Complaints

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. 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.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/02/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I am hoping to get assistance with a billing issue I am having with EMS. I continue to receive billing statements that do not include prior payments and my account should be paid in full aside from another balance which is on a payment plan. I have attempted to reach out to EMS, including my most recent attempt on 8/27 during which I spoke to June and was told that she only was able to access my current amount due and not any other information. I asked to speak to someone who had access to my prior payments and she said that it was not an option. She indicated the only option was that she could send a request for the bill to be reviewed/ rebalanced by IT. I asked if I could speak to this person and she said no, but that I should keep my line open and that I would get a call back to let me know if there were any changes made. I asked her if I would get a call from someone who could review this amount with me and she said no. I then asked if I could have an itemized statement with my payments listed and she said no. I then asked to speak to a manager and was transferred to a voicemail which only had a woman's name and no further information. I left a voicemail requesting a call back, I have not received any further calls back from EMS. I am beyond frustrated as my account should be paid in full and it appears that I have no options to dispute this or find out where the missing payment/ what the issue is.

  Business Response

  Date: 09/09/2024

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

  I want to start off by apologizing for the experience you had with our call center. Many of your remarks/comments are completely against the standard I require for our call center.  The call center individuals have been spoken too regarding this and additional training on appropriate communication with patients has been completed. 

  In reviewing your account I can see why there is confusion. I feel this would be better to discuss on the line with one of my directors who will make sure all of your questions are answered.
  

  I was able to determine that the statement you included in your complaint is from 8/20/2024. On August 21st payment was received to pay off *** 2/6/2024 and all of the *** for 2/14/2024 except $15.70.
  

  The balance at this time is $421.17. Again, I would like you to have a chance to review this with someone as I want to make sure you are satisfied. If you show a check has been sent and we don't have it posted we can go to the next step of gaining a copy of the canceled check. I don't want you to have to do that until we can confirm it is indeed missing from your account. I hope this makes sense.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/02/2024

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I never received a bill from EMS until they notified me on 8/16/2023 that the amount $758.00 is in collections. However, the services I was informed of that were not paid included the amount $332.00 from 5/6/2023 and $216.00 from 6/28/2023. I have been contacting their office for 11 months now to sort out the issue and it feels like it has gone nowhere. The people who answer the phone in the billing department do not have total record of the conversations we have had despite telling me they will "make a note" after each call. On 7/11/2024 I received a letter from my insurance saying they paid their portion of the two visits. It took 11 months for EMS to bill my insurance after countless calls where they informed me they had sent it or there was no longer anything they could do since it had alreasy been sent to collections. In the statements sent from insurance, it states my copay due is $70.00 for each of the two visits. Today, 8/2/204, I called EMS in attempt to pay those fees and they had no record of the insurance payment. They are still telling me I have an amount of $758.00 in collections and there is nothing they can do about it.

  Business Response

  Date: 08/14/2024

  Hi ******,

  We are in receipt of the BBB Compliant ********. Patient has five visits that appear to be in question. In summary, the patient received several statements for each date of service. Three dates of service were billed out after patient provided insurance information in May 2023 after several statements were sent. We were not provided insurance information from the hospital, thus the reason for the statements.  All dates of service had a $70.00 co-pay attached. Statements were provided which indicates the insurance had paid and the co-pay was the patient responsibility. After no payment from the patient on the co-pay, the patient was sent to collections for $210.00 (three co-pays of $70.00 3/6 and 2 visits on 3/22).
  
  It appears the May/June 2023 visits were billed later than the previous visits. We confirm insurance for all dates of service and continue to send statements the outstanding amounts. We did not receive communication regarding the outstanding amounts and those dates of service were sent to collections early October 2023.The patient called on 10/26/2023, requested an itemized bill and requested us to bill her insurance we did just that. We dont pull back from collections typically until the insurance pays in the event the patient is not eligible.The insurance did not pay until the end of July 2024. Similar with the other visits she has a $70.00 co-pay for each visit, including the others still outstanding from March 2023. In response to the amount of time it took our office to bill the insurance, we do bill upon notification. Additionally, we are held to time frames to bill for services otherwise the insurance will not pay. The insurance paid as it was within the timeframe allotted. If it was outside of that time frame we would not require the patient to pay either. This is not that type of situation. 
  
  The collection agency has been notified that the new amount owed to them is $350.00 which is 5 visits with a $70.00 co-pay for each. The patient has not made payments to any of these amounts. The first statement that shows the co-payment amounts from the earlier dates of service was June 17, 2023.  Our providers happily treat patients in their time of need and should patients need more time paying, we can usually work with them to set up payment arrangements.In this situation, there was minimal communication until the accounts were sent to the collection agency. If a patient is not finding satisfaction with the call center they have alternate ways to communicate, including e mail. We urge patients to respond to statements and not wait until it goes to the collection agencies as our hands become a little bit more tide in what we can do. What I am certainly willing to assist with is reaching out to the collection agency and confirm again the amount that is owed and also ask them to work with the patient on some sort of payment arrangement that is satisfactory to all parties.
  
  Should you need documentation for any of the issues at hand, including account notes,copies of statements, timing of statements, address of statements, Explanation of Benefits from the insurance company or patients ledgers please don't hesitate to reach out to me. 
  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 08/15/2024

  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.
  

  The statement that I "received several statements for each date of service" is far from correct. As mentioned, the only communication I had received from your office was the notice of collections. Perhaps you should look into the effectiveness of your communications system considering it also took 10 months for you to sucessfully send the bill to insurance after "multiple attempts".

  Since the visits of 5/6/2023 and 6/28/2023 have recently been processed, I received my first text message from you office with a link to pay the co-pay amount of $140. However, who am I to pay since you have also already submit this amount to collections? It feels like an attempt to double charge me for the services.
  
  Regards,
  
  *******************************

  Business Response

  Date: 08/28/2024

  The charges have been explained previously. How insurance adjudicated (processing and making the ultimate decision based on her policy) is unfortunately out of our control.The insurance indicated each date of service has a $70.00 co-pay which is all she is getting billed for. The address where we sent the statements is the same address in this complaint. I can provide copies if that is really going to solve anything We have made all adjustments except the $70.00 per date of service, which there is no doubt this is the patients responsibility. I will make sure the credit report accurately reflects her actual amount owed if its inappropriate, however she has yet to pay for anything (not in dispute). Since EMS sent this over to the collection agency we are not actively collecting on this account, so the indication there is duplicate billing is incorrect. The patient should work with the collection agency to provide payment. I have asked they work with her whihc we always try to do for our patients. Services were rendered and the insurance adjudicated with the balance being patients co-pays.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/20/2024

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I went to the emergency room **************************** - ********** after testing positive for Covid 4 days before Christmas. I paid for the ** visit on my credit card. I later received a bill from Emergency Medicine Specialists, S.C. in the amount of $346. I paid half the bill on Feb. *****, which was posted to my account on Fe. 29, 2024. My account (acct. # ***************************** with EMS had a balance of $173, which is paid May 1. My bank account shows the money withdrawn on May 8. However on few days later I received a collection notice. I called EMS and asked why they sent me to collection on a bill that has been paid. The lady who I spoke to said the money was posted to the wrong account and she would send a letter/email to the collection agency correcting the matter. I asked the woman to email a statement indicating the collection agency had been notified of the mistake. I never received such an email. However, on May 20th, I received a letter from EMS again demanding payment of the remaining $173 which was already paid on May 8.

  Business Response

  Date: 05/31/2024

  Good Morning,

  I have looked into this account. Patient received several statements prior sending to collections on 4/19. The first patient communication was on 5/15 where our patient service representative pulled the account back from collections and notified the collection agency. Though I am unable to determine the date the patient paid, check number 1810 was received on 5/9. At this time no balance is owed. I would ask all patients to communicate with those sending bills to them for services rendered. Our clinicians work diligently to serve this community and are always there when patients need them. We are always here to help patients.

  Thank you

• Initial Complaint

  Date:01/21/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  On 10/19/2023 I went to *********** at ******************** in ****** **. and I had a medical examination done by a **. This was just a visual and took a few minutes. She thought I had an infection on my foot and prescribed antibiotics. A month or so later I got one bill from Ascension for $309. And about another two weeks later I got another bill for $263 from EMS (Emergency Medicine Specialists). Before I got their bill I had never heard of EMS. I wish they would have made me aware at the time of service that I would be getting two big bills for the same service.And I also don't understand why the Ascension bill is for LEVEL 3, but the EMS bill is for NEW LEVEL 4. I am not at all a new patient---*********** or otherwise. I called the number listed on the EMS bill and spoke with someone by the name ****. I hoped that he could help me understand this bill, but **** told me that he could not answer any questions about the bill, and he gave the Ascension customer service number to call. Of course, when I called Ascension they told me that they know absolutely nothing about EMS bills. I thought that all businesses that sell services could at least answer questions about their bills, but this seems not be the case with EMS. I don't understand how bills totaling $572 for a visual examination of a few minutes done by a PA can be justified when the same examination done by a doctor is $249. And besides, I believe I should have been previously informed about the double bill situation.

  Business Response

  Date: 01/30/2024

  *************** to the BBB complaint that was submitted on 1/21/**** and was assigned an ID of ********.  Provider of service is Emergency Medicine Specialists (EMS)

  
  Thank you for your patience while I investigated the complaints listed above. We were able to validate with Ascension the method in which patients are notified of different invoices they may receive, when receiving services. Signs are posted within the different Ascension facilities indicating patients may receive separate invoices. Additionally, patients do sign consents indicating the same. We have taken the opportunity to provide the verbiage used within the consent.

  
  I understand that I should also expect to receive invoices from other healthcare providers who provided care to me, such as anesthesia, pathology and radiology which are billed separately from the facility.

  
  When billing for services it is important to note that the facilities do have different requirements for the levels of service, they submit for reimbursement than the providers rendering service. It is not a requirement the levels match as they, by definition, are not the same.

  
  I reviewed the notes on the account and see the patient did call on January 8, ****. The patient noted their dispute and was directed to submit a written complaint to information@***************.com.I have researched and do not see the patient has submitted a written complaint,rather submitted the complaint directly to BBB. We would have been able to help the patient without escalating, had this step been completed. We take all inquiries seriously and make every attempt to assist the patients when needed.

  
  The patient noted within their complaint I am not at all a new patient---Urgent Care or otherwise. Upon further review I do not find any other service provided by EMS within the last three (3) years. Of note,patients are considered new if they have not been seen by a provider or a member of a provider group within the previous three (3) years. This is a rule as defined by the **************************** (AMA)

  
  Emergency Medicine Specialists (EMS) take great pride in the care they provide to all patients they see.  All services are supported by documentation within the medical record.
  The invoice was submitted to the patients insurance. EMS did receive notification back from the payer who indicated $263.87 was applied to the deductible and $285.13 was written off due to contractual obligation.

  
  Should ********************** need assistance in setting up a payment arrangement for the balance we are happy to help. Please direct him to call the number indicated on the bill or contact me personally.

  Thank you,

  Customer Answer

  Date: 02/03/2024

  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.
  
  [Please type your response here.]
  
  Regards,
  
  ***************************

  Customer Answer

  Date: 02/06/2024

  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 think submitting charges of $982 ($401 from ********* and $581 from EMS) to my insurance for a visual examination of a few minutes by a PA at *********** is quite extraordinary, even if in the end it all gets discounted to a combined $572.  I believe I should have been informed about the unusual two-bill situation. And despite what EMS claims, I don't believe I was. I did not see the signs EMS claims that Ascension posts in their facilities to inform patients about this issue. And I was not informed verbally or in any other way.  

  I think also the issue with being billed as a new patient, although maybe technically correct, is just semantics. If I was a new patient, I don't know how they got my personal info, since they only asked me for my name and DOB, and yet they were able to bill my insurance. And I don't mean to impugn the staff. In fact, the PA and everybody else were very nice. It is the nature of billing I don't understand.

  EMS bills may be technically within legal bounds, but I think their process is very deceptive.

  I always pay my bills, and this will be no exception. I will just have to then do what everyone does these days--write reviews on the internet.
  
  
  
  Regards,
  
  ***************************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/14/2023

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I received a $516.13 bill from an 9/25 ER visit at St. ********* hospital. My husbands employer pays half our deductible, so I paid my half $258.06 and my husbands employers HSA sent an e-check for $258.07 which was cleared on 12/6. I am still seeing and receiving notices that the $258.07 is past due. I confirmed with **************************** that the check was cleared by EMS. I called and spoke to someone a few weeks prior who noted there was no payment received and I gave them the check info and he said Id get a call back. I never received a call but received more notifications that I had this balance due. I called again on 12/11 and again was told the same thing. I spoke to EBC again and she called 12/12 and was told the same thing. There continues to be a balance listed. I asked to send the check information, but the man on the phone indicated he would look into it. I am hoping this can be resolved. Thank you.

  Business Response

  Date: 12/15/2023

  Good morning,

  I have reviewed the account. The check appears to have been submitted on 12/6/2023. It takes a few days to get it posted into the billing system. Typically, we are notified the day after it goes into the bank, with the weekend right after it ended up posting on 12/12 and there is a zero balance on this account. It is important to note the last statement sent to the patient was on 11/25/2023. I certainly appreciate the diligence and follow up on making sure the payment was received for the services rendered.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 12/15/2023

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

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/25/2023

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  In January 2023, I went to Ascension in ******* for sinus infection. Met with doctor or 15 min, prescribed medicine. Provided my drivers license and insurance card. Information was processed through insurance, and they wanted more information why Ascension and EMS both were charging for the same service. Ascension/EMS never provided information so insurance didnt pay any amount. ********/EMS never called or mailed letter to me with amount do as it was still processing. 4 month later I get collections call. They said they contacted me twice, but they sent bill to wrong address and never called. EMS will not answer calls. Reading other reviews, seems like this is what they do typically. Hopefully people read this and never go to EMS or Ascension.

  Business Response

  Date: 07/31/2023

  
  Thank you for providing me with the complaint details on this account. I have reviewed the account in question. Patient was seen on 1/13/2023. Ascension provided us with all of the demographic data, including insurance information. We are at the mercy of the hospital to provide correct and proper information. Upon receiving the account, we attempted to validate the insurance through our provider portal. We were unsuccessful and therefore a statement was sent. Two additional statements were also sent prior to sending to collections on 6/19/2023. We received a call on 7/11/2023 from the patient's spouse requesting an itemized statement. It was requested to send to via e mail which was immediately completed. On or around 7/28/2023 the patient called and left a voice mail which was immediately returned. On 7/31/2023 the patient called and spoke to our patient services department. The patient requested we bill his insurance and also provided an updated address. We billed the insurance provided. It is not our practice to call patients, rather we send statements. It is ultimately the patient's responsibility to provide updated and accurate demographic data and insurance information. I am not able to determine the failure point since the hospital provides this information.
  

  Upon reviewing the account notes it does not appear the patient requested this to be pulled from the collection agency or express discord. All noted communications appeared to be appropriate and cordial.
  It is important to note our providers rendered a service. Unfortunately, due to the length of time since the date of service we are contractually obligated to bill within a certain time frame and thus this will not be paid. This is a shame as these providers are there 24/7 to help patients when they are in need.
  

  I am more than happy to pull this account back from our collection agency and request any **** on the patient's credit report be deleted.
  

  Within the complaint two comments were made that I would like to address. First comment was "Reading other reviews, seems like this is what they do typically". This statement is incorrect and assumptive. It is common for patients to not completely understand the process or see the entire story, which can be harmful. The second was "Hopefully people read this and never go to EMS or Ascension". This is a shame the patient stated this. We are in the business of helping people and being there for them. As you can see, we did everything appropriate in this case and do not believe a complaint to the BBB or suggestion that patients never come to us is appropriate.

  Please don't hesitate to contact me with any questions. I am also available to the patient should he wish to speak to me.
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/11/2022

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I have never in my life done business with this company nor have any of my hospitals ever been in relation with this company. I am recieving scam calls listed as Emer Med Serv on Caller ID in an attempt to maliciously steal money from me. I am about to confront the company and prove to them that I understand they are a scam. It is unclear if this scam is cloning numbers or is EMS is a straight up scam directly. I am not amused. I am a wise, cautious person and I do not fall for scams such as these. I will repeat NO CONTRACT, NO USE OF SERVICES, NO CONNECTION TO THIS COMPANY and yet they are attempting to say I owe them money with is FRAUDULENT. I will take this to court if I need to. I expect a canned response on this page from the company in a pathetic attempt to save their face. This is just disgusting and putrid what they are doing. SOME ONE SHUT THEM DOWN!!

  Business Response

  Date: 10/17/2022

  Good Morning,

  I am in receipt of the complaint attached. We represent Emergency Medicine providers in *********. If a patient receives a bill it is because they have received care from one of our providers. All services are backed by medical record documentation and can be proven. Since the person who has complained has purposefully hidden their  information or attempted to conceal I am not able to confirm this information or assist them. We are not a collection agency and do not call patients asking for money. The only time we would call a patient is if we are needing information to assist THEM in billing their insurance This is a courtesy and should be viewed as such. Making allegations such as this are defamatory and should not be tolerated. If the patient would like to have their services validated they will need to contact us privately as any information is considered protected health information and not for public disclosure. If the patient fails to provide us with insurance information or fails to resolve this account we will turn it over to a collection agency in accordance with our policies.

   

  Please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns.

   

  Thank you.