...."this is the form stating you will pay what the insurance does not cover". I never expected a "free" surgery and understood that I would have a portion to pay out-of-pocket (if you look back you will see that I made consistent monthly payments). However, it was not explained to me that I would have interest applied after 90 days. This statement needs to be blown up the size of a billboard and plastered on the walls of the hospital...not tucked away in a paragraph and hurried by you due to production pressures for a signature.

Regards,

My Father was in RMH in February 2014. When he was released the Doctors, nurses, and social worker recommended that he go to a skilled nursing facility or have 24/7 and HH PT for mobility. We decided to go with the SNF and the hospital recommended that he be transported by Carilion Patient Transport (ambulance). Neither I, nor my father has any medical background so we have to rely on what the hospital recommends. He then received a bill for over $500 because medicare would not cover this due to a discharge summary and a PT's report that contained many contradictions. The discharge report stated he was ambulatory with a rolling walker and a steadying assist and an assist of one plus a railing for steps. In the PT's report it states he could walk independently 60feet using a rolling walker. I'm still trying to picture him pulling an oxygen tank, managing a Foley catheter and using a walker and walking 60 feet independently 60 feet. This 60 foot independent walk, according to the PT's report, took place after doing several standing activities and him refusing to do further activity. The report also states he was at a moderate risk of falling with a score of 17/24 on the Tinetti Performance Oriented Mobility Assessment. However, when you look at the scale it clearly states a score< 19 is High. We were told none of this by the hospital at the time of his release. Medicare said he could have been transported by a wheel chair van. This was never recommended nor offered to us by RMH. Could this be because Carilion owns both the hospital and transport company?

I was treated with disrespect in every sense of the word when I went to the ER with severe low back pain and could hardly walk. I was there for hours with the same questions being asked over and over again by different staff, nurses and doctors. My blood pressure was so high, 176/75, which denotes pain level and I was asked if I did intravenous drugs. I told them no that I was terrified of needles and would never do that. I went to the bathroom and almost fell; no assistance was offered. I then got into the bed and the act of laying down sent my pain sky high and I sobbed and cried and not one person ever came to see if I was ok. I was directly across from the nurses and doctors station; I was asked over and over why I came to that hospital. I told them because I was scared of the hospital in Stuart, Va due to bad reports on their beheld and people leaving there with mersa. Any treatment was delayed for 2 plus hours...a doctor was finally going to treat me and then a supervisor came and started asking me questions also. I had it by this time and did not want to be at this facility any longer. I go to the ER only for a emergency. I told her that I was just going to go and she said "ok" and walked away. I left there untreated and will never ever go back there and do not recommend anyone to go there.

Review: I took my son, [redacted] (DOB [redacted]) to this ER on 3/17/2015 because he fell on a fork, requiring 5 stitches above his eye in a 1 inch gash. This was his first accident so being a first time mom, I was terrified. After waiting 4 hours in the hallway of the children's unit with analgesic gel on his forehead, we were ushered into an actual hospital room for 10 minutes where I had to restrain my child while a doctor stitched him, gave him ibuprofen, then sent us on our way. The physician bill was $417, which my insurance adjusted to $255.66, and the ER facility bill was $1009.50, insurance adjusted to $546.06. Carilion originally accepted my health insurance for the $1009.50 adjustment but not the physician. When I inquired as to why, they then denied both adjustments and are balance billing me for the rest. Not only do I find the prices outrageous for the services performed, I find their business practices unethical. The rude customer service representative I talked to ([redacted]) laughed and just said I should "do what you have to do" but that they'd be sending me the additional bills. (I had already paid 100% of the entire, unadjusted physician bill and 100% of the adjusted facility bill).Desired Settlement: Ethically, you'd think they could review this case and see that it was truly an emergency. Emergencies should not be price gouged. Even with adjustments, I'm paying $801.72, which more than covers the cost of the services and facilities provided for our visit (materials: sutures, topical analgesic, and ibuprofen. professional: 10 minutes of suturing. I held my own son down, along with my friend.) I can't believe these people can justify these costs. It is supposed to be a non-profit hospital. Please try to do the ethical thing by accepting my insurance's adjustment, which would result in a refund to me of $161.34. My insurance states that the adjustment reflects the average cost accepted in this region for such services. My friends are horrified for me, but since Carilion is the largest provider in this region, our options are limited.

Business

Response:

Ms. [redacted],

Thank you for talking with me today to discuss your concerns regarding the bills you received for your son's emergency room visit. While we are always saddened to hear that we have failed to meet expectations, we are thankful for feedback. As you and I discussed, we will wait until you have completed the appeal to your insurance company before moving forward with any other courses of action. I look forward to working with you on this, and hope to keep you in our Carilion Clinic family.

Sincerely,

Patient Advocate

Carilion Clinic

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response offer made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.

Carilion had been unwilling to work with me on finding a solution so as instructed by my insurance, I filed an appeal before registering my Revdex.com complaint. While I appreciate them taking the time to respond to the Revdex.com, the response is "we won't do anything just yet." I'd appreciate if this complaint can remain open with the Revdex.com until the actual situation is resolved!

Regards,

Review: I have a JUDGEMENT on my credit report from Roanoke Memorial Hospital for hospital bills related to an accident my son was in. I have a contract with Roanoke Memorial Hospital to hold off on collections until the lawsuit involving my sons accident is settled. I have spoken with several people in the billing department about this issue, but they WILL NOT remove this judgement even though there is a SIGNED CONTRACT in place to not collect on medical bills until lawsuit is settled.Desired Settlement: I want this judgement vacated and removed from my credit report!

Business

Response:

Ms. [redacted],

We would like to thank you for your thoughtful feedback, and also apologize for failing to meet your expectations. While we were saddened to hear that you were having a difficult time, we appreciate you reaching out to us. We use all feedback in our continuous improvement efforts. Your concerns were reviewed by our debt recovery department and below you will find their response:

Carilion Debt Recovery will hold accounts for patients while they are settling their third party claims as a courtesy (for a reasonable amount of time not exceeding the statue of limitations for debt recovery); patients do not sign contracts for this service. Records indicate that we were in contact with Ms. [redacted]'s attorney's office from 2009-2012. Our last inquiry to her attorney's office went unanswered. Consequently, we sent Ms. [redacted] a letter stating our intentions to collet on the unpaid debt, since we had not heard back from her attorney. Record indicates there was no response to this letter either, therefore a judgment was obtained on July 12, 2012 for the balance of the debt. In order to satisfy this judgment the account will need to be paid by the third party claim or personally. We are always saddened to use the judicial system in our debt collection efforts and wish this could have been resolved prior to the judgment being obtained.

Sincerely,

Carilion Clinic Debt Recovery Services.

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response offer made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.The accusation that my attorney did not reply is just NOT true. He sent a letter back to them stating that the lawsuit is still pending. There is no statute of limitations on this type of lawsuit. All medical will be paid as soon as suit is settled.

Regards,

Doctors are not attentive to patient needs, the doctor prescribed my son medicine that is not FDA approved for adolescents and acted surprised when I refused. The nurses for the most part were helpful, but with a "'team" of doctors, one would think the care would be better. The lack of communication and lack of caring from the doctors really shows.

I'm happy to report that after my complaint I received a phone call from Carilion Patient Transport informing me that Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital had reviewed my Dad's records and that since they felt the transport was in his best interest and since Medicare would not cover it that they would be paying his bill in full.

Review: On July 21, 2014 My mother and I entered the emergency Triage due to me being in labor. It was discussed in triage after 5 hours, that the staff would notify my mother, after coming out of surgery, about my condition. My mother was not notified of my condition. After 2 hours in waiting room, My mother eventually had to call the OR access phone and was denied access to the OR. My mother was eventually informed of my condition after I had requested the staff to get my mom. My mother and family was also denied access to the neonatal unit. My family names were put on a list in the neonatal unit at 11 a.m by father. 6 hours later, my family were denied access to the neonatal unit at 5:30 p.m. My family was told they were not on list, and never been on the list. My family tried to explain they had been put on list . After a disruption in the waiting area by my family , the nurses finally came to my room to get confirmation. The nurses had told my family that the father took family off of the list until he confirmed it with me. Why did these nurses tell my family this false information? My boyfriend said he did not take my family off of the list. The nurses did not come to my room to get confirmation of the list until after the disruption in neonatal with my family. Why did it take 6 hours for the nurses to bring list for me to confirm?Desired Settlement: A answer to why the nurses lied ,saying my boyfriend took my family off the list, until he got confirmation with the mother. Why did the nurse make up a lie to cause controversy with my family? I would like a letter telling me what happened that day that caused my family to be denied twice to both units at the hospital. Thanks [redacted]

Business

Response:

August 27, 2014

Dear Ms. [redacted],

Our organization has been notified by the Revdex.com that you had concerns regarding your recent stay at Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital. It is always discouraging to hear that we have failed to meet the expectations of our patients, but I am appreciative of the opportunity to investigate and address your concerns:

· Your mother was not notified of your condition following surgery.

[redacted], Unit Director – Labor and Delivery, spoke with your mother on the day of your surgery regarding her concern of not being notified of your condition after surgery. Your mother stated she had been with you for several hours in triage and then left to go to the family waiting room when your significant other arrived. Ms. [redacted] explained the process of you having your choice as to which support person would accompany you during surgery and afterwards. She explained that if no support person accompanied you into surgery, the physicians would have (with your permission) updated your mother on your condition post-surgery. You chose to have your significant other in the operating room with you. He was in attendance during the surgery and the PACU time, and received information regarding your condition during that time. It was the expectation that he would update the family as appropriate and according to your wishes. Your mother was told that, due to Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA), we could not give her specific medical information without your direction to do so. As you mentioned in your statement to the Revdex.com, once you requested it, we contacted your mother.

· Your mother and other family members were denied access to your baby in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).

Per NICU policy, the mother and the father may denote four people who may visit the infant at any time during the hospitalization without the parents present. On the initial visit to the NICU, the father of the baby was accompanied by the grandmother and another family member. At this visit the other family members were allowed in because they were accompanied by the father. No list had been established. The grandmother requested that her name be placed on a list, however the nurse told her at that time that the list would be made by the parents of the baby. After the grandmother and other family member left to go back to the mother's room, the nurse asked the father who he would like to place on the list. He began making a list but stated he would need to verify the list with you before finalizing (and because he was unsure of the grandmother's name). At this time he left to return to your room. Very shortly after he left, the grandmother and another family member came to the unit and asked to see the baby. It was at this time that the secretary and Clinical team leader informed the grandmother that she was not on a list. Your mother became very upset. The staff reiterated that once a list was made that included her name she could visit. The following day the NICU director spoke with you about the situation. After she clarified the sequence of events with the staff and explained what had happened, you indicated that you understood what had transpired.

I would like to apologize for any communication issues that led to your dissatisfaction or that of your mother. As multiple staff members have shared with her, we always strive to involve appropriate family members whenever possible, however our primary responsibility is to care for our patients. Our safety protocols in the NICU and compliance with HIPAA regulations may seem exclusionary in some applications, but they are in the best interest of our patients.

I wish you all the best with your growing family. If I can be of further assistance, please feel free to contact me.

Kindest regards,

[redacted] MBA, BSN, RN

Director, Patient Advocacy

I am extremely disappointed in the care my family and I received at this hospital. The first ER visit, the staff did not wash their hands before attempting to treat my boyfriend. The second ER visit, they told me my rapid strep test came back negative. Over a week later, I get a certified letter stating my culture swab was positive for strep. They made no attempt to call me before I received the letter. I was seen on 19 November and the letter was not even sent out until a week later. It was postmarked 26 November. The third visit, I took my boyfriend and my son to be checked for strep and get my boyfriend treated for other health issues. I also asked to be seen for lower abdominal pain and ear pain. The nurses and doctors did absolutely nothing for me. They didn't even look at my ears to see if they were infected. They spent the entire time treating my boyfriend. I will not be returning to this hospital. They basically blamed me for them giving me the wrong results. I live in a house with a lot of people and unfortunately for them, I am studying to be in the medical field. Someone could have become extremely ill as a result of their negligence.