ComplaintsforLoyola University Medical Cntr.

• Initial Complaint

  02/29/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Unanswered

  More info

  Over one year ago I was involved in the accident and I was treated by a dermatologist regarding my big scar on my face that was itching and hurting. The last appointment on December 13, 2023 was a laser treatment that supposed to help with the itching. The billing department in Loyola decided to submit 2 claims to my insurance as cosmetic procedure. I talked to my dr ****** and my insurance. The insurance said the claim says the procedure wasnt pre approved, it was but the billing department made a mistake not providing the info. After talking to my dr ******, I was told to keep on calling Loyola billing department because they are the ones that made a mistake. I have a bill for a procedure for $2,000 for literally 5 minutes at the ******. I called the billing department twice and let them now to pay attention and read the dr notes. Somehow the billing department is not able to understand that and READ THE NOTES. I am not sure was else to do since the people I talked to seam unqualified and cant do their work. I am left with 2k bill for something that should be paid by insurance. 1k for dr ***** and 1 k for using the facilities. I have been going to Loyola for the last 10 years and never had issues like that before.

• Initial Complaint

  03/27/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  My husband, **************************** was an inpatient from December 8 to December 15, 2022 at Loyola Medical Center, *******, **. On Dec 14, 2022 at approximately ****pm a doctor called me to tell me my husband was found lifeless on a hallway floor of the hospital, he told me they would try CPR. I received my statement from ******** and found that ******** denied Loyola's charges for Dec 14 and 15, 2022, once of which was for ******************************** MD - "****** attempt to restore blood circulation and breathing" classied as number ***** because routine care is not covered. ******** told me to contact Loyola as they must have assigned the wrong number. I have attemped to contact Loyola more times than I can count leaving messages and lastly sending them an email. My husband's on-line medical records are closed out so I cannot use that venue. There is also a bill for ****** for Dec 14, 2022 - also classified as routine care not covered. My secondary insurance BCBS of Illinois will only cover what ******** covers - therefore, they will not cover it becasue it was denied. I can't wrap my mind around a system that will not cover CPR. Was it because he was laying dead in the hallway for too long with no one around? The doctor told me on the phone he did not know how long my husband was lying in the hallway. Still ... CPR is worth a try isnt' it?

  Business response

  04/06/2023

  Please see attached correspondence in response to Complaint #********.

  Thank you.

  Business response

  04/11/2023

  See attached.  We would appreciate your confirmation of receipt.  Thank you.

• Initial Complaint

  03/09/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Date of Doctor ****** 1/6/23.My wife went to see ***************************, MD (Rheumatology) for an initial visit, which with our insurance is a $50 copay. At this visit, the Doctor instructed my Wife to get some blood drawn and **Rays in the lobby of the same Loyola Professional building located in *******, **. We received a bill for the visit for an additional $198.61 after co-pay to cover the expected fees for lab work and **Rays. Shortly there after we received another separate bill which included $3,325 for "Facility Fees". After insurance, we are expected to pay an additional $930.28 for the "use " of the lab and **Ray facilities. We have been to many Doctors for many things and typically both have blood work and/or **Rays and typically pay about $200, which is to be expected. We assumed it was a billing mistake, so we reached out to our insurance carrier and they agreed it appeared to be a billing error. They called Loyola and were told that is how they bill everyone. We in turned called billing and got the same response. We then called the Doctor's ****** and they too thought it was a billing mistake and directed us to Customers Relations and they too thought it was a billing mistake. They called billing and then called us back to tell us, that they were mistaken and the charges were valid. I reached out to the ************************ and disputed the claim and they said the Doctor did not own the Lab or the **Ray equipment and Loyola owned the equipment. So, I went to a Loyola Doctor at a Loyola Clinic and was Charged facilities fees supposedly because the Doctor did own the Facilities. To my knowledge no doctor I have ever gone to has ever owned labs or major equipment. The billing department went on to say my wife signed a billing acknowledgement that we would receive 2 bills and 1 would be facilities charges. My wife does not recall this document and they were unwilling to provide proof that this document was signed.

  Business response

  03/20/2023

  I am in the process of reviewing this matter and respectfully request  7 additional days to respond. 

• Initial Complaint

  03/03/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I had an ** visit and my insurance picked up 90 % of the cost and I paid the rest out of pocket in a bill issued through the Portal. Zero bal. Three months later I received a collection notice from CEP ******* ** LLP *************) out of *******, ** stating my account was 30 days past due for an ** visit on 11/30/22. I tried to contact them for explanation with getting the run around through the vm prompts and on hold for 30 min I hung up. I then contacted LOYOLA BILLING **** at ************ and was told I need to contact the collection agency. I asked why I never received the bill in question from Loyola and asked how this agency received my personal and medical info in the first place. They said the ** in the ** is contracted and has his own billing! WHAT!!!!They violated HIPPA laws and should have simply billed me for ** services.

  Business response

  03/14/2023

  See attached correspondence dated 3/13/23

• Initial Complaint

  01/31/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Unanswered

  More info

  On October 31,2022 was requested to pay upfront of $1500.00 since I did have that amount I agreed to pay $200.00 charged to my account. Fortunately *********************** covered the whole amount and I was not required to pay deductible. I have wriiten 2 times requesting refund but of no use. Not even a cordial reply from them. I have also filed with the credit card company, which I hear is handling the case. Am including copies of billing on that date

• Initial Complaint

  10/29/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I got sick and blew up with water or fluid and started to make it hard for me to breathe. I went from 178 to 212 and was given water pills to get the water out of my body. This started September 21, 2022 and wax hospitalized for 4 days and sent me home (that was at ************* in ******** **). A few days later I was getting worse so went to ER at ************* in ******** ** stayed 2 days, sent me home with water pills but I couldn't breathe at all and having panic attacks do for the 3rd time I went the cardiologist told me I had heart failure and needs a stent in his arties by his heart, but within a half hour he said he can't do it cause his arties are so small due to smoking and we should try ************* downtown ******* but we would have to wait 9 hours cause they were sooo busy even though he needed oxygen, so we came back home and that night he was gasping for breath so I take him to Loyola hospital in ******* ** and they jumped right on it and within 24 hours he lost 7 pounds of fluid and ***************** came to ER and they needed his records from ************* but after several tests they were feeling very good about putting in the stent. They just had to wait a few days for the fluid to get out. He spent 5 days there. Today, October 28th 2022 we had a great cardiologist ************************** came in and said he was waiting on the disc and images from **** and by Monday (10/31/22) he would ready for surgery and how happy me and ***** were. I left to get food within a half hour my husband was yelling, get back fast please! So I get there and they said they weren't going to do the surgery cause he has county care ********** which they take but not for this procedure?! Our insurance is not good enough! I called called county care customer service and they said if its a matter of life and death they can't refuse him, but they released him anyway. We can't wait in the er and for them to run tests! It's all about money! Insurance! Cause we are poor we out?

  Business response

  11/08/2022

  Please see attached Response to Complaint.  This Response was also sent via email to:  **********************************************************************************************

  Thank you.

• Initial Complaint

  09/20/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I have been in frequent contact with the Loyola ****************** for more than a year now related to my bills for physical therapy and medical treatment received from Sept-Nov of 2021. Most recently, I have spoken to a supervisor named April on several occasions. Loyola billed my insurance for the September PT bills and October PT bills in September and October respectively. Loyola did not bill for the November 2021 PT bills until May 2022, resulting in me being billed for and paying out of pocket charges to Loyola and other providers for services received after my physical therapy in the amount of $250. If Loyola had billed my insurance in a timely manner, my out of pocket maximum of $800 would have been fulfilled with the November PT, and the 3rd party payor would have been responsible for those charges. I have requested for Loyola to credit me for the amount I paid, which was the result of their 6 month delay in billing my insurance. I have contacted Patient Relations at Loyola twice and haven't received a reply. The ****************** has told me over and over that they are escalating my case in the Billing Leadership, but no resolution has occurred. I received all of my care related to this fall injury at Loyola in order to simplify billing matters. Instead, it has been a nightmare to deal with Loyola's ******************. It seems like they don't care, and even Patient Relations won't return my calls. Other patients should know about the poor customer service. I wish I had known ahead of time because I could have chosen to go elsewhere for my care. I have continued receiving care at Loyola in the hope that things will improve in the ******************, but this matter has been dragging on for so long that it's added stress to my life. I don't know how patients who are seriously ill could possibly deal with these issues and the amount of time that I've spent trying to correct Loyola's billing mistake.

• Initial Complaint

  07/18/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  This grievance is in regards to an outstanding **** of $1,487.03. I have been, and currently still am a patient of Loyola. Loyola has received approximately $80,000 in payments from my BCBS insurance policy. The **** of $1,487.03 is for the remaining 3 (out of a total of 20) radiation treatments and 1 doctor visit. I had scheduled my treatments to commence on December 2, 2021 and to conclude on December 30th. My insurance deductible was met for the year of 2021 and I had the treatment planned as not to incur any deductible fee. My scheduled treatments were delayed due to maintenance or repairs of one faulty radiation machine. Scheduling called and cancelled 3 of my appointment in the last 2 weeks of December, thus pushing my treatment into January where I would incur a new yearly $7,000 insurance deductible. Loyola could have scheduled my appointments for later in the day as one of the other radiation machines was working properly. Loyola arbitrarily canceled my appointments and maintained treatment appointments for other patients. Loyola should have maintained their equipment properly. I can only hope that interruptions of my radiation treatment will not adversely affect my cancer outcome. I do not believe that I am responsible for $1,487.03. This responsibly lies with Loyola Hospital. Please dismiss the $1,487.03 and retract the statement from the assigned collection agency of *****************************. I have contacted billing on 5-16-22 and spoke with ****** who relayed my statement to Patients Rights. I contacted billing on 6-1-22 and was transferred to Patients Rights where I left a message.I called patients Rights directly on 6-2-22 and left a message.I have sent this letter on 06-07-2022 Loyola University Health Systems and Patients Rights I have not received any response.In addition, I qualify for assistance under Loyolas Financial Assistance and ************ Policy due my lack of income. I was denied with a standard form letter. I was not

  Business response

  07/22/2022

  Hello,

  Thank you BBB for reaching out and sharing this. 
  

  Although Loyola Medicine does its best to maintain equipment, there are times which are out of our control in which equipment must be repaired or updated.  *** patient's physician confirmed that his care was not compromised due to the rescheduled appointments.  *** financial information the patient provided did not qualify for financial assistance, however he can reapply.

   

  Thank you kindly,

  Patient Relation Department

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

• Initial Complaint

  05/25/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On May 06, 2022 I submitted a medical records to the Loyola University Medical Center-medical records department via email at ************ and at ********************** which is standard practice for submitting a medical records request.I requested: the complete unaltered After Visit Summary as of August 14, 2018 for service date: 03/17/14.In response to my request I received an email from the ************ email address which stated the following: Hello **************************... After Visit Summary reports were not created back in 2014. No name of the individual who sent this email was indicated.In response, I logged into my Loyola mychart patient portal. I then went to the visits tab, clicked it. This brought up the Appointments and Visits page. I then scrolled all the way down to my 03/17/14 visit and clicked on the: view my after visit summary tab, which then opened up a document with the heading: After Visit Summary.I then created a .pdf of this after visit summary and attached it to my email response to the ************ and the ********************** for a response.I wrote: I downloaded and copied this 03/17/14 after visit summary directly from my myLoyola patient portal account. Is this not an after visit summary from: 03/17/14. I have received no response.

  Business response

  06/03/2022

  
  June 3, 2022
  
  
  
  Dear Better Business Bureau,
  
  Thank you for the opportunity to respond to the concerns of *************************************** in which you shared with Patient Relations on May 25, 2022. In reviewing this matter with our Health ********************************* Leaders, ************************** has a copy of his March 17, 2014 complete medical records and After Visit Summary.
  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  
  *************************, MBA
  Manager of Patient Relations
  Patient Relations
  

  Customer response

  06/07/2022

   
  Complaint: 17252261
  
  I am rejecting this response because:I requested the unaltered 03/17/14 AVS as of August 14, 2018. In response to my medical records request,

  I received an anonymous email from ************ on: May 18, 2022. In the email was the following: Hello **************************... After Visit Summary reports were not created back in 2014.  A copy of your 3/17/14 record was sent to you. This statement is flat out false. A copy of this email is attached hereto.

  HIPAA requires that your health care provider must tell you in writing (by letter, fax, or e-mail) if they deny your request for your medical record. They must tell you why your request was denied. They also must tell you if you have a right to have their decision reviewed and how you can file a complaint.

  This did not happen, as the email attached hereto confirms. Please let me know if you were able to successfully open the documents.

  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***********************************

• Initial Complaint

  02/07/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I have called numerous times. *****, customer service supervisor, was handling it. She appeared to understand the issue but it is still not resolved. 3 dates of service: 10/18/21, 12/10/21 and 12/16/21. Date of service 12/10/21 is correct. However, Loyola applied 2 HRA payments of ****** each to date of service 12/16/21 creating a CREDIT balance of $83.28. This is an error. One of the $****** payments should've been applied to date of service 10/18/21. I should have a balance due $72.86, not ******. Why would I want a credit balance at a hospital. It makes no sense. I've called, provided check #s and payment info from my HRA. Every customer service representative I get tells me ***** isn't available and there's no other supervisor available. Supporting documentation is uploaded.

  Business response

  02/09/2022

  Hello,

   

  Thank you for reaching out to us and for sharing this concern.

  The concern has been resolved. Please follow up with the patient for more information.

   

  Thank you kindly,

   

  ******

  Patient Relations

  Loyola Medicine

   

  Customer response

  02/12/2022

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

*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. ↩