ComplaintsforRichmond Foot & Ankle Clinic, LLC

• Initial Complaint

  08/24/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I was seen here as a patient on 9/19/22 and 9/28/22. I had a 1 trimming & 2 strappings done on my 1st visit. On my 2nd visit, I was given 2 x-rays and informed Dr. Richmond that strapping was not effective. I recieved 2 bills on the patient portal, borh w/ charges for double services. It shows 4 office visits in total (2 on each date of service), 4 x-rays, 2 charges for trimming, and 4 charges for strapping. I spoke to 3 different people who claimed they were “in charge” of billing. Nobody has been able to help me in 6 phone calls, 4 emails or the "text for help" line. On my 2nd bill, there was a $35 balance that disappeared and showed as now “paid” after making these calls. I assumed there was an adjustment made by somebody in the office. After months of no clarity, I was passed along to Willa Fails. She claims she is in-charge of billing & has no supervisor. Over the next several weeks, I decided to move our conversations to e-mail because she was very unprofessional & rude. She claimed the billing portal needed to be “fixed.” I've waited over a month now and the billing portal is still not fixed. Willa did refund charges for strapping in the amount of $27.33 and said I should not have been charged for it. She did not reply to my last email. I spoke to another receptionist that said Dr. Richmond would call me- I've heard nothing, Willa reassured me none of these bills would be sent to collections. A month later she claimed the reason it shows the $35 balance as "paid" is because it was sent to collections (?). She keeps asking me for bank statements- there is no statement to show. The only payment I made was on my 1st visit and its documented in their system. My portal says I owe $80 and still shows the $35 "paid bill" (which is in collections?). Willa claims I owe $87.67. The portal will not allow me to pay more than the balance shown that is due. I've tried in good faith to pay this for months now. I'd like the bill written off entirely.

  Business response

  09/12/2023

  To who it may concern,
  
                  *** ******** ***** was seen at our office on 9/19/22 and 9/28/22. According to *** ***** her secondary insurance wasn’t going to cover her copay, therefore she would be responsible for payment. On date for service 9/19/22 *** ***** only paid $45 of her $80 copay resulting in a balance of $35. *** ***** sent screen shots that the $35 balance had been paid. I told *** ***** that on my end the she still owed the $35 payment. I asked her if she made the payment, I need proof of payment so I could send it to my EMR company to locate the payment if was truly made by her. *** ***** never provided any proof that she made that $35 payment. *** ***** was seen on 9/28/22 by the doctor and that resulted in another copay of $80, which she didn’t pay. Now, *** *****’s balance is $115.00.                
                  Now, almost a year later and the balance still isn’t paid. *** ***** looked at the patient portal and was looking at the charges and accusing us double charging her insurance company. I told *** ***** that wasn’t true because if it was it would raise a red flag and stop us from sending in a duplicate claim. I also explained to *** ***** if she didn’t believe me, she was more than welcome to call her insurance company and they would give her the exact charges we sent to the insurance company. *** ***** did let me know that on visit 9/28/22 she actually didn’t get another strapping and I told Dr. Richmond. Dr. Richmond told me credit her account what the insurance paid her the strapping procedure. I added the credit to her account bringing her new balance $87.67.
  Now *** ***** wants to keep saying that her portal isn’t reflecting what I’m telling her. I did call our EMR explaining the situation and they said they would look into it and get it fixed. I did also tell her that they didn’t give a time on when it would be fixed. She said it shouldn’t go to collections, but I explained well these claims are almost a year old and the balance is a result of your copay. I did take it out of collections because said she was pay the balance via her patient portal. I explained to her that the longer you wait this balance will go to our inhouse collections.  I also explained to *** ***** that had she paid her copay at the time of visit we wouldn’t have had this issue. The office has now sent her copies showing her balance via email and the thru regular mail. Now, that balance has now went back to our inhouse collections.
  
  P.S. I attached the EOB’s for both visits and highlighted patient responsibility.

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