ComplaintsforUniversity Hospitals of Cleveland

• Initial Complaint

  05/22/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Transaction date: 4/22/2024 Amount billed $150.00 I canceled my office visit to the University Hospital ********* Department at the ** ********* ****** *****r 7 days before my appointment. I did this using a text message. The UH ********* Department at the ** ********* ****** *****r confirmed my cancellation on 4/16/2024 via a text message. UH billed still billed me $150 for this office visit. I contacted UH Customer Service Department regarding this billing error on 4/30, 5/15, and 5/22/2024. I have been advised the matter is still being reviewed. During each contact with Customer Service, I offered to send them a copy of the text showing I canceled the appointment on 4/16/2024. Each time, I was told it was not necessary. Due to their lack of effort, I have a $150 facing me.

  Business response

  05/28/2024

  Hello,

  I took a look at the Dr's notes and the $150.00 is not for a office visit.  There was a $150.00 charge for the Flex trial device. This was explained during the first visit. I attached the billing form from the office.

• Initial Complaint

  05/15/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Unanswered

  More info

  I received treatment on October 12, 2023. University Hospitals submitted the bill to my insurance and the allowed amount under the insurance contract was paid in full, part of it by my primary insurance and the balance by my supplemental insurance, according to the Explanation of Benefits showing settlement dates of 11/6/23 and 11/9/23. Then in March 2024, University Hospitals resubmitted the bill for the date of service of October 12, 2023 with higher amounts for the treatment and my insurance company indicated in the Explanation of Benefits that I received for that submission that the submission was for duplicate charges and they had already been paid. Subsequently, on or about May, 12, 2024, I received a bill from University Hospitals seeking payment for the difference even though the original billed amount/allowed charges was paid in full. I should not be responsible for the amount they are now claiming owed based on the increased billed amount in March 2024. If University Hospitals submitted an incorrect amount when it first submitted the bill to my insurance then it is its responsibility, not mine. I have called UH customer service and the response I received from a woman named Nicole was unprofessional as she spoke to me like I was a child and outright lied to me saying that she had an Explanation of Benefits received on 3/28/24 wherein the insurance company said I, the patient, was responsible for $604.73. When asked for a copy as I did not receive that document, she said I had to request it from the insurance. I called the insurance company and the representative told me there was no such Explanation of Benefits stating that but that the last one, dated 3/20/24 stated it was for duplicate charges and the charges were already paid for. The Explanation of Benefits and the bill recently received are attached.

  Business response

  05/22/2024

  I am currently working with our team and Jason ********* to get this resolved

• Initial Complaint

  04/17/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Invoice #******* Date of service 12/1/2023 Patient ********** ***** ****** Balance due $28.00 I have been receiving monthly bills from university hospital requesting I pay them $28.00. I wad listed as the guantor on this account by mistake. I have contacted them 4 times to inform them I am not. They requested a copy of the divorce decree that shows the child's mother is responsible. They advised me that they had made the error and would correct it. I recieved another bill today and they told me to just pay it. HELP

  Business response

  04/17/2024

  Good Afternoon,

  I took a look at the accounts and corrected them to show ******* as the Guarantor. If you have any other issues or concerns please feel free to reach out to me.

  Jen W.  Escalation Specialist ************

• Initial Complaint

  03/18/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  University Hospitals has the audacity to send a bill for my wife ***** **** date of service to collection. Date of service is June 14, 2022 for $40. I have had this problem for several years and have to call them some of the time to bill secondary insurance because this is how it has been for almost eternity.? f you had the right billing system this would not happen. Patients have to waste hours with you unecesarrlily to straighten out bills.

  Business response

  04/01/2024

  Good Morning,

  Please disregard anything you have received for this bill.  i made sure that it was taken care of. I also reached out to the agency and having them pull it back. They should send you a letter that it was pulled out of collections. I'm sorry that you had to deal with all of this.  Rest assured that it is corrected and taken care of.

  Jen W  Escalations Specialist  ************

  Customer response

  04/01/2024

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I do not accept the resonamse. I received no notification that it was pulled from collections  Furthermore  until I know that uh bills are properly forwarded to secondary insurance I do not accept.  I am still calling g uh to forward some bills to secondary.  While this particular bill is solved, the problem still exist for many years 
  Regards,
  
  ******* ****
  
  
  
  
   

• Initial Complaint

  03/01/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Today I called in to the billing customer service number of 800-859-5906 - for additional information on my open application for financial assistance on an open bill. My initial call was with an individual by the name of Michelle - they were unable to assist so I requested to speak to anyone who could help - I was hung up on . I call back and I get a Sherri , I’m told again they can’t help - so I ask again to connect me to who CAN help , they say they are connecting me to a supervisor- Joann - this is where the experience gets to be horrible. The “Supervisor” comes onto t he phone already disrespectful , dismissive and offering no assistance. She cuts me off in the middle of explaining what I’m needing to put me on hold for 10 minutes just to come back and repeat the same thing that their department can’t help - I go to ask who CAN help to which she cuts me off and begins yelling in my ear - so I begin also yelling . This is completely unacceptable! If the billing department does not process the applications for financial aid they should at the bare minimum be able to provide a number for the individuals who do ! To scream at a customer , cut them off and be overall disrespectful when in a supervisor role is absolutely not okay in any event . This individual needs a new job . I want a formal complaint on this agent and for my call to be pulled and reviewed by upper management . Complete misconduct! I then call patient advocates per their instructions and there’s also no one answering that line either ! Big surprise . If this is how they run their organization and the individuals they trust with your private health information that is terrifying !

  Business response

  03/20/2024

  Hi Emily,

  I apologize for the way you were treated.  I am having the calls pulled and sent to upper management for review. The very first Customer Service person should have given you a phone number and then transferred you as well as the second person. So that will be reviewed as well. I saw a note in your file that you have been in contact with financial assistance through MyChart.  The phone number for the financial assistance department is 866-771-7266.  If you need further assistance from Customer service please feel free to reach out to me.

  Jennifer W.  Escalation Specialist 216-358-2183

• Initial Complaint

  02/20/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Unanswered

  More info

  I am being billed for services at University Hospitals that never took place. This bill states that I have a child, which I do not. It also states I am an employee at University Hospital. I am not. I have called them and they stated not to worry about it to shred the first bill, but that if I did get another bill it would have to be further investigated. I feel that this is a scam and I want my name removed from their system.

• Initial Complaint

  01/30/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I have been making payments as agreed upon by all parties and University Hospitals has sent me to collections four times so far. The last time I was sent to collections, they advised me they took it back from collections but my payments would go up. I declined those terms and advised that we already had an agreement. I have tried to speak with management three times and was told I would receive a call back, and have not heard from anyone. I advised that if this is not resolved I would seek additional help from media outlets. I have both emailed and texted proof of payments made.

  Business response

  02/02/2024

  Good Morning,

  I reviewed the account.  I apologize for the confusion.  I found your file with the notes of your agreement with those balances. I have corrected the payment plan in our system and it is set for $100.00 a month. Please feel free to reach out to me directly if you have further complications.

  Regards,

  Jennifer

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

  Customer response

  02/03/2024

  [A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response.  If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]
  
  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, however, if this happens again and I am reported to a collection agency regarding this account, after fulfilling my agreed obligation, I will no longer have a balance on my account and this is non-negotiable. No one should ever have to deal with this from a healthcare system. 
  
  Regards,
  
  **** *********
  
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  01/22/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I received a home health service from University Hospitals on 10/13/2023 and the amount I am responsible for is $37.20 (insurance paid the balance $408.69). The problem is that University Hospitals sent me the bill on 1/11/2024, 3 months later whereby I was forced to spend the FSA funds I had accumulated (at that point in excess of $600) on FSA eligible items since they would have expired on 12/31/2023 and at that point I had no healthcare bills. I find it grossly unfair and inexcusable that due to taking 1/4 of a year to send a bill I must now find additional money to pay a bill when the money that was set aside for this I was unable to use because of their tardiness. I communicated this with University Hospitals billing and asked them to remove this payment from my bill and they essentially told me that billing cycles can take a long time and it is not their fault. I find this ridiculous. I would like this $37.20 charge removed.

  Business response

  02/02/2024

  Good Morning,

  Generally Insurance companies can take 30 day to a full year to finish a claim. We are not able to get a bill out until it is completed. By law we have this time to get a bill out to the patient. I know from experience that previously I was able to submit to to my FSA for a few months after the end of the year.  I would suggest reaching out to the FSA and see if that is an option.

  Customer response

  02/05/2024

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I do not accept that it is reasonable as they stated to send the bill up to 1 year since the date of service (in my case it was 3 months but still unacceptable). University Hospitals also said in their reply that I have 3 months to submit my claim to the FSA. Let’s examine an alternate scenario, let’s say that I had decided to leave what was approximately $650 in the FSA and no bill had arrived after Dec 31st, I would have essentially wasted that money for the possibility that I would receive a medical bill. Therefore I could not rationally just leave the funds there knowing that they would expire if not used on FSA eligible items. 
  

  My complaint is that if they had sent the bill in a timely fashion, I would have clearly used that money which I had set aside to pay it. Now their tardiness leads me to have to account for an additional expense which I don’t find fair. 
  
  Regards,
  
  ****** *******
  
  
  
  
   

  Business response

  02/05/2024

  I understand your frustration. However your medical bill was sent in a timely fashion. We can not bill until your insurance company finishes there process and then we finish our and print and mail a bill.  Typically it takes around 2- 3 months. You were aware of the service and could have planned for that bill. We cannot speed up that process. The Insurance company has up to one year to complete their process and the hospital then can bill the patient. 

  Customer response

  02/06/2024

  Respectfully I find your tone and your assertions insulting. 

  Yes I did know of this service however with University Hospitals I never know what to expect. As evidenced by the fact that I was overcharged by your institution and after 9 months of complaining I was finally refunded over $700. It is not even that it is a large amount. It is the principle of the matter. How much do you suggest I set aside? $5? $500? I have attached evidence of this refund to give you some context. 

  [To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, we would like to know your view on the matter.]
  
  Regards,
  
  ****** *******
  
  
  
  
   

• Initial Complaint

  01/15/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I’ve applied for financial assistance twice (once in December and once in January) and instead of helping me or giving me feedback, they’ve sent me to collections with ***** ****** Incorporated. I’ve been laid off from my job. I cannot afford their monthly payment plans. There’s been no effort to contact me about my applications or even work with a lower amount per month. I can barely pay my bills on the unemployment amount I receive. If there was an error in my application or my uploads didn’t include everything, they could’ve reached out! Instead they kicked me to collections! Please work with me on processing my financial assistance (they can find a brand new application today with everything they’re looking for) and have UH contact me by phone and/or email if they need anything additional.

  Business response

  01/17/2024

  Hi ********,

  I reviewed your case for financial assistance. The first time you applied it appears that the team never got the info they requested. But this second time, the case you sent in was sent the same day you made this complaint through BBB.  The Team has this case pending in progress for you. Please be patient while they work on it. 

  Thank you 

  Jen W.

  Customer response

  01/17/2024

  [A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response.  If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]
  
  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. 
  

  I figured out what the issue was and the collections notice was from a bill I didn’t receive that was valid. I paid the amount they requested and everything is fine with UH right now. 
  
  Regards,
  
  ******** *******
  
  

  
  

• Initial Complaint

  12/18/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I spent 45 minutes today waiting for my blood lab to be taken. There were three lab "experts" wondering around as though they didn't know what they were doing. The lobby was empty. I walked up to the lab a second time and rang the doorbell. Finally I was called to the window and told no blood labs have been ordered until June of 2024. The ONLY reason I come to see you every three months is to discuss the findings of the blood labs; specifically my A1C. There is a sign conveniently posted on the window in the lobby that states ZERO TOLERANCE. This sign should be turned around and given the caption FOR INCOMPETENCE. This is not the first time I have encountered poor communication with you, your staff and the Neanderthals working in the blood lab but it will be the last. One more encounter like this and YOU'RE FIRED !!! ****** ****** ********** 

  Business response

  12/21/2023

  Please allow me to apologize.  I am sending this on to our patient advocates for better handling. They will reach out to help.

  Customer response

  12/21/2023

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
  
  THIS DOES NOT SOLVE THE PROBLEM
  
  Regards,
  
  ****** ******
  
  
  
  
   

*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. ↩