Jackson Shipping

We are sorry the person filing this complaint had a negative experience with Barton Health SystemIt is our goal to provide consistently exceptional care and ensure our practices are honest and equitableBarton Health consists of multiple outpatient offices as well as a hospitalWhen any Barton medical provider orders lab work for patients, the lab work is typically performed at the lab within the hospital, as our outpatient facilities do not have their own labsLab work is not billed as a hospital visit, but billed at a charge rate determined by the first of every yearThe charges do not vary based on which of our facilities ordered themThe charges for lab work are competitive with other healthcare systems in the areaWhether insurance covers the costs and how much they cover is specific to each person’s insurance plan and where the person is on meeting their deductibleWith high deductibles, patients are having to pay increased out-of-pocket costs based on the insurance plans they have chosenPatients do sign a consent form agreeing to pay for the medical treatment they receive from the health system and acknowledge they are responsible for knowing what their health insurance plan coversBarton understands healthcare can be expensive and offers various programs to reduce cost barriers including monthly wellness lab draws through a monthly health fair program offering discounted wellness labs, point of service discounts on various procedures, and discounts on out of pocket costs with prompt payAdditionally, our financial assistance program continues to assist community membersTo discuss lab bills and financial assistance please contact our customer service department at [redacted] Thank you, [redacted] Manager of Patient Financial ServicesEpic HB & SBO Credentialed trainerBarton Memorial HospitalPh: [redacted] Fax: [redacted] @bartonhealth.orgwww.bartonhealth.org

HELLO WE WOULD LOVE TO TAKE CARE OF THIS ISSUE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE WE DO APOLOGIZE FOR OUR DELAY IN RESPONDING. PLEASE LET US KNOW WHAT OR HOW ELSE WE COULD FIX THIS. OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH OUR CUSTOMERS AND THE BETER BUSINESS BUREAU IS OF GREAT IMPORTANCE TO US.

I am rejecting this response because:As you can see from the explanation of benefits I received from Anthem Blueshield, Barton Health listed the provider of services as Barton Memorial Hospital. As the pictures show, Barton Lab Facilities are [redacted], while Barton Memorial Hospital is located at [redacted]. So:rejection #1: the lab is not located within the hospitalrejection #2: Barton incorrectly coded the lab work as a hospital service despite the separate location. My insurance covers lab work. It does not cover hospital visits, regardless of the work done. Had they simply stated the provider of service accurately under the the name "Barton Health," my insurance would have treated it as ordinary lab work and covered the cost with my normal copay for lab work. This is a coding issue on their end, not on the insurance end.  Furthermore, when I visited my doctor, I went to Barton Family Medicine. This is located at [redacted]. Again, a separate location. Throughout all my experiences with other healthcare providers, if any lab work is going to be done off property, the healthcare provider notifies the patient and gives the patient options so that they may choose the lab facility that is covered under their insurance policy. No one at Barton Health notified me of any offsite facilities, so I assumed it would be done inboxes, which again, I knew my insurance would cover.  So:rejection #3: I consented to an in-house lab test, which, due to Barton's lack of communication and transparency, was done off-site without my knowledge or permission. Had they been forthcoming regarding their procedures, I would not have agreed to it. Barton has my phone number, my address, and my email. They could have notified me of any changes in location and could have asked me to approve bio-material transfer and billing changes. They did not and the result was labwork being done in a facility I did not approve of, which to me signifies a violation of privacy.

We are sorry the person filing this complaint had a negative experience with Barton Health System. It is our goal to provide consistently exceptional care and ensure our practices are honest and equitable. Barton Health consists of multiple outpatient offices as well as a hospital. When any...

Barton medical provider orders lab work for patients, the lab work is typically performed at the lab within the hospital, as our outpatient facilities do not have their own labs. Lab work is not billed as a hospital visit, but billed at a charge rate determined by the first of every year. The charges do not vary based on which of our facilities ordered them. The charges for lab work are competitive with other healthcare systems in the area. Whether insurance covers the costs and how much they cover is specific to each person’s insurance plan and where the person is on meeting their deductible. With high deductibles, patients are having to pay increased out-of-pocket costs based on the insurance plans they have chosen. Patients do sign a consent form agreeing to pay for the medical treatment they receive from the health system and acknowledge they are responsible for knowing what their health insurance plan covers. Barton understands healthcare can be expensive and offers various programs to reduce cost barriers including monthly wellness lab draws through a monthly health fair program offering discounted wellness labs, point of service discounts on various procedures, and discounts on out of pocket costs with prompt pay. Additionally, our financial assistance program continues to assist community members. To discuss lab bills and financial assistance please contact our customer service department at [redacted]. Thank you,[redacted]Manager of Patient Financial ServicesEpic HB & SBO Credentialed trainerBarton Memorial HospitalPh: [redacted]Fax: [redacted]@bartonhealth.orgwww.bartonhealth.org