ComplaintsforConway Medical Center (Hospital Inc)

• Initial Complaint

  11/14/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I saw a doctor at CMC primary care in June 2022, a very nice doctor who ordered some lab tests. During the visit, the check-out staff member created an online portal account for me, but she forgot to check that I already had one from joining a previous vaccine waitlist. The result of this error was I never could access my lab results. I called the CMC offices and IT department at least ten times to resolve the issue and no one ever fixed the problem. A few times someone said they would look into it and call me back when fixed, but no one ever did. I mostly got a "not my problem" response, call someone else. Several times I was simply hung up on, including a few times when I asked if there was a manager who could help me. I emailed the only email address on the CMC website, their marketing team, no one replied. While I think the health care providers at CMC are good, I have since learned that the CMC admin staff has a reputation throughout the area for this type of incompetence. Recently, I received a bill for the lab tests that I never received the results for. I'd like someone at CMC to actually finally fix this problem. I'd like to receive the lab results. And I want this bill erased and comped by CMC in acknowledgment of the staff incompetence and huge waste of my time this has been. I'll be continuing to look for ways to file complaints about CMC until they resolve this.

  Business response

  01/19/2023

  Business Response /* (1000, 8, 2022/11/23) */ In response to Case #XXXXXXXX, our documentation confirms that on June 22, 2022, labs were ordered on behalf of this patient and that patient was told his medical provider would call with results. It is also documented on June 24, 2022, that patient's medical provider attempted multiple times to reach patient with lab results, but patient did not answer, and patient's voice mailbox was full. There is no indication that patient attempted to retrieve lab results by contacting the medical office directly. On October 18, 2022, we received an email from patient through our external website. The email was immediately forwarded by our Marketing department to CMC's Customer Experience team who attempted same day contact. The call was unsuccessful because patient's voice mailbox was full. On October 24, 2022, a second attempt was made with same results. To retrieve lab results, patient may request a copy of his medical record by contacting our Medical Records department at 843.347.7111. Patient may also complete a Medical Records/HIPAA release form, downloadable from our Patient Guide at www.ConwayMedicalCenter.com, and mail to: Privacy Officer, Conway Medical Center, PO Box 829, Conway, SC 29526. Consumer Response /* (3000, 10, 2022/11/25) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) The reply from CMC is disappointing but not surprising. Not only does it not address my actual complaintabout my inability to access the online portal, CMC staff's incompetent response, and lack of test results after 5 monthsbut the reply seems to accidentally or purposefully get details wrong. On June 22nd, I was told in person at CMC that I would need to access the test results using the online portal. No mention of doing this by phone was ever made to me. Later on 6/22, I discovered I was unable to access the portal, and I began calling CMC over the coming days and weeks to correct what seemed like a simple issue. I have the call records from my cell phone account which prove each of the calls that I made. Sometimes I called CMC staff, other times their IT department, because the staff basically told me this wasn't their problem. Then IT would say the same thing and tell me to call the CMC staff again. While I do receive a lot of calls and messages, and CMC may have tried to call when the mailbox was temporarily full, I was actually on the phone with them for 18 minutes at 9am on 6/24 trying to solve the online access issue. During my estimated ten calls to solve the problem, I explained many times to CMC staff that I was trying to gain access to get my test results, but no CMC staff member ever suggested the results could be provided by call. Additionally, CMC seems perfectly capable of contacting me via other methods, like email or physical mail. For example, they have no trouble sending a bill to my house for these lab results that I never received. Even now, they're basically playing games with lab tests and health issues. Let's suppose those results were to show something that needed to be addressed in a timely manner, yet it is now five months later and I still don't have the results. Not only is CMC incompetent, they behave unethically, and they should not be trusted by anyone with important health matters. I will continue to file complaints where possible and look to assist other people having problems with CMC to do the sameI am familiar with a number of other people in the community having similar types of issues. I'll be changing to a new medical groupand not because of the doctor, the doctor seemed great, and ordered these tests because he said they were needed. But I have wasted six months because of an incompetent staff who should not be working in this field. CMC needs to accept responsibility and remove this charge.

• Initial Complaint

  06/01/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I had multiple exams performed at CMC they asked me for my insurance cards which I provided and at no time was I informed they did not take my insurance and my insurance was out of network. When receiving the bills I called CMC and spoke to two separate billing personnel and was told they didn't have any resolution for this and I can apply for charity. My insurance paid the bill this should be resolve by excepting the payment as paid in full. There is over 12,000 dollars due and this amount at no time was discussed . had this been discussed i would not have had these test performed at CMC.

  Business response

  09/27/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 9, 2022/06/17) */ In consideration of patient inconvenience while pending our reply I am applying a 50% discount to each of the 3 hospital encounters totaling $11,453.19. That will reduce the combined total the patient's insurance allocated to his responsibility down to $5,726.60. However, these were all outpatient, non-emergent services which would have afforded the opportunity for the patient to check his insurance list of in-network providers, or our online internet list of insurances we are contracted with in-network. Consumer Response /* (3000, 11, 2022/06/24) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) Unfortunately I believe the hospital should deduct the entire cost and except what the insurance provider paid. Please keep in mind not only was I not informed I was out of network and you do not except my insurance along with not informing me what the patients out of pocket responsibility is. I have not yet after close to two months received any of the test results. It's seems I am forced to visit doctors who do not take my insurance to get my results. This should be kindly 0rectified with good customer service which starts with first providing me with my medical results that should be seen on the CMC portal and have tjis bill closed as paid in full. This was obviously an oversight and mistake. Thank you

*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. ↩