U W Physicians

Dear Ms***
I am writing in response to a letter I received from you on January 4, notifying us of a complaint a (ID ***)Please know that we will be making every effort to reach out to the complainant to address his concernsFederal and State patient privacy laws prohibit us from
acknowledging the identity of a patient without their expressed consent and we are not at liberty to share any additional information
Sincerely,
Stephanie T***
Manager of Patient Relations
UW Neighborhood Clinics

Review: I was charged for a travel consultation when I did not ask for one. My insurance will not cover this. I specifically asked for 2 vaccines and was billed for a travel consultation that I did not need. Now they will not change the billing as I signed an agreement to pay for what they billed. I talked to billing and they refuse to change the type of consultation to a preventative medicine consultation, as my insurance will cover this. Virtually, if I had not mentioned that I was traveling, I would not have been billed for a consultation that I did not need, as the consultation I got was utterly useless because I knew what vaccines I wanted in advance and asked for them up front. Desired Settlement: Either re bill the type of consultation, or remove the consultation that I didn't ask for.

Business

Response:

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 8, 2014/07/02) */

Contact Name and Title: [redacted]-Patient Adv

Contact Phone: XXX-XXX-XXXX

Contact Email: [redacted]@uwp.washington.edu

July 2, 2014

Revdex.com

DuPont, WA 98327

Revdex.com CASE#: [redacted]

To whom it may concern:

I am replying to the complaint recently received from [redacted] forwarded by your office regarding [redacted] billing issues. Here are my findings:

March 18, [redacted] received a travel consultation in addition to vaccinations related to travel. At the time of service [redacted] also signed a travel waiver advising him of how his visit would be billed.

June 6, [redacted] contacted UW Physicians to dispute his bill. He was informed that he should contact his plan to get more information on the reason for the denial since this is a benefits issue.

June 6, 2014 [redacted] called back after speaking with his plan. He then stated he wanted to speak to a Supervisor. The Customer Service Representative placed him on hold and contacted me via conference call. I spoke to [redacted] and explained to him the reason the visit was coded as it was. I also explained to him that he was notified of the coding before the office visit as he signed a waiver before he received the treatment. He no longer wished to speak to me and requested to speak to my Manager [redacted]

June 6, 2014- [redacted] contacted [redacted] regarding his complaint. She also explained to him that the coding was correct and we would not be able to make any changes. She was able to offer him a lower payment plan (lower than our fee schedule) and he agreed.

There was no billing errors associated with this travel consultation. Therefore UWP cannot rebill or waive the charge for this visit. The charge is valid and [redacted] should continue with his current payment plan.

I have included a copy of the Travel Consultation waiver for your records (via mail).

If I have not fully addressed your concerns or if I can be of further assistance, please contact me at (XXX) XXX-XXXX

Patient Advocate

[redacted]SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS REDACTED BY Revdex.com[redacted]