The Aubin Aphasia Speech & Language Center

Re: Response to Complaint ID ***DearMs***,I write to respond to the complaint against my business, The Aubin Aphasia Speechand Language Center LLC submitted on June 8, by *** ***,with a complaint letter signed by *** *** (Complaint ID: ***).The complaint
letter alleges unreasonable delays in invoicing but nowherearticulates substantive justification for refusing to pay for services rendered, as Ms.*** has doneIn fact, Ms*** specifically states in her letter that shegreatly appreciates the care and services her daughter receives at my business andstates that the speech therapist working with her daughter is "absolutelywonderful"She notes that her daughter has shown significant growth sincebeginning work with the therapistFurthermore, Ms*** indicates a desireto have her daughter continue treatment at The Aubin Aphasia Speech and LanguageCenter LLC.The Aubin Aphasia Speech and Language Center LLC prides itself on providing highlevelspeech therapy to children and adults and has a thriving practice in thecommunity of Bainbridge IslandWe care deeply about the wellbeing andimprovement of our clients, as shown by our full client roster and waiting listIt isconceded by Ms*** that her daughter received skilled and attentive speechtherapy at the CenterIn short, Ms*** and her family members received theservices sought from my business, at a quality they considered well above average.Yet it seems the ***s are using the fact that the treatment ultimately costmore than they wanted to justify their nonpayment.It is true that we invoiced in for dates of service in and that these billswere for larger sums than Ms*** had previously anticipatedAs a courtesyto our clients, we help facilitate collection of amounts covered by insurance and doour best to make sure clients receive the full benefit of the coverage under theirpoliciesThe ***s" insurance coverage was with Moda Heath, a companywhich actually went out of business the end of Our experience was that Modawas unusually slow in processing claims and resolving problems and questionsMs.*** on a number of occasions questioned the amounts showing as herresponsibility on the invoicesShe requested that my office clarify the extent of herinsurance coverage and press the insurance company to correct any possibleunderpayment for servicesMs*** also requested that she be allowed towait until insurance questions were resolved before making further payments.Because we wanted to accommodate and wished Ms***'s daughter to beable to continue her treatment, staff spent significant time in communication withinsurance company and we did let the ***s delay payment My staffdiscovered that the ***s had exceeded their maximum for covered visits butthey were able to secure coverage for additional visits under the policyTheinsurance company required, however, that earlier visits be counted towards theclient's deductible, which resulted in rebilling and additional cost for those visits.All of this was explained in detail to Ms***.As would be expected, the amounts invoiced after resolution of insurance issueswere larger than they would have been if Ms*** had made payments on acurrent basisLikewise, as the resolution of insurance issues took some time,amounts rebilled necessarily related back to previous visitsYet in her complaintletter, Ms*** makes no mention of the insurance company's determinationor the time my staff spent resolving issues and advocating on her behalf with theinsurance companyMs*** asserts the delays and accumulated chargeswere all the result of disorganized billing by The Aubin Aphasia Speech andLanguage Center, which is patently untrueWe believe the dissatisfaction expressedby Ms*** is, in truth, largely a reflection of her lack of familiarity with herown insurance policy and her unreasonable expectations for her coverage.Every client who comes into our office signs a form in which he/she agrees to beresponsible for costs not covered by insuranceUnder no circumstances do weundertake to write off amounts we are owed simply because they are not covered byinsuranceIn fact, we are prohibited from discounting fees under our contractswith insurersThus, I could not agree to Ms***'s proposal even if I thoughtit a just solution to this dispute.Although I have offered an extended payment plan to Ms***, she hasrefused to consider any alternative to simply withholding payment for the amountsshe didn't realize she would have to payI do not consider this a fair solution to thissituationHowever, I am willing to refrain from collection proceedings if Ms.*** will enter into a payment agreement for the uncompensated services mybusiness has providedI will also forgo interest on the amounts outstandingAsMs*** has expressed high satisfaction with the services my businessprovided, I see no justification for the request that I simply write off amounts Ms.*** expected to be covered by insurance and does not wish to pay herself.Ms***, like any recipient of medical services, has assumed responsibility forcosts not covered by insuranceHer position is unreasonable and breaches herobligation to pay for quality services rendered.Sincerely,jessica A***Jessica A***, PrincipalThe Aubin Aphasia Speech and Language Center LLC