ComplaintsforTulsa Birth Center

• Initial Complaint

  08/03/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  The business led me to believe that health insurance would cover their services and then billed me and told me I would need to pay out of pocket first.

  Business response

  09/02/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2022/08/05) */ We are surprised to hear that this customer feels misled since we make the cost of our services, and the details of our insurance reimbursement assistance process, public in numerous places; and further disclose and discuss these policies before a customer chooses to initiate a relationship. We have reviewed our records regarding this case and have assembled the following data, all of which is available in our time-stamped record keeping systems. We think it will be clear that this customer had, as all our customers have, ample notification of both our reimbursement assistance process and the cost of engaging our services. This customer initiated contact through our public website, on which is listed the following information about insurance coverage: "We have found that it is least expensive, overall, when clients submit a claim directly to their insurance company for their out-of-pocket expenses. We will help you locate the instructions on how to do this from your insurance provider, but you can usually just call the phone number on the back of your insurance card... Most of the families who have chosen to do this have received some reimbursement from their insurance companies. We are happy to provide any documentation requested by your insurance company." This information can be verified by viewing our website FAQ page. This customer received a free 60 minute consultation. Details are not recorded during these meetings but without exception when customers ask about insurance billing during a consultation they are given the above information. Specifically, they are told that we do not bill insurance directly but will help file for reimbursement after the completion of services by supplying them with the coded paperwork required by their insurer. They are further advised to call their insurance company to verify whether or not the expenses can be reimbursed. This customer's consultation was with the same person who wrote the above website information and who manages billing so they would have had an in-depth understanding of the process. Customers are added to our communication portal and records whether or not they logged in to register their accounts. Our system shows this customer logged in to the portal the same day she was added. This enabled all information sent through that portal to be viewed via both her personal email address and directly through the portal. This customer chose to initiate service from our online booking page. The service she selected clearly lists a cost of $500 both in the price and in the description of the service. It goes on to state that this $500 is due at the time that services are rendered. You can verify this information by viewing the booking page of our website. Records show that, after the customer had booked an appointment for services, but before she had received services, she was sent our Financial Agreement through the portal, making it viewable both through the portal and through a notification sent to her personal email. This document states, in part: "A deposit of $500 is due at your first appointment." Records show this customer then logged in to the platform multiple times over the next 8 days, giving ample time and opportunity to view the agreement before she received services. This customer chose to receive services with a cost of $500 after disclosure via easily accessible website information, interactive booking page, and a formal financial agreement. After this customer chose to discontinue services, she submitted a written request through the portal for "a new bill with the fee of my one Appt, $500," further demonstrating her complete understanding of the cost involved. As requested, and promised by our website, this customer was sent a detailed invoice listing her charges for the services rendered, all the required reimbursement paperwork, and detailed instructions explaining how to submit the paperwork to her insurance for reimbursement. The customer then sent a message accusing us of deception three days before we received notice of this fraudulent complaint. The above data clearly demonstrates that no deception was possible. All of our insurance reimbursement information is listed publicly on our website and details that you will have to submit for insurance reimbursement of your costs. Additionally, the $500 payment due at the time of care was prominently listed in two different locations at the time of booking, as well as in the financial agreement that was sent before this customer chose to initiate a relationship. Again, as promised, this customer has already been provided with all the necessary documentation required to request reimbursement of her costs. We consider the issue resolved.

*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. ↩