ComplaintsforUniversity of California Irvine Medical Center

• Initial Complaint

  09/03/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  To Whom It May Concern,I am writing to file a formal complaint against UCI Health due to their deceptive billing practices, lack of transparency, and misleading communication, which have resulted in unwarranted stress and a final pre-collection notice despite ongoing investigations.I repeatedly requested an estimate for a skin testing procedure from UCI Health but was only given a CPT code (***** X 80) to consult with my insurance. This code does not reflect the actual cost, which varies by provider. UCI Healths refusal to provide a clear estimate suggests an intentional effort to hide pricing information. Additionally, I was billed for three different codes (*****, *****, *****) despite being informed of only one.During a prior office visit, I questioned their significantly higher charges, and a UCI Health representative falsely attributed the $739 bill to my unmet deductible. This explanation was irrelevant and misleading, as the providers charges should not depend on whether a patient has met their deductible.I documented all interactions, including calls and messages, and provided UCI Health with details. On July 1, 2024, a call from ************ confirmed they would investigate, yet I received a final pre-collection notice on August 20, 2024, without any follow-up on the investigation.Resolution Sought:1.Immediate halt to all collection actions until the investigation is completed.2.Full reversal of charges due to lack of transparency; I would not have consented to the procedure had I known the costs.3.Confirmation that this will not negatively impact my credit or financial standing.4.A detailed account of the investigations findings, including reviews of recorded conversations.Sincerely,********************* Cell: ************ Email: *********************

  Business response

  09/04/2024

  thank you 

  we will contact patient and assist

  thank you

   

   

  Customer response

  09/05/2024

  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution would be satisfactory to me.  I will wait for the business to perform this action and, if it does, will consider this complaint resolved.
  
  Regards,
  
  *********************
  
   
  

• Initial Complaint

  08/08/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  This complaint is about a department at UCI medical center called the Patient Relations and feedback.This department is not a patient relation, it is a department of BROKEN relation.This department has no managers no supervisors and specifically this department does not have an experienced person who answer the complaints, who answer the phone is an angry person who has no manners, no experience and no patience, the supervisor does not seem to be a better, this is the least I can say about the people working at the patient relation. On 8/7/2024 I called the *** patient relations experience and feedback to tell *** that their phone lines are transfering my calls overseas and to ask for help in reaching the insurance department at *** for information about insurance acceptance. The person who answered my call was *****. She was too aggressive and would not give me a chance to speak and kept contradicting my experience and denying that this happened. She denied the existence of a department at *** that provides insurance information. Bottomline: She was too aggressive, rude and impolite. If you think her manager ************************, whose name is listed on this page, is better than her , then wait till the end of my story.I requested ***** to give me her supervisor, she said the supervisor would call me back after i provided all my information at her request. but that did not happen.I contacted the *** Ombuds and complained about the MALtreatment I received as a patient from the *** patient relations department , The Ombuds sent an email and text to ************************ who is the supervisor of the patient relation and Customer Relations and requested from her to call me, but this never happened and today I placed 2 calls to ************************ at her 2 phone numbers listed and the Ombuds also did the same but no call back, this supervisor proved that she is not better than the one who answered the call and both are not capable to be at their positions.Shame on you both.

  Business response

  08/16/2024

  thank you we will contact patient 

  thank you

• Initial Complaint

  08/06/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Unresolved

  More info

  I am writing to formally complain UCI regarding their inaccurate billing practices. My experience with them has raised significant concerns about their adherence to fair billing standards.On 5/27/24, I visited **************** During my appointment, I informed ******************* that I had already conducted a COVID test before my visit and that there was no need for further testing. Despite my clear communication, the provider proceeded to swab me and subsequently billed me for the lab work.Furthermore, the duration of my visit was significantly shorter than what was billed. As indicated in the billing, I did not spend 45 minutes with the provider. This discrepancy is frustrating and raises concerns about the ethical practices in their billing processes.I believe billing for services not rendered or inaccurately represented is unjust and unacceptable. I have attempted to resolve this matter directly with UCI but have not received a satisfactory response.

  Business response

  08/07/2024

  thank you 

  We will contact patient and assist

  thank you

  Patient Experience / UCI

  Customer response

  08/08/2024

  I'll wait until I hear form the business before we close this matter

  Business response

  08/09/2024

  thank you we will contact patient and assist 

  thank you

  Customer response

  08/09/2024

  There was no resolution provided by the business.

• Initial Complaint

  04/14/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  1. Seeking resolution from senior management/executive/administration to address unanswered questions regarding the events of 10/25/2022 and subsequent matters.2. Requesting an independent panel review of the surgery conducted on 10/25/2022.3. Addressing neglect, poor treatment, failure to follow up from ********** **** her staff, excessive anesthesia during surgery on 10/25/2022, missing pathologist name on medical records, and timing discrepancies in pathology documentation.STATEMENT OF FACTS:These ongoing issues remain unresolved. Why hasn't Dr. *** followed up with me after promising to consult the tumor board? Why did she deny the fact of speaking with an on-call doctor from the surgery center when I urgently called in after my surgery, while experiencing bleeding from the surgical site?Additionally, I'm deeply concerned that the medical records manager indicated missing information from my surgery on 10/25/2022, including the names of the surgeon, operative nurse, and surgery times. Despite my request, there has been no response from the hospital regarding an independent review of the surgery and Dr. ***** conduct.on 7/1/2023 ******** has informed me of negligence regarding excessive anesthesia, with unknown details about the pathologist and the timing of documentation. I've also involved the medical board in this matter. I require detailed information about the individuals I interacted with on the day of surgery, including the unidentified on-call doctor I contacted post-surgery.I am writing to bring to your attention several concerning issues I encountered during and after a Y90 surgical procedure performed by Dr. ************************ on 10/25/2022 at ***. Dr. *** promised to consult the tumor board but failed to follow up. Despite urgent calls post-surgery regarding complications, she denied speaking with the on-call doctor and receiving messages and photos of my hematoma, which were sent directly through my chart.

  Business response

  04/15/2024

  thank you - we will contact patient and provide a resolution. 

• Initial Complaint

  04/10/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Between August-December 2023, I was a patient at *** Women's Health Center through the insurance network, First Health Network. My insurance provider was Socios Buenos LP. In August, at my first appointment, the ***** office authorized my insurance and accepted me as a new patient. From then until December, I had numerous appointments for ultrasounds and prenatal lab tests. Never once was I offered an itemized receipt for the appointments and I was never told that my visits were not covered by my insurance. In fact, the nurse practitioner I was seeing told me that one specific fetal screening WOULD be covered by insurance, yet a month later I am sent a bill for the screening from the CA **** of ****** Health. The actual medical bill was not issued out to me until late November after I already went to about 8 appointments. Seeing the medical bill and everything itemized was a shock. First off, why are blood tests costing over $2k? I also got charged twice for 2 different views of my uterus in a single ultrasound visit. Healthcare in this country is overpriced and a total scam. My bill is now over $3000, hardly any of the bill was covered by my insurance which wasn't communicated to me, leaving me screwed over and unable to pay. Half of my bill is already on it's way to collections. This has left me in a very stressful state, just having had my baby. I don't understand why there is a lack of transparency in a system that is overpriced for the value given. I ended up cancelling my insurance w/ First Health and became a Blue Shield member at the start of the new year but at this point, I was in my 3rd trimester and it was emotionally taxing trying to find a doctor who would work with me that far into my pregnancy. Thankfully I found a doctor and the provider along with the insurance has been very upfront and almost everything has actually been covered. I have no surprise medical bills from my new provider. My experience with *** was awful and I would not recommend.

  Business response

  04/11/2024

  thank you. 

  we will contact patient and provide a written response to patient. 

   

  thank you, Patient Experience

   

• Initial Complaint

  03/21/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I was prescribed for a patch medication by ************** at UCI pain clinic. This medication was previously approved by my old insurance but I have a new insurance this year. I have been trying to ask the staff to submit authorization to my new insurance. I have the approved diagnosis (chronic back pain, which was the reason for my refer to ************** in the first place) but the staff (*****) is making it really difficult. She does not seem to want to help get the authorization for this medication. The staff on more occasions than once kept saying I should just buy the lower strength medication over the counter. My daughter has called over 5 times and I've been in contact with staff via MyChart since the beginning of the month. At first ***** said I need a to see the doctor for a new prescription, which I did. Then another staff said it's been approved. I already explained that it's approved under old insurance and not the new one. Now she said I don't have chronic back pain. I have asked her to ask **************, he will verify my diagnosis but doesn't seem like she wants to. I have asked for a call back instead of speaking through a middle person but ***** has not called me back. It's been very frustrating. I even asked for provider call back and have not received it. I did not want to submit the complaint here but I don't know what else to do. It has been very frustrating and a waste of everyone's time going back and forth when a simple phone call to the insurance to provide the diagnosis would suffice. That's all the insurance said is needed. I am going to ************** to help with my pain but my pain won't be alleviated without the medication. The prescription patch is more effective and I also cannot afford to buy the lower strength patch over the counter as I am on a limited budget. Hope you can help. Thanks

  Business response

  04/19/2024

  can you please provide full name? 

  first and last name

• Initial Complaint

  03/13/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I took my son to see ********************* on 1/18/24 for the first consultation, Patient *********************************. Then, I received an astronomical bill for costs to do a procedure that we never agreed to do. In fact, I disclosed my son's entire history and the ****** did not vet us properly so when we arrived and met the doctor, he acted as if he never knew my son had 2 surgeries. I had disclosed all of this information in the initial paperwork I filled out, prior to the appt. being scheduled. He had ample time to review my son's history but did not. We drove all the way out there and he asked 3 questions, then rudely put a scope up my son's nose w/out asking us. That procedure cost us $592.00. Also, I never gave him permission and nor did my son to do that procedure. This was a first consult to see if he could even help my son, so he should NOT have done any procedure that would have cost us money w/out first qualifying if he could even help my son. Well then after wasting our time and shoving some scope up my son's nose, he rudely told us that he can't help us. Now I am stuck with a bill for $1118.15 and this doctor's ****** is using sneaky practices that are unethical to charge unassuming people large amounts of money. I want this bill to be closed out do to the ****** NOT doing their job to prequalify us first. Also, the procedure he did, was not something that my son or I agreed for him to do. We certainly would NOT have agreed to do it, if he had told us it was $600. The appointment with this doctor was 5 minutes tops; he said he could not help us after that. I am not footing the bill for a procedure we never agreed to do and for an ****** visit that never happened. The 5 minutes he spent with us to tell us that he couldn't help us is on him, for not taking the time to prequalify candidates properly. That is not something I should have to pay for. I will be taking this to the top, if this company doesn't fix this!

  Business response

  03/14/2024

  Thank you for bringing this to our attention. We will contact patient and assist.

  thank you.

  ***********************

  Patient Experience 

   

• Initial Complaint

  02/20/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Sales and Advertising Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  The attached bill is for an X-ray for $974. The same X-ray which I had got from SimonMed across the street as requested by my pain management doctor for $67.41. I inquired about the price difference and was told it was a little more. This is 10x more. This is neither fair nor reasonable for a clinic to be charging ER prices and encouraging patients to get imaging done there without notifying them of the true price they have to pay.

  Business response

  02/28/2024

  As this complaint involves protected health information, we will have our financial service department contact patient directly to assist.

  thank you.

   

• Initial Complaint

  08/19/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Unresolved

  More info

  This complaint is against ******* and patient relations departments employees name ***** and *******. I am a disabled individual with several health conditions unfortunately. So I was given a referral for sound therapy from their ENT specialist ******************* but unfortunately their ENT department was extremely unprofessional and made several mistakes when submitting this referral to my insurance company. Which caused delays for me to get my treatment. So I filled a complaint against them and due to that complaint I feel that my privacy rights were violated because ***** from their patients relations department was present to observe me during my appointment which was very uncomfortable and to make matters worse till this day I still havent received my sound therapy treatment. Also I am not able to book any future doctor ************ with any of their specialists because every time I have a new referral it doesnt get processed correctly by them and they give me the runaround. Just recently I tried to book an appointment and unfortunately I was not able to so I called their patient relations department and ******* kept hanging up the phone on me. Extremely unprofessional and rude behavior and I feel retaliation due to my past complaint against them which is my right.

  Business response

  08/21/2023

  We have been working with ************** extensively. Because of HIPAA, I am unable to respond in this forum.  ************** can and has been contacting our department for assistance.

  Customer response

  08/22/2023

  Their response is complety false because every time I call their patient relations department they hang up the phone on me. In addition to that, I did not get the treatment that my insurance paid for and also when I'm trying to schedule an appointment they waste my time and make excuses. So till this day I did not receive my treatment and I'm not able to even a schedule an appointment and I believe it's because they are retaliating against me due to the grievings that filled against in the past because they violated my privacy rights.

• Initial Complaint

  08/08/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  My son, *******************, made an appointment for his annual physical exam last December. However, 2 appointments were scheduled for my son (1 on December 2022, 2nd on 1/13/23). In the 2nd visit, we were confused and asked his doctor ********************* what the 2nd visit for. She said it's his physical exam. Our insurance covers the physical exam, however, later I received the bill for the 2nd visit for $60 (later changed to *****. Guarantor account #: ***********************. I called the billing, She said the doctor wrote a note about the 2nd visit and said it's a follow-up of a regular visit and we're charged for it; only way to fix it is that the doctor changed the note. We contact and explain to ******** and reqest her to change the note back to a physical exam. But she refused to do that and said that in the 2nd visit she talked about the low level of vitamin D found in the blood lab test, so charged it as a regular visit even no treatment required, and it's a fraud to change it.******** did the following (on purpose? To all patients?): first, make the annual physical exam into 2 visits. Then change the 2nd into a followup of regular visit and charge the patient and the insurance. As a result, a (all?) patients need to pay her for the annual physical exam, which should be free for the patient. BTW, please check if she does this to all patients.Please fix the issue and make sure we don't need to pay for the physical exam.I contacted the *** Patient Experience and filed a Grievance form on 5/1/2023 but the issue is not solved.Thanks

  Business response

  08/16/2023

  thank you 

  we will reach out to ********** .

   

  thank you Patient Experience 

  Customer response

  08/17/2023

  The nurse of ******** called and informed me that the doctor explained the lab test results so charged us even she said it's a physical exam in the visit and didn't get our approval before charging us. She didn't listen/ care to my explanation and acted like she's the boss and I have to pay whatever she like. Not-acceptable.

  Business response

  08/18/2023

  we will contact the patient .

  thank you 

  Patient Experience 

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