Palm Tree Pediatrics

I would like to address the complaint filed by Jenna A [redacted] ,complaint ID [redacted] . Our timeline of events and decision is as follows: Dr. B [redacted] was called to Banner Del Webb to perform a circumcision on the Baby Boy Meeker on 12/12/14. The operation was performed in the hospital with the consent of the mother. It is routine and the protocol is for the hospitals to advise patients,their parents or Guardians that providers bill separately from the hospital. The mother understood that we would bill her insurance and she would receive an explanation of benefits from her insurance after the claim was processed. In this instance, Dr. B [redacted] received the demographic and insurance information from the hospital as is protocol for all service providers,which she sent to me for billing purposes. We billed the insurance from the data on the demographic face sheet. The claim was processed in January of 2015. We sent statements to the patient as is our protocol after the insurance processed the claims and indicated that the mother was responsible for a balance. The insurance must have also sent an explanation of benefits to the mother indicating that they were responsible for a balance. She must have ignored the statement from the insurance that indicated that she had an outstanding bill with Dr. B [redacted] . We sent this particular mother 11statements with a series of notes on each one asking for payment or a phone call to set up a payment plan. We didn't receive any of the statements back in return mail. That would indicate to us that the statements were received by someone. We made a single phone call to the mother to request again that a payment or payment plan be made. We had no other recourse but to send the accounts to collection since no payment was made. The mother stated that the address that the hospital had was one from 31years prior and that was an address given to Banner Thunderbird hospital. She would suggest that Banner Thunderbird hospital had taken the address that her mother gave them when she was born and randomly put it on her chart without asking if that was the correct address.This is impossible. The laws that the hospital has to abide by require that they receive a new signature from a patient every time they present/go to the hospital. They would not assume that the address from a different hospital from 31years ago was correct. It would not have even been attached to this mother or patient. As a matter of fact,the hospital would not even have the demographic information from 31years ago because the chances that they had the same computer system from 31years ago that stored demographic data are very unlikely. This hospital has changed ownership at least 2 times since this mother was born. They would not have made this kind of mistake. Every time a patient is hospitalized the hospital asks that you fill out new demographic data and sign that it is correct. This mother would have had to give her current information. To do otherwise,that is give false information,including the correct current address, would have been fraudulent. We would not have been able to bill her insurance if she did not give the information and consent to bill. It is just not reasonable to suggest that the hospital or Dr. B [redacted] was at fault on the address mix up. When Dr. B [redacted] spoke with the mother she stated that the baby's circumcision was done very well and that she was satisfied with the outcome. This mother also stated to my account representative that she had experienced this kind of mix up twice the week that she contacted us. This would indicate to me that we are not the only provider that had trouble collecting from this mother. She stated in her letter to you that she didn't have any other problems getting her bills. This contradicts what she told us. I will not address the other statements she put in her letter to you because they are not relevant to this situation. Our collection agency charges a fee when they handle an account and that fee is the responsibility of the mother. We have accrued costs in trying to collect the balance from the mother and will not write off the collection fee or remove her from collection. We incur so many costs in billing insurances and patients who frankly just ignore their responsibilities. We will not be bullied by this mother's threats.She will remain in collection and will be responsible for the fee until she pays it in full.This mother is using the BBB to threaten a provider that performed a valuable service to her and her child.

Dear Reader,Please consider this an official acknowledgement of your e-mail. We are in the midst of a busy back to school season. I would like to ask for more time to allow my biller and other agencies involved to respond robustly to this complaint. Kindly confirm receipt of this response and the...

requested extension. Thank you.Tinuola B[redacted], MD

I would like to address the complaint filed by Jenna A[redacted],complaint ID [redacted]. Our timeline of events and decision is as follows: Dr. B[redacted] was called to Banner Del Webb to perform a circumcision on the Baby Boy Meeker on 12/12/14. The operation was performed in the hospital with the consent of the mother. It is routine and the protocol is for the hospitals to advise patients,their parents or Guardians that providers bill separately from the hospital. The mother understood that we would bill her insurance and she would receive an explanation of benefits from her insurance after the claim was processed. In this instance, Dr. B[redacted] received the demographic and insurance information from the hospital as is protocol for all service providers,which she sent to me for billing purposes. We billed the insurance from the data on the demographic face sheet. The claim was processed in January of 2015. We sent statements to the patient as is our protocol after the insurance processed the claims and indicated that the mother was responsible for a balance. The insurance must have also sent an explanation of benefits to the mother indicating that they were responsible for a balance. She must have ignored the statement from the insurance that indicated that she had an outstanding bill with Dr. B[redacted]. We sent this particular mother 11statements with a series of notes on each one asking for payment or a phone call to set up a payment plan. We didn't receive any of the statements back in return mail. That would indicate to us that the statements were received by someone. We made a single phone call to the mother to request again that a payment or payment plan be made. We had no other recourse but to send the accounts to collection since no payment was made. The mother stated that the address that the hospital had was one from 31years prior and that was an address given to Banner Thunderbird hospital. She would suggest that Banner Thunderbird hospital had taken the address that her mother gave them when she was born and randomly put it on her chart without asking if that was the correct address.This is impossible. The laws that the hospital has to abide by require that they receive a new signature from a patient every time they present/go to the hospital. They would not assume that the address from a different hospital from 31years ago was correct. It would not have even been attached to this mother or patient. As a matter of fact,the hospital would not even have the demographic information from 31years ago because the chances that they had the same computer system from 31years ago that stored demographic data are very unlikely. This hospital has changed ownership at least 2 times since this mother was born. They would not have made this kind of mistake. Every time a patient is hospitalized the hospital asks that you fill out new demographic data and sign that it is correct. This mother would have had to give her current information. To do otherwise,that is give false information,including the correct current address, would have been fraudulent. We would not have been able to bill her insurance if she did not give the information and consent to bill. It is just not reasonable to suggest that the hospital or Dr. B[redacted] was at fault on the address mix up. When Dr. B[redacted] spoke with the mother she stated that the baby's circumcision was done very well and that she was satisfied with the outcome. This mother also stated to my account representative that she had experienced this kind of mix up twice the week that she contacted us. This would indicate to me that we are not the only provider that had trouble collecting from this mother. She stated in her letter to you that she didn't have any other problems getting her bills. This contradicts what she told us. I will not address the other statements she put in her letter to you because they are not relevant to this situation. Our collection agency charges a fee when they handle an account and that fee is the responsibility of the mother. We have accrued costs in trying to collect the balance from the mother and will not write off the collection fee or remove her from collection. We incur so many costs in billing insurances and patients who frankly just ignore their responsibilities. We will not be bullied by this mother's threats.She will remain in collection and will be responsible for the fee until she pays it in full.This mother is using the Revdex.com to threaten a provider that performed a valuable service to her and her child.