The PolyClinic

My issue is with The PolyClinic’s antiquated accounting system. Their online Bill Pay does not reflect with what the accounting customer Service has on their system. Online Bill Pay shows I’ve a credit but yet they send accounts to collection. I have bank checks that show The PolyClinic’s accounts have been paid and should have a credit. The customer service explanation of the online bill pay makes them seem incompetent as it doesn’t make sense. When you owe an amount it shows say $48.00 if noththing owed it shows a zero. So say you pay $248.00 overpaying so when it shows a negative $200.00 that should be a credit...right...no not the case with customer services explanation of online bill pay. I have disputed the discrepancy but it’s the time and aggravation to do this that is so frustrating. One more item if you make a payment of $200.00 it doesn’t always show as that as they break it out. Can be annoying when looking for your payment on The PolyClinic’s Statements. Hopes this helps anyone else having accounting issues with The Polyclinic. This rating is for The PolyClinic’s accounting only not the medical staff or medical experiences.

I've been going to Polyclinic for many years and billing issues have always existed (delayed postings) but in Sept 2017 they implemented a new billing system and issues got worse instead of better. Most of my docs have been great and when you have one you don't like, you can often switch within house - overall, a great place to go. But the billing issues are insurmountable. My rating is for the billing office not the docs.

I contacted the Polyclinic on 7th Ave in downtown Seattle to make an appointment for an eye exam. When I spoke with the representative, she first asked me what kind of insurance I have. I told I have VSP, and she provided me a list of doctors that accept my insurance. Only one doctor, Dr. S, was available in my timeframe. The representative on the phone asked if I would like to see Dr. S at the downtown location or at the Northgate location. I opted for the Northgate location, as it is closer to my home. When I went to my visit, they confirmed my insurance at the front desk. I received a bill in November showing I owed $453.00. I called the billing department and they told me there was a deductible form VSP and I owed the remaining balance. I then called VSP and I was told that Dr. S was not covered at the Northgate location. The Polyclinic was called again to inform them of this issue, on 11/17/17, and they said to disregard the bill, as Dr. S is covered at that location. I continued to receive bills after that, so I called to get this cleared up in December 2017, at which time I was forced to leave a voicemail. I never received a call back and had the same thing happen in January 2018 and February 2018. I called again on 3/8/18 at 1:07pm and finally spoke with someone, only to have to recount my story again. She told me a supervisor would have to call me back to discuss forgiving the charges. I never received a call from a supervisor, so I called again on 3/15/18 at 1:48pm. This representative immediately asked me if I was calling about being sent to collections, which I had no idea about. She told me I had been sent to collections as of 3/14/18. She also said there were NO notes in the file about my many calls and conversation with the billing department. She then told me she could not remove my bill from collections and could not help me any further. I would have to wait for a call from a supervisor. I provided her my work and cell phone numbers.

Polyclinic's billing system is VERY unreliable with chaotic results. I was billed four times for the exact same bill/amount; I had already paid this bill IN FULL & ON TIME.
So far I've made 3 phone calls and each time I was assured the issue was resolved (a complicated explanation re: Polyclinic changing of account # and therefore my check "not crossing over" to this new account #).
Summary:
I had to spend a large amount of TIME to resolve this issue (not certain issue is resolved)
I will have to spend more time being very vigilant with any future bills
I risk losing money by paying the same bill several times over
My account erroneously states that this bill this 90 days past-due; potentially damaging my excellent credit rating.
I must add that the people answering the phones seem very nice & my physicians are excellent; I feel for them.

I recently had knee replacement surgery at Polyclinic. I am more than happy with the care I received, however, the administration is way below my expectations. I asked multiple times what my out of pocket expenses wold b as was met with aggressive personnel that told me I could not be helped. It was up to me to contact each division with the surgery code- surgery date- surgeons name- post opp apt time, and on and on. Everytime I got the information they requested they had another reason they could not tell me what my costs would be for my surgery. The people on the phone and at the polyclinic had no problem making me wait up to 35 minutes only to tell me that I needed to get them more information for them to proceed. This seems highly suspect, and there is no transparency as what my procedure cost. I had the surgery and will only find out my costs when I get my bill. This is below par service in 2018. As patient I have no rights to know what costs will be according to the last person I talked on the phone. "that is only of concern to your insurance provider"
terrible.
I will be moving to ***, they have always been very transparent.

On 10/10/17 I contacted The Poly Clinic billing department. I was calling to inquire about a statement dated 10/01/17 for the total billing amount of $33.52. The female billing agent began aggressively attempting to get me to pay the amount due, even though of the $33.52 (the total amount), $11.20 was 61-90 days due and $22.32 was 31-60 days due. I declined, as I did not know if my husband had already paid the bill. She was rude and used words I would attribute a debt collector and not a patient billing agent. I disconnected the phone call after telling her what I thought of her lack of professionalism. I called back and spoke with another billing agent, who acted more respectful and reasonable at 3:51 on the same day, to share my concerns about the behavior of the first billing agent and asked that a manager be notified. That evening, I asked my husband if the bill had been paid, to which he replied that he believed it had been paid. Apparently, the bill had not been paid, but my husband remedied the situation by arranging for funds to be paid on 11/06/17. On 12/09/17, I received a letter from Asset Recovery Group of Washington, in Federal Way, notifying me that the bill had been sent to collections. Upon checking bank records, my husband showed me that the bill had been paid on 11/06/17 and cleared our combined account on 11/10/17. Thus, the bill has been paid yet it was sent to collections. Additionally, The Poly Clinic did not notify Asset Recovery Group of Washington that the bill was paid and to stop trying to recover the funds. Lastly, we were never notified by The Poly Clinic that the bill was being sent to collections. If we had been notified, we could have brought it to their attention that the bill had been paid. The action The Poly Clinic took by sending a bill to collections that was paid and not notifying the Debt Collector that the bill had been paid after being sent to collections was unfair and unwarranted. Thank you for your time.

I paid part of the cost for surgery. The surgery was cancelled. I called the billing office requesting a refund on 09/01 and was told that I would see the refund ~ the following Wed. I did not receive my refund. I called again 09/08 - again, nothing. I called again on 09/13 and this time was told that they were waiting for the doctor to confirm that the surgery was cancelled before I can get my refund. I asked the billing rep. to ask a supervisor to call me - have not received a call.