ComplaintsforB&B Surgical Assist

• Initial Complaint

  03/17/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Order Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I had bariatric sleeve surgery done at ********************************** with ************** on December 1st, 2021. ************** gave me a list prior to surgery about the contracted surgical assistants he uses so I can call them to see if they are in network with my insurance. I called B&B Surgical Assist to verify if they take my insurance and whether it is in network or not. The woman on the phone told me that they do take my insurance and it would be in network. Fast forward to January 2023, I receive a text message bill from B&B Surgical Assist for $6,492.00 for the surgery that I received over a year prior. I called ********** **** Shield to ask them about the bill and why I was receiving one because at the time of my surgery I had already met my deductible and out of pocket so it should have been paid in full. The ********** agent said she would submit the bill with different coding and see if it gets paid. Over a month later on February 23rd, 2023, I get another bill in the mail from B&B Surgical Assist for a balance of $192.73. My insurance paid $6,092.00 toward the bill. I called my insurance to ask why it wasn't paid in full and why they would be trying to bill me for the rest, and she said that they are not in network and do not accept my insurance, which was news to me. The agent made a three-way call with me to B&B Surgical Assist where the woman who answered said they do not accept my insurance and they do not accept the allowed amount that they were already paid so I was still required to pay the remaining amount. Upon doing some research on a private ************** for patients on **************, I have seen dozens on other patients who have had the same experience with B&B where they lie about being in network and send surprise bills to the patient over a year after the surgery and demand payment. This company should be fined for deceptive business practices. They got paid almost 95% of the bill and won't write off the remaining balance. They are scammers.

  Business response

  03/17/2023

  Good Day.  Bariatric patients are given a list, prior to surgery, of ALL providers that will be participating in the patient's surgery. B&B Surgical is not in network with this patient's specific policy, and has NEVER balance billed any patient in which their insurance held the patient responsible for the full charges.  Please review the statement, in which the patient attached.  They have falsely accused B&B Surgical for billing them $6492.00, and also claim that their insurance paid $6092.00.  We are unsure where this information is coming from, as per call with BCBS, they state the reimbursement was $207.27, in which we received on 12/31/22.  No additional payments have been made by the patient's BCBS policy for this claim.  B&B Surgical reduced the bill, as a courtesy to the patient.  The balance, as per the attached statement that the patient uploaded to this complaint is $192.73. This complaint was filed today with BBB, around the same time the patient also made an online payment of $100.00, through our billing system.  This in itself makes little sense, because she would have physically seen the amount due when making the $100.00 payment. The remaining balance due by patient, as of current, is $92.73. 

  Please advise as we take these matters very seriously.  This is slander against our corporation.  Patient claims we are running a company with deceptive business practices, and also accused us of receiving 95% of the bill, and not writing of the remainder.  ****************, at BCBS, the payment was $207.27, which aligns with the payment we received.  She has furthermore accused us being scammers and has likely spread deceptive information on social media and to the physician's office, whom we have worked alongside on these challenging surgical cases, for over 13 years.  Our business practices with *********************** Center, doctors and their patients is of the utmost importance.  

• Initial Complaint

  01/13/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On 9/15/21 I had emergency gallbladder surgery at Banner Thunderbird. Over a year later, I received a text saying I needed to pay $300 to B & B Surgical Assist, and that if I had any questions, I could contact the provider, but did not identify who the provider was or any contact information. There was just a link to a payment site. I had never received a statement from this company so I checked with my insurance and there was no claim for B & B Surgical Assist. I researched and found a number on a random websites that appeared to be linked to B & B. I called and was sent to a voicemail supposedly for B& B. I left a message requesting a statement and asked them to call me. I received neither. About 3 months later I received another text saying the same- I owed $300 & to contact my provider if I had any questions. I tried to contact the number I found, left another voicemail, but received no call back. Several months later, I finally received a statement in the mail saying I owed $300 and listed a provider name- M. ******. On my insurance website Infound a claim for M. ****** who is a nurse. Payment was denied because it was out-of-network. I contacted my insurance who said the claim could be re-done because M. ****** was part of the hospital which was in-network. But, the paperwork B & B had submitted was incorrect. My insurance company called B & B, and were sent to voicemail. A message was left telling B & B what they needed to submit so that it could be processed. B & B resubmitted the claim incorrectly again so it was denied again. They then sent me another statement for $300. Again, my insurance company tried to contact them, leaving another message telling B & B what they needed to process the claim. I also called B & B, left a message asking them to submit the information my insurance needed. They did not submit anything further to my insurance. On 1/12/23, I received a letter from a debt collector saying I now owe B & B Surgical Assist $1,414.73.

  Business response

  01/19/2023

  Per the patient insurance, explanation of benefits attached, the patient responsibility was $5,000.00. 
  While we initially offered the patient a discount, they did not pay, and were placed in collections.
  We have no control over any fees incurred, and the patient can legally be held liable up to $5000.00 for this claim. 
  
  Had we billed the claim incorrectly, the insurance would have DENIED the claim, and there would be no patient responsibility until correction was made.  

• Initial Complaint

  11/08/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I am disputing this collection, for service occurring last year (July 8, 2022). B & B failed to supply a detailed invoice to me at any time. They also failed to supply requested information to my insurance company and my insurance company only covered $181.23 of the invoiced $4,891.17 amount. They and the collection agency are billing me $1407.19. Their failure to correctly bill my insurance does not constitute liability on my part- a year later when I can do nothing about it. I requested more information from Credit Collections Bureau and have not received anything since the first collection notice. They have never billed me directly and only now are pursuing this issue. A year after the fact allows me no recourse through my insurance. Valley World Wide Surgical Assistants is who my doctor told me was handling assisting. They are the surgical assistant charging me more than I had to pay the primary surgeon.

  Business response

  11/09/2022

  Our office supplied a detailed invoice on 6/30/22, 8/1/22, and a hard copy final notice on 8/31/22.  The address we have on file is PO BOX *****, MESA, AZ *****.  We received NO return mail from the ****, so we suggest the patient contact her local ****** ****** ******* dept. for further information as to why she is not receiving her mail, if that PO BOX is valid/correct.  We do not work for the Post Office, therefore, cannot be held responsible for their negligence.  We did correctly bill the patient's insurance, or they would have NOT processed the claim with an allowable.  Patient's ***** did request medical notes, after initial billing, which were obtained through Honor Health, and supplied multiple times to:  PO BOX ******, Chattanooga, TN *****-8061.  *****'s panels are not currently open for this EIN, and we reserve the right to bill the patient, as NO PAYMENT was made on her claim.  Please reference attached EOB from her insurance. The patient would have also received EOBs, from *****, throughout the entire billing process.  At any point in time, she could have contacted her insurance for detailed explanation or our office.  If the patient wasn't sure whom to contact, you can go to ********** to find the phone number, or ***** does have it on file, as it is in BOX 33 of the claim.  This provider is an on-call group, who assisted on this patient's surgical case, and deserves to be compensated for their services.  Again, they cannot control which insurance a patient may have or not have during their in-patient admission.  Most insurance policies will make exceptions, but it is based on which plan the member selected during enrollment.  This account is now with a collection agency, and all further communication is to go through them, as we are not a licensed collection agency - we only handle treated the patient, billing them as per their EOB, and if no payment - they do go to collections, just as any other medical debt.  Thank you.  

• Initial Complaint

  07/16/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I had a c-section on July 6, 2021. My baby was delivered at *********************** and the surgery was performed by my OBGYN, Dr. ************************ I barely started receiving billing invoices via text message in March of 2022. Prior to this, I never received an invoice mail, email, by my insurance provider, etc. I called the office and asked why this was and she simply told me that the practitioner chooses to send invoices via text. Because I received this invoice so late, it seemed like a scam to me. Upon requesting an itemized statement from B&B for the services THEY rendered, the lady told me to contact the place I delivered at. I contacted ***********************, and they had no clue who this B&B Assist was and advised me it may be a fraud claim. I called B&B back and the lady then advised me to contact my OBGYN for the services B&B rendered. I contacted my OBGYN, and she told me that she only has the charges provided by my actual OB which have been paid for. She told me that B&B would have to provide me with their services rendered. When I request this from the practice, they are unwilling to work with me and keep pointing the responsibility at other institutions!!!!!! If I am going to pay for an invoice, I have the right as a consumer to know EXACTLY what I am paying for!

• Initial Complaint

  06/02/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  This business is billing us a flat rate of $400 for a surgeon assistant for an emergency gall bladder operation on Feb 20th 2022 at *********************** Hospital. My husband had the procedure done and he is on ******** with AARP ****************** as secondary insurance. We feel this should go through his primary insurance. At the time of the surgery we were not aware this business does not have a ******** number so they cant file it with ins. We need some help please in trying to resolve this.

  Business response

  06/03/2022

  Good Afternoon.  The provider of service provided emergency services, while on call, at the facility, with the expectation of being reimbursed for their services. 

  It appears that the patients account is paid and settled.  Thank you.   

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩