Huntsville Hospital Urgent Care Reviews (%countItem)
Huntsville Hospital Urgent Care Rating
Address: 300 Hughes Rd Ste G-2, Madison, Alabama, United States, 35758
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We were charged an "after hours" fee in our billing. We were never made aware of this policy or fee upon arrival or at anytime during our visit.
We visited the urgent care location on 3/5/2020 and checked in at 5:24 pm after calling to confirm that they could see pediatric patients. At check-in we were required to pay the co-pay for our insurance up front before being seen. After waiting, we were finally seen with the care provider stating she could not see what the issue was and advising us to schedule with a specialist, which was already planned for the following day. No services were rendered during this visit.
We received a bill on 3/30/2020 showing an additional charge of "99051 Service(s) provided in the office" in addition to "99202 Office Evaluation". The additional charges for "Services provided" is $100 with $20.89 due by the patient.
After contacting the billing departing and the actual clinic for an itemized statement of what was included in "Services provided" we were advised this was for an "After hours fee". We were never advised that this additional fee existed upon arrival, check-in, during the visit or upon exiting.
The billing department claims that the office location added the charge and the office location claims that the billing department added the charge. Neither entity will remove the excess charge from the billing statement.
Again, we were never advised of this charge and were deprived of the opportunity to decline and seek alternate services.
We would like the additional charge of "99051 Service(s) provided in the office" which we are being advised is an "after hours" fee and is not clearly communicated removed from the billing statement.
This issue has been resolved. I contacted the patient's mother; and, she was satisfied with the result.
We were contacted by the business manager and were advised that the charge would be removed.
this business/billing practices are unacceptable, and possibly illegal or at least irregular. I was given a form while waiting that that was demanding me to provide a credit card number and agree to authorize a $300 hold if insurance does not pay in full - what they seem to refer to as "secure pay" on their website.
I never had to do that, in particular in the HH system. If I were not to pay a bill, then my account would be sent to collection. But never had I been asked to provide a collateral a priori. I objected to that and I was told by the receptionist, Ms. Destiny, that I was then going to be charged $75 for visit instead of my much lower copay, and that if I did not comply with this demand, I would not be seen. I had no choice but to pay. I was told that HH Urgent Care is actually not affiliated with HH, but is in independent company - I found out later than UrgentTeam is the parent company.
I asked to see the office manager. I was not given her name or information, instead I was given the phone number of an third party billing company, with instructions to call to receive a refund. I insisted to have the name and contact information of the practice manager. After much resistance and sighing, the receptionist gave me the first name of the office manager, ***, saying that she only had a personal phone number and that hence I could not call her. I was told to keep on trying to call as *** could be at 4 different location in the area. After again more insistence, I was asked to provide my phone number so *** could call me. The nurse who saw me asked me about this issue, and I explained what I just experienced and how I strongly disagree with these practices. I also said that I understand that employees at the practice are doing what they are told to do, but it does not make it more acceptable (and the sighing is really unnecessary).
There is not, nor should be, any obligation for your patients to agree to this "secure pay" that forces me to commit to a potential payment on my credit card. There should be absolutely no obligation for me to then pay several time the copay you they have agreed with my insurance company for refusing the "secure pay" collateral.
The - otherwise excellent, like I wrote above - clinician, Ms. Holmes, found my medical situation to be such an issue indeed that she sent me to HH emergency room, where indeed I was found to have a condition that warrants further examination and treatment. Had this practice refused to see me because I insisted on paying only what the insurance is asking me to pay as copay, I could have had suffered dire health consequences.
The office manager, Ms. , called me later this week, and I conveyed this to her. She said that she would pass *** along. I also requested an immediate reimbursement of the difference ($40) between the $75 I was forced to pay to be seen and what my copay should have been: it is not up to me to call a third party billing company to request reimbursement (as actually I was told that the overpaid would be 'credit' and not reimbursement).
Ms. was *notpassed my information from the facility I visited, she saw a review that I wrote and contacted me. Hence, in addition to this billing/charging practice, their office communication and quality control is quite dysfunctional:
Ms *** said she would call me back. One month later, and despite me calling her office back, I still haven't' heard from her
Product_Or_Service: medical care
Refund I would like 1) to be refunded the difference ($40) between my I was forced to pay and what my copay should have been 2) that this company stops this billing practice that is forcing patients who are in medical distress to pay more than they should. This is abusing.
After speaking with the complainant in our initial conversation, I have notified my staff to give my full name if asked by a patient. They may also provide my email address if a patient wishes to contact me via email. They may also take a patient's name and phone number for me to return a call. I have 3 centers which are located in different towns so I am in a different place throughout the week.
Our centers, Huntsville Hospital Urgent Care, are part of a recent Joint Venture with Huntsville Hospital. Our company, by whom our staff is employed, is Urgent Team, headquartered in Nashville, TN. It is the policy of Urgent Team to enter a patient's insurance information into our system and receive a Real Time Verification from the patient's insurance company. Using that information, we are able to determine if the patient has a deductible, and how much has been met; an out-of-pocket expense, and how much has been met; and a co-pay, and how much that is. We have guidelines for what to collect depending on whether the deductible and out-of-pocket have been met or not, and if the patient has a secondary or tertiary insurance. Based on this information, we may ask a patient to pay their co-pay and enroll in Secure pay. The Secure Pay form is explained to the patient upon registration. It indicates a claim will be filed to the patient's insurance. Once their insurance processes the claim, if there is something they do not cover or if the deductible has not been met, we will send them a bill in the mail for that amount. They will have 2 weeks from the date on the bill to pay the balance (or make payment arrangements, if needed). If they do not pay the bill, we will charge their credit card that we ask them to leave on file. The credit card is run through a card reader and encrypted. In the event the patient's unpaid balance is over $300, the card will only be charged a maximum of $300.
If a patient does not want to enroll in Secure Pay, they have a second option which is to pay $75.
I presented the complainant's concerns to our Corporate office. The patient's request for a refund in the difference of the $75 and his co-pay was denied as the patient did have an exam by the provider.
I had a follow-up call with the complainant this week. I let him know his request was denied. I explained that I understand he does not agree with our policy; but, it is our policy.
The complainant asked further about a refund. I told him once his insurance processes his claim, if there is truly a credit on his account, he can contact me after he receives his EOB; and, I will contact our billing department to process a refund, if one is due.
(The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.)
1) THis policy is not explained to the patients before they present themselves to the clinic. There is an on-line form to give the credit card number for the $300 collateral, but the online site doesn't say anything about $75 being charged if this $300 collateral form is not agreed upon by the patient. Hence, the practice forces patients to pay $75 in order to be seen when the patients present themselves to the practice, i.e. when they are under medical duress, and have not heard about this extra financial demand.
Ms *** writes "this is our policy", then they should make this policy publicly available for all patients to know before they come with an urgent medical problem (and it would still be a problem, see below)
2) I do not think that it is not allowed for a medical practice to charge more than the copay they have agreed upon with the insurance. Doesn't the contract that the physician signs with the insurance includes a "hold harmless" provision that prohibits from charging more than the copay? It seems that this is a "balance billing" practice that is forced upon the patients, and that the patients cannot refuse unless they put themselves at medical risk (the practitioner who saw me advised me to go to the ER right away, and even said that they would call them to let them know I was on my way. I had not accepted, under duress, to pay this extra $75, I would indeed have been at medical risk)
4) This practice effectively limits medical care to the patients who have a credit card and accept this collateral (not everyone can sign for a $300 collateral on credit card), or if they accept to pay more than what they should be charged. This is in practice discriminatory, a large proportion of the Alabama population is minority credit invisible and not in a position to pay several times the copay.
4) Ms *** says that she has told her team to give patients her full name and her email address. These were provided to me. Ms *** called me back indeed last week,only after I filled the complaint with Revdex.com, and after more than a month of me waiting for her to contact me and letting messages to her staff asking that she does so.