Complaints

• Initial Complaint

  02/09/2025

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I went to the ** at the end of August, and was billed for the visit in October. I paid it in full, but St. Clair hospital keeps sending me mail saying I owe the money I already paid. I've called them more than once and even emailed them proof of payment. I was told they would look into it further but that was back in December. I'm now getting another piece of mail saying that statements not paid will be sent to collections but they have absolutely done nothing on their end to finish this transaction. I've already paid months ago and I'm not sure why they can't figure it out on their end but this is ridiculous.

  Business response

  02/13/2025

  Hello Ms. **************** you for sharing your concerns with us regarding a payment you made on 10/1/24. I have reviewed this inquiry with our billing team and was assured that they have taken care of your issue. This payment you made was to a different provider and was not for the ** services back in August 2024, therefore,we had no record of the payment in our system. I would like to apologize for the delay here and hope that we have resolved your concern completely this time around. Please do not hesitate to reach out if you need any additional assistance from us. 

   

• Initial Complaint

  01/28/2025

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I am always treated poorly by a triage person. He makes it my fault for being sick. No matter the issue, he gets extremely angry at me. Yesterday, Monday I was taken to St Clair for cardiac issues. I was called a pill pusher, I just wanted attention & a liar. I do not know his name, but he was tall with blonde hair. He is uncouth, crude & disgusting towards me. He had me sit in the waiting room for hours on end until I took a Lyft to a different hospital where they have brains & never to treat their patients inferior. I am highly disgusted and have had it with that hospital!! I dont care how much money I have to spend to go to other hospitals. What he said was uncalled for & I will make sure I never go back there. As an influencer, dont even get me started.

  Business response

  02/03/2025

  On behalf of St. Clair Health I would like to thank you for reaching out through the Better Business Bureau and via phone directly to St Clair Hospital regarding your experience in the ******************** on January 27, *******. Clair Hospital takes patient concerns very seriously and appreciates the opportunity to look into your encounter. 

  Your concerns regarding your interaction with our triage staff, wait time, and choosing to seek care at another facility were reviewed by hospital leadership including but not limited to the Chair of Emergency Medicine, the Director of ******************* and the Director of Patient Safety and Regulatory Affairs. This review is now considered complete. I apologize for the amount of time you spent waiting to be seen in the ********************. The ******************** wait time can vary based on many factors and the wait was higher than usual on this day. This is not what we strive for at St Clair Hospital. I apologize for your interaction with our triage staff member. While I cannot share any personnel action taken please know all personnel actions were thoroughly and thoughtfully handled including any opportunities to utilize education and corrective action to improve our patient experience moving forward. I am unable to reimburse you for the Lyft charges of $45 you reported in your phone message, when you left our facility to seek care at another hospital. While your experience cannot be changed, please know we take your concerns seriously and appreciate the opportunity to utilize your feedback to make improvements and work toward providing the best possible patient experience. We understand it is a privilege to provide care to you and want to continuously work toward providing the highest quality of care.

  Thank you for taking your time to bring your concerns to our attention, and again my apologies for your experience. Please contact me at ************ if I can be of further assistance. 
  

  Sincerely, 
  

  *** Cober 
  Patient Representative 
  Patient Safety and Regulatory Affairs Department 
  

  
  

  Customer response

  02/03/2025

  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.
  

  I do not accept the non refundable of the Lyft to the other hospital.

  
  Regards,
  
  ***** *********

• Initial Complaint

  11/26/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Hello, I am having issues with St Clair Health and their Billing Area. Long story but in 2023, starting August 1, I have 7 Lab Charges netting to ******, At that time, I only had Highmark as my insurer but in April 2024, I was approved for esrd (End State Renal Failure).Medicare Part A and B retro to 8/1/23. I paid this amount in 2023 to avoid collections (As this is my deductable). I have been asking St Clair to ************* for those back charges so I can be reimbursed the money I paid. It is November and St Clair still has not done the billing. I have been calling every few weeks only get the run around. Now that we are past 12 months, ******** informed me that they will not pay St Clair anything. St Clair owes me the funds due to their inept billing area. I would like to file a complaint against them. I have Cancer and **** and really do not have the time to deal with this so hoping you can step in.

  Business response

  12/05/2024

  Hello Mr. ****************** you for reaching out to share your concern regarding the $542.34 bill for your visits at *** Clair Health. I understand that you are concerned about timely response/resolution from our billing vendor. I want to assure you that we have taken necessary actions to rectify this situation as a priority. We use a third-party vendor for patient statement billing,and they failed to share information provided by you, therefore, we were not able to update insurance information in our system timely. I have addressed this issue with the vendor and can confirm that we have reviewed all your open accounts and are billing ******** for back charges. A refund in the amount of $575.82 was approved on 11/5/24 and checks were mailed out to you on 11/22/24. 

  I hope I have been able to address your concerns and would like to apologize for any inconvenience you have faced due to our current process. We appreciate your choosing St. Clair Health not only to meet your healthcare needs, but also to meet the healthcare needs of your family. If you have any additional questions, please do not hesitate to reach out.

   

• Initial Complaint

  12/04/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  This is regarding the payment code:*************.My wife had a panic attack and called 911 so we were taken to StClair emergency department by the ambulance. We waited for almost 2 hours to get in ER due to long wait time, meanwhile she was fine & recovered herself before we got in ER. Nurse/doc talked with wife & they told we need to consult psychiatrist outside as for then she was ok. The only thing they did in ER department is they took her blood and sent for lab to test for any tablet she might have taken. No checkup or treatment of any sort or done.But I received multiple bills: one from doctor(payment code: ************) for $356 which was $121.64 after insurance and one from lab (****** *** ******* pathology) which was $160 and $45 after insurance . Both bills are payed off as of today . Also I had an ambulance bill with third party which is also settled. Again now after few months I got hospital bill payment code: ************* which is $751.41 after Cigna insurance adjustments (Pre-insurance bill $1922). When I called at St.Clair billing department they said this bill is for ER department. But as I see in the bill the ER room fees is $459 , but the Chemistry/Hemato lab fees is $1392 and microbiology bill is $71. ER room bill is for we entered there even if we dint took any medical care, but the lab bill is shocking as we already had lab bill separately and also for blood test shd not cost so much , when called they said it’s equipment’s charge. The equipment fee should not be this much nor we needed or asked for any blood tests.We feel we have been billed wrongly & incorrectly. I called twice St Clair billing department & asked for itemized charges of the lab bill which I still dint to get from the hospital, they said they would mail me but dint, nor did they replied to my email sent.Request to have review on this bill &help in this matter to correct the charges as we dint took any treatment or procedure from the hospital nor we asked/needed blood test

  Business response

  12/08/2023

  Dear BBB and Mr. *******,
  
  Thank you for reaching out to us to outline the concerns you have regarding the cost of services for your recent visit to St. Clair Hospital’s Emergency Department (Date of Service 11/21/2022, Account Number ********). We have reviewed your account and have not identified any billing errors for the Emergency Department visit in question, I am attaching supporting documents for your reference as well.
  
  For services rendered in Emergency Department, separate bills are generated by the various providers involved in your care. You can expect to receive a separate bill from the ED physician, any specialists involved, ambulance (if one was used), and a facility bill for the actual ED visit. The $45 you paid was for the pathologist’s professional fee and the $121.64 payment you made was most likely the professional fee for the ED physician. The $751.41 bill from St Clair is for the facility charges related to the Emergency Department visit. I have attached itemized statement where you can see a breakdown of all labs that were done along with Emergency Department room charge. St Clair's bill is specifically for the labs, ED room charge, and a urine culture, aka microbiology. We are not seeing any equipment charges billed to you.

  We understand that healthcare bills and cost can be overwhelming at times, and we have some programs to assist our patients. I would encourage you to call ************ on your statement to learn more about your options under our Financial Assistance program.
  
  We appreciate your choosing St. Clair Health not only to meet your healthcare needs, but also to meet the healthcare needs of your family.  If you have any additional questions, please do not hesitate to reach out.

  Customer response

  12/11/2023

  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.
  
  *** ****** ** ** ******** **** ****** ** * ****** ** ***** **** ** **** **** **** ** *** ********
  
  Regards,
  
  ********** *******

• Initial Complaint

  08/03/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Billing issue with Dr. Karin O***** of the St. Clair Medical Practice located on Oxford Drive in Bethel Park. Dr. O***** ordered bloodwork to be done on me, ***** *******, as part of a yearly physical in July 2021. Once I completed the bloodwork, I began to receive bills from Quest Diagnostics in the amount of $264.06 for one test that was not covered. It was for a general blood panel. After contacting Highmark and Quest, I was advised that Dr. O***** used the wrong code for my bloodwork tests. Multiple calls, email, and messages to their office has yielded nothing. I have been trying to resolve this myself for over a year now. I am currently on hold again with their office just to exemplify how no one ever answers the phone (8 minutes already). We've left detailed messages, my wife and I, but nothing is resolved. We are asking for intervention from the BBB. Thank you.

  Business response

  09/09/2022

  September 6, 2022 
  

  Better Business Bureau 520 East Main Street Suite 100 Carnegie, PA 15106 
  

  This letter is in response to the ********** ************ filed by ***** ******* against St Clair Hospital and referencing an updated diagnostic code submission to Quest Diagnostics. The physician's office made numerous attempts to reach the patient via phone to resolve this issue beginning in November of 2021. The patient left a message requested corrected diagnostic codes be sent to Quest Diagnostic. On November 11, 2021, the physician corrected the codes and the updated information was faxed to Quest Diagnostics. The physician's office attempted to notify the patient of this fact, but the phone number listed for the patient was disconnected. The patient again contacted the office in July of 2022. Several attempts were made to respond to the patient including July 6, 7, and 18, 2022. Messages were also left on the patient's wife's cell phone. The physician's office requires a copy of the invoice from Quest Diagnostics to further assist the patient and cannot move forward without the patient providing this information. The Patient Representative's Office left a voice message for the patient indicating what information is needed by his physician's office to resolve this concern. We also sent a letter encouraging him to contact us to discuss his concern in more detail. At St Clair Hospital we take patient concerns very seriously and appreciate the opportunity to work with patients to resolve issues and provide the best possible patient experience. We will be happy to provide updated information to the Better Business Bureau and more details of our response, once we receive clarity from the patient. 
  Thank you very much for your time and the opportunity to resolve this patient's concern. If | may be of further assistance, please contact me at ************* 
  

  Sincerely, 
  
  Amy C**** Patient Representative 
  

  
  

  Customer response

  09/16/2022

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to ********* ** ********* and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
  
  We began calling Dr. O******* *ffice in July of 2021 regarding the invoice. I didn't note the date and time or the content of my messages, but no one ever call me back. We continued to receive monthly invoices and in November 2021, I again attempted to contact Dr. O*****. At that time, the office had apparently changed their number, as I could only reach the main office number when I called Dr. O******* (*** ********** **** number. I looked online and found a different number, but again reached the main number. Both times I was transferred to Dr. O******* *ffice only to find the staff at lunch or just not responding to calls.
  
  Once I finally got in touch with staff, they said that they tried to call us multiple times at an old number even though my cell phone number is on file with Dr. O******* *ffice (as is my wife's cell phone number). No one ever attempted to contact either of us at those numbers.
  
  I could go around and around with this, but the point is that they entered the wrong code for their procedure and would not give us the time of day to make it right. I contacted them again and again and once I finally got connected with the office manager, still nothing happened.
  
  Therefore, I filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau to help resolve the issue. Someone seemingly higher up, Ms. C****, eventually reached out and left a voicemail on September 9, 2022 in which she mentions needing the invoice, which I promptly photographed and sent to her via email at *********************. I specifically mentioned that no one had called us or left any messages regarding the Quest invoices (again, they have both of our cell phone numbers; I am happy to request phone records). We still have Ms. C****'s voicemail as well if that may help.
  
  This is the most contact I have had from the hospital in the past year and a half. Once we have proof that the invoices will stop, then we will be satisfied. An official apology for poor customer service by numerous people over a year-and-a-half timeframe would also be appreciated. We have since switched to Allegheny Health Network and are beyond satisfied. Ironically I need a refill on an old script from Dr. O*****, but haven't called because I figure no one will answer. 
  
  Regards,
  
  ***** *******
  
  

  Business response

  10/03/2022

  This letter is in response to the ********** ************ filed by ***** ******* against St Clair Hospital and referencing an updated diagnostic code submission to Quest Diagnostics. The patient's wife did promptly submit a copy of the needed invoice to St. Clair Health as requested on September 16, 2022 and this information is greatly appreciated. An administrative review of the patient's chart was completed. The coding for the completed lab work was reviewed and compared with the invoice from Quest Diagnostics provided by the patient. The review determined there was no clinical justification for the lab work and the physician practice will assume responsibility for the payment of $264.06 indicated on the invoice. St Clair Health issued a check for payment to Quest Diagnostics on September 26, 2022. We apologize for this error, the communication concerns, and for the length of time needed to respond to and resolve this concern. We understand the patient's frustration and apologize to the patient and his wife for this situation. At St Clair Hospital we take patient concerns very seriously and appreciate the opportunity to work with patients to resolve issues and provide the best possible patient experience. 
  Thank you very much for your time and the opportunity to resolve this patient's concern. If I may be of further assistance, please contact me at ************* 
  Sincerely, 
  
  Àmy C**** Patient Representative 
  

  
  

• Initial Complaint

  08/02/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Incorrect or fabricated notes that could delay treatment was placed in my file.

  Business response

  09/06/2022

  August 31, 2022 
  Better Business Bureau 520 East Main Street Suite 100 Carnegie, PA 15106 
  

  
  This letter is in response to the complaint, ************ filed by ***** ***** against St Clair Hospital and referencing "incorrect or fabricated notes that could delay treatment." We have made numerous attempts to reach the patient via phone to discuss her concerns. We also sent a letter encouraging her to contact us to discuss her concerns in detail. Unfortunately, we are unable to move forward with the complaint without more detailed information from the patient. At St Clair Hospital we take patient concerns very seriously and appreciate the opportunity to work with patients to resolve issues and provide the best possible patient experience. We will be happy to provide updated information to the Better Business Bureau and more details of our response, once we receive clarity from the patient. 
  Thank you very much for your time and the opportunity to resolve this patient's concern. If I may be of further assistance, please contact me at ************* 
  Sincerely, 
  
  Amy ***** Patient Representative 
  

  
  

• Initial Complaint

  02/28/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Order Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I am seeking assistance with procedures which took place on 4/6/2021 at the McMurray outpatient office. Specifically, I had x-rays and an MRI. I paid for the services out of my FSA to take advantage of the 10% discount. My insurance company - Aetna - mistakenly also paid the claim from the Health Savings Account, but without the discount applied. At the end of December, my FSA was refunded the amount of $427.33 due to the duplicate payment on the claim. My FSA was mistakenly refunded. Instead, my insurance company should have been refunded. The issue at hand is that my FSA does not roll over. The $427.33 charge must be reinstated against my FSA, or I stand to lose that amount of money. My HSA with Aetna, on the other hand, does roll over. This is time sensitive as the 2021 FSA claims period closes on 3/15/2022

  Business response

  03/29/2022

  This letter is in response to complaint ID ******** filed with the BBB on 2/28/2022 by **** ******. 
  The root cause of this error appear to be that two accounts were created in error for this patient, *********** 4/5/21 (correct) and ********DOS 4/6/21(incorrect). 
  Originally, the patient opted to provide payment upfront using their FSA card to pay for services on 4/7/21, taking advantage of the point of service discount for 12% off their balance. This payment was applied to the correct account (*********** ******* in the amount of $427.33 with a $58.27 discount applied, total value of $485.60. 
  Charges were added to the duplicate account that was created by mistake ************ ******) and a subsequent claim was sent to Aetna in error. The claim that was submitted to Aetna in error has been cancelled; Aetna has reinstated the funds to the patient's HSA in the amount of $458.60. 
  Our records have been updated to place the charges on the correct account (*******-DOS 4/5/21) and a new claim was submitted to Aetna. 
  Before the charges were corrected, the patient's FSA card was refunded in full because a credit balance for the amount of the payment was the only value on the account in the absence of charges. 
  Patients are responsible to either elect or decline the option their insurance provides them to withdrawal funds from their HSA account to pay for services provided. Since Aetna was not made aware the patient intended to opt out of paying for services using the HSA account they have setup, claim processing proceeded to withdrawal the HSA funds to provide payment for the services to St. Clair. 
  In light of this issue, St. Clair will cover the remaining patient responsibility from the claim that was newly submitted to Aetna on 3/17/2022. 
  We hope that the patient will accept this resolution and continue to choose St. Clair Health as their provider of choice in the future. If you should have any additional questions please contact me at the number below. 
  Kind 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. ↩