Renown Health

Renown is our GP provider, my wife had to use their Urggent Care at the N. Hills location. Two months later she gets a bill for the full amount. I have Blue Cross / Blue Shield and they take this insurance. Find out, they hire doctors who don't and they don't tell the patinet! The clinic is covered, the doctor is not!. If this isn't deceiving patinets, what is? There isn't any signs that warn you that you might be billed full price. The Manager at North Hills just told my woife, you need to call and see what doctor is working and then check with your insurance company...WHAT. Does that not go against what an urgent care is for? I guess we clog up emergency rooms since I know we are covered there. HORRIBLE practice

My attempts to schedule an MRI have been very frustrating. I called today five times with wait times exceeding 20 minutes. Never made a connection. Why can't Renown provide a call back option like Reno Orthopedic? Terrible patient experience.

I have been with renown Doctors for over 10 years but as far as the pain management goes , once they can't make money off you anymore they'll send you off to another Doctor, who was worse than the one you already had. I was going to have surgery which was cancelled because she needed to be observed because she was new to renown. She was practicing medicine. Then when they approved her to do the surgery forgot to bill the insurance for the procedure. How do you call a renown Doctor a Doctor when they need to be observed by Renown.?

I was approached by Renown to do a upcoming Cardiology visit by telemedicine.

This is how it worked. I was in a room in their Fernley Nevada facility. The cardiologists was in his office in another town. The encounter went just fine just as if you were sitting in the office. I have no complaint at all with the encounter.

At the time of the encounter in Fernley I paid my copay here as I expected to do. About 30 days later I got a bill from renowned for a second copay for the office visit with the cardiologist which of course obviously I was never in an office with the cardiologist. I talked to Renown billing and after they scurried around quite a while trying to figure it out ,didn't make any sense to the people was talking to either, they said, oh yeah that's right that's the way it works. You have to pay two co-pays to use telemedicine.

No one ever suggested to me for a moment that I would be charged twice for this visit. Needless to say I will never use Renown Telemedicine and I hope this gives you a heads-up before you walk into the same kind of a billing land mine.

This review pertains to medical records. I am now in my third week trying to shake loose my behavioral health records from Renown. Regular medical records you can get the same day. They are making this ridiculously difficult, complaints to the website go in answered, and the person that was supposed to call me never did. It was pulling teeth to get a number that would indirectly get me to her. They need to fix their process unless they are trying to send behavioral health patients over the edge so they can make more money treating them.

Medical records contain errors, but patients cannot correct medical records in Nevada. They may file a complaint with the Nevada Medical Examiner(NME), but no one can force a doctor to correct their errors.
You may be able to add an amendment if the Medical Provider, such as Renown, consents. Below is an account about a patient who we shall call Billy.
A Renown doctor diagnosed Billy with ‘Alcohol Abuse’ based on a thirty-second conversation. Billy later discovered the diagnoses in his medical records and complained. He received no relief. He filed a complaint with the NME. The patient also submitted the following questions (abridged here) to Renown. We shall call the doctor, Dr. Wise.
“How did Dr. Wise establish that Billy Abused Alcohol?
Did she ask if Billy used alcohol that day or that week or that month or that year? No. Did she ask him if has ever been in an AA program? No.
Did she refer Billy to an addiction specialist? No.
Did she order a urine test? No.
(See medical alcohol abuse definition below*.) Billy does not binge*. Billy does not use alcohol to an excess*. Billy does not use it illegally*. Billy is not a child nor underage. Billy is not a pregnant woman*. Alcohol has not damaged Billy’s health, nor has it caused his death*.
*Definition of Alcohol abuse:
“Use of alcoholic beverages to excess, either on individual occasions (binge drinking) or as a regular practice. For some individuals, children or pregnant women, for example, almost any amount of alcohol use may be legally considered alcohol abuse. Heavy alcohol abuse can cause physical damage and death.”
Did Dr. Wise ask questions to determine if Billy met the medical parameters of Alcohol Abuse or give Billy a standardized MAST assessment? No. Billy does not consume alcohol, period! He drinks non-alcohol wine at social gatherings.
Labeling a person as an Alcohol Abuser should not be done flippantly nor secretly. It could have serious consequences such as being denied to adopt a child, or being denied a security clearance, or being judged an unreliable court witness. If Renown’s digital records were ever hacked, patients could even be blackmailed.
Renown must educate their doctors to properly test and diagnose patients before labeling them Alcohol Abusers. The patient should always be referred to a qualified specialist to diagnose and treat the patient.
Denying service? A man phoned Billy stating he was the manager of Renown’s Los Altos PKWY facility. He stated that if Billy filed a complaint with the NME that no one at the Los Altos office would be willing to provide medical care to him.
How would the employees at the Los Altos PKWY facility know that Billy filed a complaint with the NME unless either Dr. Wise or the manager told them? If the employees were informed that Billy filed a complaint, Billy’s privacy rights will have been violated. Billy’s choice of medical care is at the Los Altos PKWY facility. Asking to have medical records corrected is his RIGHT!
Dr. Wise’s failure to order medical treatment or to prescribe prescriptions like Disulfiram, Campral or Naltrexone, suggests she was blasé about her diagnoses. (Did Dr. Wise ask about deadly Opioid use? Nope! Why not?!)
Some doctors believe a drink after work is not only abuse, but it is also a sin. Not having a drink, but wanting one, is also abuse. Your Medical records are at the mercy of your doctor who has total control. The NME should have authority to order corrections. An erroneous digital record of ‘Alcohol Abuse’ remains forever. Renown will not delete medical record even after the person dies. Everyone should immediately obtain and check their records!
Billy saw another doctor on January 31st, for a second opinion. That doctor questioned Billy and ordered a comprehensive drug and alcohol test. Test results were received on Feb. 6, 2018:
" … I have reviewed the results and there were no findings of alcohol or any drugs. I will take off the listing of alcohol abuse from your chart. I am sorry for any inconvenience that this has caused. (signed by reviewing doctor.” End of doctor’s reply.
Consider this excerpt: Moderate alcohol consumption, according to the 2015–2020 Dietary Guidelines, is up to 1 drink per day for women and up to 2 drinks per day for men. Moderate alcohol consumption is beneficial, i.e., decreased risk for heart disease, decreased risk of ischemic stroke, and decreased risk of diabetes. (Up to 70% of adults have consumed alcohol. Are they all alcoholics?) Note: As of Feb. 8, 2018 the incorrect diagnoses of “Alcohol Abuse” still appears on Billy’s medical history.

Was grossly overcharged for medication not provided by Renown that was needed for surgery. Medication was provided by ENT doctor.My son had tubes put into his ears by our ENT at Renown. 2 days prior to surgery the ENT gave us a prescription for ear drops (which we paid $30 for) and we were told to bring them to Renown on the day of surgery. Drops were checked in with the nurse when we arrived there. 14 months later when Renown finally bills us, we find they are charging us $770 for the drops. Line item on the bill is for the bottle, not the administration of the bottle either. For one, this is fraud as they are billing us for something we paid for and were ordered to bring to surgery. Two, the non-insurance price for these drops is $80 to $100 so they are trying to bill at a 700% markup.I contacted the billing department and after waiting 3 weeks for a response, I called and was told to "contact the Governor's office" if I had an issue with it and the bill would stand.Desired SettlementRemove the $770 charge from my bill.Business Response I am reviewing this account. I am removing the charge for the Drops. I will contact the patients father to advise as well. As I have been speaking to him on this account.

I was approached by Renown to do a upcoming Cardiology visit by telemedicine.
This is how it worked. I was in a room in their Fernley Nevada facility. The cardiologists was in his office in another town. The encounter went just fine just as if you were sitting in the office. I have no complaint at all with the encounter.
At the time of the encounter in Fernley I paid my copay here as I expected to do. About 30 days later I got a bill from renowned for a second copay for the office visit with the cardiologist which of course obviously I was never in an office with the cardiologist. I talked to Renown billing and after they scurried around quite a while trying to figure it out ,didn't make any sense to the people was talking to either, they said, oh yeah that's right that's the way it works. You have to pay two co-pays to use telemedicine.
No one ever suggested to me for a moment that I would be charged twice for this visit. Needless to say I will never use Renown Telemedicine and I hope this gives you a heads-up before you walk into the same kind of a billing land mine.","neg-1

In 2012, I visited this office every month for the same acupuncture treatment. They incorrectly billed my insurance for some months and I've been trying to straighten it out for over a year. This bill has now been sent to a collection agency. I've been working with their office manager, [redacted], to get this resolved. She has resolved a few dates of service, but I still have two dates of service to be handled. She will not call me back, even though I've left over 13 messages in the last few months. Occasionally, she takes my call, but rarely and now I can't wait to get this resolved or it will affect my credit. She has assured me multiple times that she is getting these charges waived/reversed, but they are still on my account. I've also tried to get this resolved through other means at Renown, but the billing department tells me that the doctor's office has to handle this, I left a message for a patient advocate, [redacted] (not returned), and the Business Development Manager, [redacted] (not returned), and am out of options.Product_Or_Service: Medical acupunctureAccount_Number: Acct #[redacted]Desired SettlementCharges reversed, account cleared at collection agency ([redacted]) including any fees/charges.Business Response I have pulled these accounts from collections I will do further research and get a more detailed response just wanted to give an update on this. Thank you!Consumer Response (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)Although the account has been pulled back from the collection agency, the issue is still not resolved. I did receive a call from [redacted] last week that they are working on it.Final Business Response Due to the issues and age of the accounts we have adjusted off balances for the patient. We have contacted the patient to advise.

My office visit was erroneously billed as an illness visit when it should have been billed as a preventative care visit.I visited the office located on Double R. Boulevard on September 25, 2015. When I had scheduled the appointment, I told the person on the phone that the reason for my visit was a PREVENTATIVE CARE ROUTINE CHECK UP. During my office visit, [redacted] asked typical questions regarding my family history and general health. She asked me if I had any issues I wanted to talk about and thinking that this was standard procedure as I was a new patient, I discussed my issues. She then ordered bloodwork and prescribed me medicated for the stated medical issue. After I received my outrageous bill that should have been 100 percent covered my insurance if it was billed correctly, I inquired why the visit was billed as an illness visit rather than a preventative care visit as I was not sick. She said because we had discussed health issues it was to be billed as an illness visit. I feel that her asking me if I had any health concerns so that the visit could be billed for both an illness visit AND preventative visit is extremely dishonest and greedy of both [redacted] and Renown Health as a whole. Desired SettlementFor this visit to be billed as a preventative care visit, rather than an illness visit.Business Response Contact Name and Title: [redacted]Contact Phone:[redacted]Contact Email: [redacted]I am looking into this account and I will do anything that I can to help. I will keep you posted on the status. Thank you!Please feel free to contact me in the meantime if you have any questions. Thank you again!Final Business Response I did review the account. This was billed as a new patient visit. These are not consisdered preventative visits. These do bill out at a higher rate as the appointment is longer than a preventative visit or a follow up. Unfortunalty this is not something that we can change as far as coding is concerned. A new patient visit is to establish care and have the doctor address your concerns. For the preventative you must establish care first. Please feel free to contact me if you have any further questions. I am more than happy to assist in any way that I can.

Charged almost 800.00 to put over the counter bandaids on unhealing wounds on hand.Three visits to the Wound Care Center resulted in bandaids/bandages that are readily available over the counter at the local pharmacy. The wounds did not improve at all, and at the third visit, the medical staff concluded that nothing could be done for the wound except wait for it to heal.Not only has the wound gotten worse, but this institution charged me almost 800.00 to put over the counter bandaids on these serious wounds.Desired SettlementRefund the money for these visits.Business Response Contact Name and Title: [redacted] ManagerContact Phone: 775-982-3071Contact Email: [redacted], I am having a hard time finding your accounts. Can you please contact me so I can get more information to have these reviewed?Consumer Response (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)This is a request for more information, not a response. I will call and give them the desired information, but obviously cannot accept this as a response.Final Business Response I will respond directly to the complaint once I can get more information to review. I truly apperciate your cooperation. I understand that this is not what you wanted in a response, but I really need to get more information to review. I have no account information to look at. Please contact me so I can get more details. Final Consumer Response (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)Although I appreciate Renown looking into the complaint, I believe the overcharges and ineffective treatment should be addressed. The Wound Care Center should redirect patients that it cannot help instead of charging excessive fees for ineffective, OTC remedies.

Complaint[redacted]. did not inform us that he is not on contract with [redacted] for the [redacted]. As a result, my husband, [redacted], and I assumed that we would just have to pay a $45 copay each and that's it. The date of service for both was on 5/24/2016. As a result, our insurance denied [redacted] claims because he is an out-of-network doctor and resulted in us each having to pay a total of $222 each ($444 total). We believe they should've warned us that they do not accept our particular plan and therefore give us the right to look elsewhere for a doctor who does. Not just let us through and then we find out he's out-of-network!Product_Or_Service: doctor visitAccount_Number: claims [redacted]Desired SettlementWe would like the bill to be revoked and a refund of, at least, the $100 I already paid towards our bills. An additional sign of good faith would be a refund of the $90 in copayment, but not required since that's what we assumed to be the case all along.I currently have bills for the remainder due on August 1. I will not pay until I hear from you about this complaint.Note that a credit of $100 towards a future doctor visit will not suffice because we will not be seeing [redacted] again.Business Response Contact Name and Title: [redacted] ManagerContact Phone: 775-982-3071Contact Email: [redacted]I applogize for the inconvienince on your accounts and your husbands accountsd. My Name is [redacted] and I am going to do all that I can to resolve you concerns. I am currently reviewing the accounts and will respond again soon. Please call me if you haqve any questions or need anything at all. 775-982-3071Consumer Response (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)I can't answer either way, really. She's still working on it.Final Business Response Thank you, as soon as I have a better answer I will let you know. We are reprocessing the accounts with the insurance and will let you know as soon as they are done. Final Consumer Response (The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.)She's working on it.

I had several hemorrhagic strokes in 2013, 2014, & 2015 requiring hospitalization, ambulance transport, ER visits, MRI's, confinement in 2 stroke rehabilitation facilities, leg braces, lab work, cardiology visits, neurology visits, and primary doctor visits. The amount owed, after insurance discounts, is still huge.In addition I still have a mortgage and other bills to pay.I am home alone most of the time , am unable to drive due to stroke and vision problems ( need to get cataract surgeries for both eyes soon) and am totally overwhelmed. I am trying to get a job from home but that is extremely hard since in addition to vision problems, I have problems typing (what I think of in my brain is not necessarily what types out on the screen so I often have to redo it), and I sometimes slur.....all due to my multiple strokes .I told Renown several years ago when I got the huge bills that there probably were billing errors since some of the doctors mentioned were unknown to me, and sometimes multiple bills for the same time period for multiple doctors were sent to me. I repeatedly asked for help but got none. They just sent the bill and said I had to speak to the nurse on call at that time to find out the details....and shifted the responsibility to me, which was almost impossible to do, as sick as I was and as impossible it is to connect to a Renown nurse.The current Billing Supervisor Amanda was nice enough to ask this possible double billing to be reviewed by the nurse and thankfully did not make me responsible for doing that.I joined a nationwide company that helps negotiate for patient bills and was told , after they contacted Renown, that I could have a 50% settlement for a 2013 bill that was still unpaid. I paid part of it on 3/25.The Billing Supervisor, Amanda, said I could have a 2014 settlement but only if paid by 3/31/2016...3 days away. My monthly payment to Renown increased from $60/mo to $150/mo which is very difficult for me. Please help me!Desired Settlementwrite off some of the bills, extend settlement date, give me more time to allow me to get a job from home somehow despite my current blindness and stroke so paying the bills will not be such a hardship. I have 2 cataract surgeries on 4/12 & 4/26...which will further increase my bills. I alsoneed to get a caregiver (a huge expense) since I am home alone most days, which is not recommended due to my disabilities. I am beyond overwhelmed. Please help!Business Response Contact Name and Title: [redacted] ManagerContact Phone: [redacted]Contact Email: [redacted]Dear [redacted], I will have all of your bills reviewed and see if there is anything that we can do to get assitance for you on thesse. I will keep in touch with you and let you know what the status is. Please feel free to contact me at anytime.

I have been pursuing Renown since November of 2015, trying to get the money back that they owe me ($171).I have been pursuing Renown since November of 2015, trying to get the money back that they owe me. They have had a negative balance of about $171.00 on one of my accounts. I contacted Renown in November and December of 2015 asking them to please process the credit so I can receive my refund. They told me both times that it would take up to two weeks to process the refund, but that I could expect a check for the refund within a 3 week period. I called back in June of 2016 because I still hadn't received a refund of the money they owed me. I was told that they didn't have any notes on me calling previously regarding this matter, and the refund was never processed. The Renown billing rep confirmed that I do have a $171 credit on one of my accounts, and reassured me that he was processing my refund as we speak and that he had it expedited and would see a credit on my account within 3 business days. It is now 7/22/16 and I still do not have the money. I called Renown today (7/22/16) and was told by [redacted] (billing manager) that there wasn't any refunds processed on my account, but did have notes on me calling in June. She said that she would get the process going on this refund and can expect to receive $171.00 in the mail in about two weeks. She said she had received a confirmation from AP saying that they would cut me a check next Thursday. I was told once again that if I didn't receive that refund within the next two weeks, to call [redacted] back.I have been through this process four times now (for over 7 months) and have yet to receive a payment of the $171.00 I overpaid back in 2015. Every time I contact Renown I get a similar response. Each billing rep I speak to reassures me that they are BEGINNING the refund process, that I should receive my money within a couple weeks, and to call back and speak to a manager if I don't get anything in the mail. Desired SettlementI want a refund of the money they owe me plus interests since they have held on to a large amount of money for over 8 months now. I am well aware that hospitals charge interests to patients who run delinquent on their payments. They have been delinquent on getting me the money they've owed me for over 8 months now. Business Response Dear [redacted], I do see that this refund was sent and issued to you in July during the time frame that was discussed. I do apologize for the time that you had to spend on this and for the late response to the compliant. Please feel free to contact me at Renown if you have any further issues or concerns.[redacted], 775-982-3071Consumer Response (The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.)Check was received.

I was charged twice for a EKG My deductible was only 1500 at the time I went to the hospital when I got the bill I was charged 574.00 along with emergency physician was another 75.00 along with the amount of 574 my EKG was included. Now I am getting another bill for something that was already paid.Desired SettlementI would like to have this one removed due to already paying it with the first billBusiness Response Contact Name and Title: [redacted]Contact Phone: [redacted]Contact Email: [redacted]Shelia, I need more details on this account. I am unable to locate the account in question. Please feel free to contact me at [redacted].Consumer Response The person that tried to contact me did not call me and please open it back up Final Business Response We appolgize for not responding earlier. This account was adjusted off and there is no remaining patient liablity. Please feel free to contact [redacted] for any further information.

We were at the location of 1495 Mill St. Renown Rehabilitation Hospital to Visit my wife sister. and the Handy cap. entrance was BLOCKED.BLOCKED Drop off/Handy cap entrance by a RENOWN Van. Visitor had too walk with a walker to visit her Sister. Feather Away from Entrance. what is wrong with this? I have a photo of that! on that day I would like to send to you! Desired SettlementTo Better Saver the Visitor THAT ARE HANDY CAPPEDBusiness Response Contact Name and Title: [redacted]Contact Phone: [redacted]Contact Email: [redacted]I understand the frustration with this. Please contact me. I am going to have this reviewed with the qulaity department.

I had just set up Primary care physician for myself and my wife. Appointment totals 500. After two weeks renown relocated the Doctor we had set up primary with and now states we have to schedule new primary care appointments.Desired SettlementI want myself and my wife transferred to another physician at our requested location with out having to pay additional appointment fees.Business Response Thank you for allowing us the ability to review your complaint. I would like to discuss your concerns over the phone. Please contact me directly at your convenience. I am a supervisor in the Customer Service office, my direct number is 775-982-4262.Consumer Response (The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.)Renown contacted me and fulfilled my desired resolution