Professional Medical Copy

I am rejecting this response because: I was not informed that there would be any fee for the record transfer, nor that a third party would be processing the record transfer at cost to meThis bill is a violation of my right to informed consentI cannot be legally held accountable for this bill, regardless of what this company claimsDespite the runaround that [redacted] gave me over the phone about HIPAA, HIPAA does not deprive me of my legal right to informed consent or give this company the right to charge me for a service that I neither knew about nor consented toI did not know [redacted] was contracting with this company for ROI department services, and I did not give [redacted] my consent to utilize a third party in this matter, or to be charged for their servicesIn fact, I expressly and repeatedly told the clinic staff that I would not accept any services or treatment for which I personally would be billed, and that I would only accept services or treatment which would be covered by [redacted] , at no cost to meThey have at all times verbally agreed not to offer me any services or treatments for which I would personally be billed, including when the receptionist handed me the authorization formIf I had known or even thought there would be a fee for the transfer, I never would have signed the form I did not consent to this third party service or agree to be billed for it, nor did I consent to [redacted] submitting a request to this company for services on my behalfNowhere did I sign any document to give my consent for a third party service or consent to financial responsibility for itTheir services were not mentioned in the document I signed, nor did the document mention any financial responsibility on my partThe only thing I authorized was disclosure of information from my health record, as the document itself showsThe only disclosing party mentioned in the document is [redacted] ***No third party of transfer is mentioned anywhere in the document, nor any obligation of payment on my partNothing on the back of the document states that a third party will be utilized, or that I will be obligated to pay a feeBoth sides of this specific authorization form can be found here: [redacted] This company's business transaction is with the clinic, not with meI did not sign any contract that specifically states my financial obligation to themI will not be paying this bill, nor will I accept any more harassment from Professional Medical CopyI will likewise not be seeking treatment from [redacted] again

Professional Medical Copy is contracted with & a business associate of the doctors office where the records were copied from Cascade Medical CenterPMC is licensed, bonded and insured professional photocopy service in accordance with the Business & Professions Code Section 22451, which was also notified to the requesting facility Visalia Medical CenterThe records for the patients [redacted] were copied and transferred as requested on the signed authorizations they completedI have informed the patients of this information as well when they contacted our officeWe did note the financial hardship although the work was completed as requested and the invoices standPlease contact me if you need any further explanation I would be more than happy to assist you, [redacted]

[redacted] requested the transfer of medical records from [redacted] to be sent to [redacted] - Red BluffProfessional Medical Copy is a third party copy service that is contracted and holds a business agreement with [redacted] whom acts on their behalf as the ROI (Release of Information) departmentProfessional Medical Copy employees a person in the facility of [redacted] to process and release medical authorizations and requests of records transferWe are also the ROI department acting in the same manner on behalf of [redacted] as wellThat being said the patient would not have been informed that there would be no charge as both facilities are contracted with us and know the charge for our servicesProfessional Medical Copy processed the release of records for patient [redacted] under the guidelines of the CA Health and Safety Code stating section (b) Additionally, any patient or patient's representative shall be entitled to copies of all or any portion of the patient records that he or she has a right to inspect, upon presenting a written request to the health care provider specifying the records to be copied, together with a fee to defray the cost of copying, that shall not exceed twenty-five cents ($0.25) per page or fifty cents ($0.50) per page for records that are copied from microfilm and any additional reasonable clerical costs incurred in making the records availableThe health care provider shall ensure that the copies are transmitted within days after receiving the written requestAdditionally [redacted] signed the release of records on 04/20/the request was received by the ROI department at [redacted] on 04/24/and records were imported in the EMR portal of [redacted] on 05/04/Attached is the signed release by patient [redacted] , please let me know if you have any further questions

Professional Medical Copy is contracted with & a business associate of the doctors office where the records were copied from Cascade Medical Center. PMC is licensed, bonded and insured professional photocopy service in accordance with the Business & Professions Code Section 22451, which was also notified to the requesting facility Visalia Medical Center. The records for the patients [redacted] were copied and transferred as requested on the signed authorizations they completed. I have informed the patients of this information as well when they contacted our office. We did note the financial hardship although the work was completed as requested and the invoices stand. Please contact me if you need any further explanation I would be more than happy to assist you, [redacted].

[redacted] requested the transfer of medical records from [redacted] to be sent to [redacted]- Red Bluff. Professional Medical Copy is a third party copy service that is contracted and holds a business agreement with [redacted] whom acts on their behalf as the ROI...

(Release of Information) department. Professional Medical Copy employees a person in the facility of [redacted] to process and release medical authorizations and requests of records transfer. We are also the ROI department acting in the same manner on behalf of [redacted] as well. That being said the patient would not have been informed that there would be no charge as both facilities are contracted with us and know the charge for our services. Professional Medical Copy processed the release of records for patient [redacted] under the guidelines of the CA Health and Safety Code 123110 stating section (b) Additionally, any patient or patient's representative shall be entitled to copies of all or any portion of the patient records that he or she has a right to inspect, upon presenting a written request to the health care provider specifying the records to be copied, together with a fee to defray the cost of copying, that shall not exceed twenty-five cents ($0.25) per page or fifty cents ($0.50) per page for records that are copied from microfilm and any additional reasonable clerical costs incurred in making the records available. The health care provider shall ensure that the copies are transmitted within 15 days after receiving the written request. Additionally [redacted] signed the release of records on 04/20/2015 the request was received by the ROI department at [redacted] on 04/24/2015 and records were imported in the EMR portal of [redacted] on 05/04/2015. Attached is the signed release by patient [redacted], please let me know if you have any further questions.

I am rejecting this response because: I was not informed that there would be any fee for the record transfer, nor that a third party would be processing the record transfer at cost to me. This bill is a violation of my right to informed consent. I cannot be legally held accountable for this bill, regardless of what this company claims. Despite the runaround that [redacted] gave me over the phone about HIPAA, HIPAA does not deprive me of my legal right to informed consent or give this company the right to charge me for a service that I neither knew about nor consented to. I did not know [redacted] was contracting with this company for ROI department services, and I did not give [redacted] my consent to utilize a third party in this matter, or to be charged for their services. In fact, I expressly and repeatedly told the clinic staff that I would not accept any services or treatment for which I personally would be billed, and that I would only accept services or treatment which would be covered by [redacted], at no cost to me. They have at all times verbally agreed not to offer me any services or treatments for which I would personally be billed, including when the receptionist handed me the authorization form. If I had known or even thought there would be a fee for the transfer, I never would have signed the form.  I did not consent to this third party service or agree to be billed for it, nor did I consent to [redacted] submitting a request to this company for services on my behalf. Nowhere did I sign any document to give my consent for a third party service or consent to financial responsibility for it. Their services were not mentioned in the document I signed, nor did the document mention any financial responsibility on my part. The only thing I authorized was disclosure of information from my health record, as the document itself shows. The only disclosing party mentioned in the document is [redacted]. No third party of transfer is mentioned anywhere in the document, nor any obligation of payment on my part. Nothing on the back of the document states that a third party will be utilized, or that I will be obligated to pay a fee. Both sides of this specific authorization form can be found here:[redacted]This company's business transaction is with the clinic, not with me. I did not sign any contract that specifically states my financial obligation to them. I will not be paying this bill, nor will I accept any more harassment from Professional Medical Copy. I will likewise not be seeking treatment from [redacted] again.

Professional Medical Copy is contracted with & a business associate of the doctors office where the records were copied from Cascade Medical Center. PMC is licensed, bonded and insured professional photocopy service in accordance with the Business & Professions Code Section 22451, which was...

also notified to the requesting facility Visalia Medical Center. The records for the patients [redacted] were copied and transferred as requested on the signed authorizations they completed. I have informed the patients of this information as well when they contacted our office. We did note the financial hardship although the work was completed as requested and the invoices stand. Please contact me if you need any further explanation I would be more than happy to assist you, [redacted].

Review: My Dermatologist at [redacted] requested my medical records from [redacted]. I told them that I would not consent to any services that required any payment from me, as I am on Medi-Cal with zero copay. I was not informed by them that there would be any cost to me for the transfer of records, so I signed the release form.On 6/12/15 I received a bill from Professional Medical Copy for $37.20. The service for which I was being billed occurred on 5/4/15, and the date of the statement was 5/31/15. The bill was marked in bold red print, "past due - please pay". At the bottom is a note saying that all accounts with a balance over 30 days are subjected to a $25 late fee and minimum finance charges of 18% APR. I never received any prior, timely notification of a bill from this company, nor did I at any time consent to a paid service from them.I called and talked to a [redacted], as instructed on the bill if I had any questions. She gave me some sort of runaround about some official policy that said that no one had the obligation to inform me that I was to be billed for this service, but that the clinic could have informed me (although they didn't). I have a right to be informed of any debt I will owe for any service provided me before the service is provided, and a right to consent or refuse that service. I made it clear on several occasions to the clinic that I did not consent to any service for which I would be personally charged, and that I only approved and consented to services that would be covered by Medi-Cal. That right to refuse any service for which I must pay has been violated by [redacted], by [redacted], and by Professional Medical Copay.I did not consent to this third party service, nor was I informed that Professional Medical Copay would be providing it, nor was I informed that they would be providing it at cost to me.Desired Settlement: I want the business to waive this bill. I do not want any further contact from them or any collection agency in regards to this bill. I do not want them to report it to any credit reporting agency.

Business

Response:

[redacted] requested the transfer of medical records from [redacted] to be sent to [redacted]- Red Bluff. Professional Medical Copy is a third party copy service that is contracted and holds a business agreement with [redacted] whom acts on their behalf as the ROI (Release of Information) department. Professional Medical Copy employees a person in the facility of [redacted] to process and release medical authorizations and requests of records transfer. We are also the ROI department acting in the same manner on behalf of [redacted] as well. That being said the patient would not have been informed that there would be no charge as both facilities are contracted with us and know the charge for our services. Professional Medical Copy processed the release of records for patient [redacted] under the guidelines of the CA Health and Safety Code 123110 stating section (b) Additionally, any patient or patient's representative shall be entitled to copies of all or any portion of the patient records that he or she has a right to inspect, upon presenting a written request to the health care provider specifying the records to be copied, together with a fee to defray the cost of copying, that shall not exceed twenty-five cents ($0.25) per page or fifty cents ($0.50) per page for records that are copied from microfilm and any additional reasonable clerical costs incurred in making the records available. The health care provider shall ensure that the copies are transmitted within 15 days after receiving the written request. Additionally [redacted] signed the release of records on 04/20/2015 the request was received by the ROI department at [redacted] on 04/24/2015 and records were imported in the EMR portal of [redacted] on 05/04/2015. Attached is the signed release by patient [redacted], please let me know if you have any further questions.

Consumer

Response:

I am rejecting this response because: I was not informed that there would be any fee for the record transfer, nor that a third party would be processing the record transfer at cost to me. This bill is a violation of my right to informed consent. I cannot be legally held accountable for this bill, regardless of what this company claims.

Review: To Whom It May Concern:

This letter is a formal protest regarding how our medical records were copied by Professional Medical Copy without our consent or authorization, and the further disputing of the subsequent collection activities of [redacted] on their behalf.

On May 4, 2013, [redacted]'s father passed away in Visialia, Ca. So, at the end of April, 2014, [redacted] and I made a life changing decision to leave our home of 13 years in Cottonwood, CA, and move to the Visalia are to be caretakers for [redacted]'s ailing mom. We lost our home to a Deed in Lieu back to the mortgage holder, we lost our 830 credit score, we left our many friends and family, left my part time job, incurred a huge debt for the move, and we left the trusted doctors that were taking care of [redacted] and her many medical issues. This was a true hardship on us both emotionally and financially.

When we finally found a doctor at the Visalia Medical Clinic, they requested that our medical records from Cascade medical Center, Debra Hartig, R.N, N.P., be sent to them for their files, Our understanding was that our records would be sent electronically or copied by Cascade Family Medical Center as a courtesy from doctor to doctor. Then, In June of 2014, we received a letter from Professional Medical Copy stating that they completed processing the copying of our medical records and requested payment of$56.77 for [redacted] and $172.87 for [redacted]. This didn't sound right to us, so I contacted Professional Medical Copy and spoke to an employee there and explained that we didn't have the finances to pay these bills due to the financial hardship that we were continually experiencing. She listened to my explanation and told me that she would check with her supervisor and call me back. I never heard from her again and figured that this employee had taken care of the matter. At no time during our conversation were any payment arrangements offered or agreed to by either of us.

Then, to our surprise, early this month in Feb., 2015, we received a phone call from the collection agency of [redacted]. I explained to their supervisor my contact and conversation with Professional Medical Copy and was basically informed that they couldn't do anything and there was nothing that they could do to help us. A couple of days later, we received a bill in the mail from [redacted] for $188.28 for [redacted] and $66.49 for [redacted].Desired Settlement: The following is our final position on this matter. We had Visalia Medical Clinic request copies of our medical records from Cascade Family Medical Center, [redacted]We now understand that a few doctors feel they may charge a fee for making copies of medical records, but that is not the norm. However, we were never contacted by cascade either by phone or in writing for our permission for them to allow our confidential private medical records to be seen or copied by a third party professional medical copy. We fell that our medical records privacy rights were violated according to the HIPPA Privacy Rules. Therefore, the expenses and charges for the unauthorized copying of our medical records incurred by Professional Medical Copy, are invalid and unfortunately non collectible. We also formally dispute these charges that were sent to the collection agency of [redacted] and request that these charges be eliminated from any further collection process.

We also feel that someone in this matter should be held responsible for the unauthorized copying of our private medical records and violation of the HIPPA privacy rules so that this will not happen to any other future patients.

Sincerely,

Michael and Pamela Warner

Business

Response:

Professional Medical Copy is contracted with & a business associate of the doctors office where the records were copied from Cascade Medical Center. PMC is licensed, bonded and insured professional photocopy service in accordance with the Business & Professions Code Section 22451, which was also notified to the requesting facility Visalia Medical Center. The records for the patients [redacted] were copied and transferred as requested on the signed authorizations they completed. I have informed the patients of this information as well when they contacted our office. We did note the financial hardship although the work was completed as requested and the invoices stand. Please contact me if you need any further explanation I would be more than happy to assist you, [redacted].

Business

Response:

Professional Medical Copy is contracted with & a business associate of the doctors office where the records were copied from Cascade Medical Center. PMC is licensed, bonded and insured professional photocopy service in accordance with the Business & Professions Code Section 22451, which was also notified to the requesting facility Visalia Medical Center. The records for the patients [redacted] were copied and transferred as requested on the signed authorizations they completed. I have informed the patients of this information as well when they contacted our office. We did note the financial hardship although the work was completed as requested and the invoices stand. Please contact me if you need any further explanation I would be more than happy to assist you, [redacted].