Complaints

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. 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.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:01/05/2024

  Type:Delivery Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  My daughter had to go to a hospital in ****** and was billed $725.79 after the fact for ambulance services. The "ambulance" was a van with no flashing lights or paramedic that sat in traffic the same as any other vehicle. I paid the $725.79 to Passage Health or their affiliate. I then submitted this as a claim to my insurance company. I was notified by my insurance company that they had paid out $1,515 to Passage Health for the bill and that I would be reimbursed in full. However, I received only a $327.04 reimbursement. I have reached out to Passage Health via their website and by phone (No one answers of course.). All in all, Passage Health has received a net of ~ $1,900 for a $725 bill.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 01/08/2024

  Dear ***************,
  
  My name is ***************** and I am the Head of Claims at Passage Health International.  I am writing to you about your daughters medical bill from 03/20/2023. First I want to apologize that you were not able to speak to anyone at our office about this bill. Secondly, it is important to note that Passage Health International is solely responsible for administering the billing on behalf of the medical provider. We do not have control over the quality of medical care provided to patients, as that falls within the purview of the ambulance provider. Our goal is to provide excellent customer service. Therefore, we are looking into why you may not have received a phone call back, if you could provide when you called that would be most helpful all calls are recorded and if a message was left we would be able to locate it. Also, if you sent any emails that would be helpful as well so we can further research this matter.

  Based on the below, we are asking that this complaint be removed as it is without merit. We did refund you the appropriate amount due and this check was cashed by you.  As you can see below the claim has been processed in full and this is why we issued a refund.

  I want to provide you with a breakdown of the payments received as well as refund that we issued.
  
  The total charges of the claim was $1,893.75
  
  BCBS issued an initial payment of $1,167.96 that was posted in our system on 05/08/23, leaving a balance of $725.79
  
  Payment was then received from you in the amount of $725.79 that was posted to our system on 08/01/23.  Leaving the balance at $0.00
  
  BCBS issued a second payment to our office for the amount of $347.04 that was posted to our system on 11/07/23.  Still leaving patient responsibility as $378.75 per the explanation of benefits that was provided.
  
  After this second payment from your insurance was received we then initiated a refund to you for $347.04. 
  
  Based on this $1,893.75 - $1,167.96 (BCBS first payment) =$725.79 - $725.79 (Patient payment) = $0.00 + $347.04 (BCBS second payment) =$347.04 overpayment - $347.04 (Refund issued to patient) = $0.00. 
  
  The claim has been processed in full and you should have received an explanation of benefits from BCBS showing that you still had a portion of $378.75 due.  Since you had already paid $725.79 previously the amount of $378.75 was kept and the refund issued for $347.04 that was cashed as indicated via the attached.

  Thank you,

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

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/27/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  On 4/15/23 I had a bad fall resulting in hitting my head very hard. As a healthcare provider myself, I was concerned for the potential of a brain bleed or concussion.I arrived at Costamed. I was greeted by a bilingual nurse that immediately asked me for $3,000. I have ********** and blue shield. NEVER WAS I EXAMINED. THEY NEVER EVEN TOOK MY *********************. They then told me they "are not a charity" and were rude and continued to tell me that if I wanted treatment I would need to give them 3K. I opted for a cab out of there and then an employee found me and said " we will take a chance on you" and they sent me through the ct scan with an unreadable film. Then I was in a race to get back to the ship on my own. My ********** and blue shield gave them for 4K for their fradulent services. This place needs to be shut down and replaced with an adequate hospital that takes ********************* and performs exams. I would have gotten more compassion and care from a gas station.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 12/27/2023

  Dear ****************:

  
  I am writing in response to your recent complaint regarding the quality of medical care and billing. We are genuinely sorry for the experience you had. However, I would like to clarify the role of Passage Health International and address your concerns appropriately.

  
  Firstly, it is essential to note that Passage Health International is solely responsible for administering the billing on behalf of the medical provider and does not determine prices. We do not have control over the quality of medical care provided to patients, as that falls within the purview of the hospital. Therefore, I kindly request that you direct your complaint regarding the quality of care to the hospital where you received treatment. They will be better equipped to address your concerns and provide the necessary resolution. The contact person at the medical facility is **************, and he can be reached via email at *******************.

  Regarding your deposit, our records indicate that the hospital collected $300 toward your care, not the three thousand dollars mentioned in your communication. Concerning the balance that is due, it is considered the patient's responsibility based on the type of coverage you have purchased with your insurance company. The insurance coverage and payment terms are determined by the policy you have chosen. To ensure clarity, I would recommend assessing the type of policy you purchased with your insurance company to understand the coverage and reimbursement details.

  
  If you require assistance with the balance, we are here to help. We can offer a 30 percent discount on the remaining balance to alleviate some of the financial burden. Additionally, we can assist you in setting up a monthly payment plan that suits your financial situation. Our goal is to work as your advocate to find a solution that is fair and manageable for you.

  
  If you have any further questions or require assistance, please feel free to contact me directly at *********************, or by email at *********************************** We are committed to providing you with the support you need during this process.

  
  Sincerely,

  
  *****************,

  General Counsel

  Passage Health International

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/08/2023

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  The hospital directly billed me for services totalling over ******. I filed a claim with my healthcare provider and closed the account.7 months later i get a bill from a billing service stating i owe 15,000$ with no details of any services or payments threatening to go to a collection agency.This is a scam by the Blue ****************** and Pass Health

  

  Business Response

  Date: 02/23/2023

  Hello,
  
  Please be advised that the charges in dispute are valid.Passage Health International is the duly authorized ****** for ******** Hospital. Although, the hospital may have provided an invoice directly to *************** on behalf of *************************, this was only a partial bill.  I have provided a copy of the full invoice and itemized bill as requested by ***************.
  
  At issue is the insurance carrier ****** advising the bill we sent being denied as a duplicate to the invoice submitted by **************** for $11,500.00. **************** on 01/26/23, they issued a payment on 09/19/22 in the amount of $9,350.96 to **************** / ************************* and further advised that there was a $2,149.04 deductible and $1,200.00 co-insurance that would be due.This totals the amount of $12,700.00 even though ****** indicated they processed a claim for $11,500.00 and I believe the deductible amount they provided included the co-insurance as when you remove the $1,200.00 this then totals the $11,500.00 and would be reflective of what **************** is indicating.
  
  The invoice & itemized statement we have attached is reflective of the full total charges which were $23,357.79 and factoring in the deposit made of $8,000.00 left the balance as $15,357.79. ***************** was contacted and they have advised they did not provide any invoices to **************** while ************************ was at the hospital. We reached out to **************** in attempting to determine what may have occurred and requested a copy of this invoice he indicated he received at the hospital and he was non-responsive. Without a copy of this invoice, we wont be able to determine what may have occurred.
  
  As for why they were recently contacted about the outstanding bill, it was due to the fact we did not have information until just a few weeks ago as indicated above. In further reviewing this matter though,Passage Health International will be appealing the determination made by ****** that this was a duplicate bill and advising them it was not to see if they will in fact reprocess the claim. Our goal is to have ****** process these charges correctly.
  
  Please be advised though based on the attached paperwork signed at the hospital if ****** does not overturn their position, then ultimately the remaining balance would be due and we would want to work with **************** and ************************* to resolve any balances due.
  
  
  *****************, Esq.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:01/02/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Passage Health International (PHI) is participating in an international fraud scheme that preys on elderly ******** tourists with medical crises in *******************, ******.On January 7-9, 2022, my 85-year-old mother-in-law suffered a hairline fracture of her femur after a fall in *******************.An ambulance (affiliated with St. **************** took her to St. *************** for a 48-hour stay till we could fly her back to the US. St. ****** did little other than take an x-ray to confirm the break and give her a comfortable bed for 2 nights. My father-in-law had to make a $5,000 credit payment, and St. ****** director, *****, said, "Don't worry. We'll bill your insurance company." Little did they know that the bill for the 3-mile ambulance ride and 48-hour hospital stay would be $48,000 full of fake charges for services not performed!The ambulance air flight home cost $63,000 (not affiliated with St. ****************, but we all knew that cost and paid for it in advance and felt it reasonable for the distance it had to fly. Unfortunately, St. ****** US billing service, PHI, billing on behalf of St. ***************, got their bills in to my mother-in-law's insurance first and insurance simply paid 80% (over $38,000) of St. ********************* to my in-laws.Because my mother-in-law's ****************** has a $50,000 lifetime limit on international medical expenses, this leaves only about $12,000 for the $63,000 air ambulance. We tried to negotiate a sharing of the cost with PHI to get some sharing of the expenses so that more of the air ambulance cost could be covered by part of the $38,000+ payment.However, when both ***************** and Danish ****** of PHI threatened my in-laws with a lawsuit, they didn't have the energy to fight anymore, so they paid PHI and are going to get about $12,000 for the $63,000 the air ambulance. You can be sure that PHI "earns" a large percentage of the outrageous medical bills St. *************** (and probably others like it) charges.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 01/03/2023

  Hello,

  The accusation made by **************** is incorrect and unfounded.  Passage Health International (PHI) is an extended business office that manages the billing/collection for medical professionals.  To be clear PHI does not change/modify the charges billed by medical professionals. Our role as a service provider is to facilitate the billing to the insurance carrier on behalf of the patient to ensure their claims will be processed and paid in accordance with the policy benefits. Our goal is to always work with the patient / family that received services to ensure that their claims get paid and if there is any remaining liability to work with them to resolve the outstanding claim.  To allege fraud scheme is unfounded. The insurance company has reviewed all charges submitted by the medical provider and found them to be reasonable and customary for payment.
  

  Below are the facts:
  

  Despite signing assignment of benefits to the medical provider to bill and collect, patient received $38,000 from insurance company (see attached documents provided by **************** which included the Assignment of Benefits and Letter of Guarantee for Hospital Bill).
  Provider billed:                                            $44,420.42
  Patient deposit:                                           ($5,000.00)
  Balance due:                                               $39,420.42
  Courtesy Discount to the patient                 ($6,420.42)

  Balance Due                                                $33,000.00
  
  Despite offering a generous discount from the medical provider, the patient is refusing to turn over insurance proceeds received. This is considered engaging in an insurance fraud scheme by enriching themselves from the insurance payment. The fact that the patient incurred extraordinary expenses from air ambulance services has nothing to do with the hospital provider that provided the service as they are independent service providers. 

  We are also aware that **************** posted a ****** Review and made what can be considered to be slanderous / false & misleading statements about PHI. We request that this ****** Review be removed, if ****************** on behalf of his in-laws wants to ensure they can avail themselves of the discount we provided by keeping the deposit and to also avoid any civil liabilities for the statements that were made. 

  As, we have assisted the patient by offering a generous discount. If the payment is not received, we will have no choice but to pursue the debt legally.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 01/03/2023

   
  Complaint: 18670727
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  1. I repeat that PHI knowingly engages in collecting excessive hospital fees from St. *************** in *******************/*********************. This is supported by the US embassy to ******** warning to ** citizens to avoid St. ***************: *******************************************************************************************

  2. It is true that my in-laws signed documents in ****** agreeing to be responsible for all medical bills. But recall, they are age 85 and 87 and were faced with a sudden medical crisis. They did not know that they would be signing for a $44,420.42 invoice for a 3 mile ambulance ride and a *************** a hospital. St. *************** specifically preys on elderly tourists who don't know what they are getting trapped into. Here is a link to another article investigated by the LA Times: *****************************************************************************************************************************************;

  3. Because PHI is aware of both links provided above in 1. and 2., they are knowing accomplices in this crime. They must certainly receive a sizeable commission for their efforts to reclaim the excessive medical bills from St. ******.

  4. I spoke directly with the insurance company about the excessive fees. Contrary to the response by PHI that the insurance company found the fees to be reasonable and customary, the insurance representatives I spoke with told me they pay because they have no way of determining what the proper fees should be in a foreign country. That is why they have a lifetime maximum of $50,000 on these type of policies.

  5. PHI has not offered a "generous discount" and is not asking for $33,000. The facts are that insurance paid 80% (minus a $250 deductible) which amounted to $38,153.52. Less the $5,000 deposit paid in ******, PHI is asking for $33,153.52 and my mother-in-law sent that check already on December 31, 2022 after being threatened with a lawsuit by ***. Threatening lawsuits seems to be a PHI bullying tactic as evidenced by their threat of me for an honest, truthful ****** review.

  6. The air ambulance is related to the excessive hospital bill. The air ambulance was needed to get my mother-in-law back to the US where she could get proper care for her injury. PHI was just faster at getting their billing to the insurance than my 85 and 87 year old in-laws. Because of the $50,000 lifetime limit, a fair solution would be to have a more equitable sharing of the proceeds from the insurance company.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***************************

  

  Business Response

  Date: 01/04/2023

  Hello,

  As previously stated,:

  PHI has nothing to do with the billing performed at Saint ****** hospital, we are not party to how they bill and what they bill. The information provided by the Consulate in ****** applies to Saint ******. PHI is only an administrator submitting bills to the insurance for processing. While ****************** continues to make slanderous and unfounded statements such as PHI being accomplices and stating we receive sizable commissions both are completely untrue. As for the statement relating to a "threat" of a law suit, this is a last resort option if we are being advised that the funds will not be turned over as we have to represent the best interest of our clients and all we do is advise if the funds are not turned over this can lead to PHI filing a law suit for return of the funds. 

  The insurance company due to the fact there is no contract in place b/w the provider of service and the insurance company the claims are processed at Usual and Customary Rates and the fact that the insurance processed and paid the claim in the amount that they did, is due to the fact they determined the charges to be Usual and Customary and not excessive. As previously indicated, if the charges were deemed excessive or were deemed fraudulent then the claim would have been flagged in the insurance company system for corrections. 

  PHI didn't have to provide the over $6K discount in that the balance of the hospital bill was being written off and we also advised they could keep the deposit that they paid, if this determination was not made then the full amount would have been due. 

  We had nothing to do with the decision to have the patient air vac out of ****** at a cost of $68K.  Also, it should be noted medical services in ****** are much higher than in *****************. Due to the fact the patient had a limited insurance policy that capped at $50K, perhaps a travel policy should have been purchased, just in case of a medical emergency to ensure that there would have been sufficient coverage. 

  There is nothing PHI can do about the cost of the services rendered in ****** and therefore PHI couldn't agree to an equitable sharing. 

   

  Customer Answer

  Date: 01/04/2023

   
  Complaint: 18670727
  
  I am rejecting this response because: PHI continues to repeat the same "talking points" which are convenient to point all the blame at St. ****** hospital and my mother-in-law's insurance company. I continue to stand by the six points I wrote yesterday as an accurate representation of the facts.

  I remain ready to seek a compromise with a reasonable sharing of my mother-in-law's total medical costs, including the $62,950 (not $68K as mentioned by PHI) air ambulance flight to return her to the US where she could get the proper care she was not receiving at St. *************** in *******************, ******. I look forward to speaking with the proper representatives from PHI and settling this dispute amicably.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***************************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/29/2022

  Type:Customer Service Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  They are attempting to scam me out of money for an ambulance service I used in ******. They claim the insurance company paid a portion and are trying to collect $880. This is BS because the bill was only $500 and we didnt use any insurance so they are clearly lying and trying to steal money.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 11/30/2022

  Hello,

  My name is ***************** and I am the General Counsel at Passage Health International the duly authorized bill for Medica Line Support (MLS) Ambulance owed by *************. I write to you to respond to the complaint to advise that it is an invalid complaint. 

  I have attached several documents showing the validity of the bill sent to *****************  First document attached is the authorization to receive payments on behalf of *************. **************** was picked up via their ***************** MLS and taken to an *** for treatment.

  Due to HIPAA complaint his Invoice and Explanation of Benefits (EOB) have been redacted. The invoice for services provided which shows the total charges billed to his insurance as $1,666.90 and reflects the deposit he made in the amount of $550.00. The insurance processed the claim in full allowing the total charges of $1,666.90 and a payment of $233.73 was issued. **************** was assigned a total patient responsibility in the amount of $1,433.17 factoring in that he already made the deposit of $550.00 left him a remaining balance of $883.17 which is clearly valid. 

  I also have attached two additional documents completed by ****************, a Letter of Guarantee which guarantees he is responsible for any unpaid charges and the deposit form which does acknowledge that he made the deposit.

  Based on the foregoing as previously stated ******************** complaint is not valid and should be closed as he owes the remaining balance of this claim. If anything additional is needed do not hesitate to contact me at ******************************************* or via phone at ************

  Regards,

  *****************, Esq
  General Counsel, Passage Health International

  Customer Answer

  Date: 11/30/2022

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *************************