Shady Grove Billing - Confusing!!

[Anonymous]

I underwent three IUIs at Shady Grove and my service with them was completed through the beginning of April. Throughout the process, I was constantly confused by how much I owed because I would ask at every visit to pay any outstanding balance on my account. Usually they didn't know, but when they would look into it, they would say, oh it's x amount. I understand there's a lag with running everything through insurance.

At any rate, I waited to pay my final bill to ensure that my insurance had covered whatever they needed to given it seemed I was constantly getting high bills, then told my insurance hadn't come through yet. I got a bill now for $800 of an outstanding balance, but when I reviewed it, it's missing most of my payments. Since the end of Decmber through the end of my service, it's showing I only paid about $500. However, per my bank account record, I've paid about $1500 in the same timeframe during various visits where I asked what I needed to pay on my balance. I emailed the financial person and I'm waiting for a response, but so confused how large chunks of payment are missing from their bill!

[Anonymous]

When I started treatment with them in April, they told me they had switched to a new billing system and they were experiencing some problems with it. I’d just ignore the statement balance until they send you an itemized bill with all payments and charges clearly outlined. Also, you may want to check your health insurance EOBs (explanation of benefits) to see if they’ve paid anything.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When I started treatment with them in April, they told me they had switched to a new billing system and they were experiencing some problems with it. I’d just ignore the statement balance until they send you an itemized bill with all payments and charges clearly outlined. Also, you may want to check your health insurance EOBs (explanation of benefits) to see if they’ve paid anything.

I know about the new system, and the bill I got is itemized and includes what insurance covered... It's just missing most of my payments.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When I started treatment with them in April, they told me they had switched to a new billing system and they were experiencing some problems with it. I’d just ignore the statement balance until they send you an itemized bill with all payments and charges clearly outlined. Also, you may want to check your health insurance EOBs (explanation of benefits) to see if they’ve paid anything.

I know about the new system, and the bill I got is itemized and includes what insurance covered... It's just missing most of my payments.

Similar thing happened to me. I flipped out and spoke with the financial team. Ended up not owing anything.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When I started treatment with them in April, they told me they had switched to a new billing system and they were experiencing some problems with it. I’d just ignore the statement balance until they send you an itemized bill with all payments and charges clearly outlined. Also, you may want to check your health insurance EOBs (explanation of benefits) to see if they’ve paid anything.

I know about the new system, and the bill I got is itemized and includes what insurance covered... It's just missing most of my payments.

Similar thing happened to me. I flipped out and spoke with the financial team. Ended up not owing anything.

Thanks, good to know... I'm actually wondering if they might owe me money back.

[Anonymous]

Agree, it's terrible now. They owe me money back but I've had zero communication about that.

Discouraging as SG appears to put a lot of focus on client experience; however, they are getting it wrong on this which really detracts.

[Anonymous]

I paid a bill in their office a couple of months ago and have the receipt. I keep getting new bills that show the amount as still outstanding. Very frustrating.

[Anonymous]

OP here - my financial advisor forwarded my inquiry to the billing Dept two days ago. Still waiting for them to reach out to me. Will likely call tomorrow.

[Anonymous]

My nurse told me yesterday that they are going through some sort of transition in the financial department. My original counselor is now out on maternity leave but no one told me and she has no such indication on her voice mail. So I kept leaving her voicemails not knowing what was happening. I complained to my nurse and I ended up getting a call back but the counselor was defensive. It's ridiculous. I can't believe the amount of money I'm about to shell out and I can't get reliable help from them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My nurse told me yesterday that they are going through some sort of transition in the financial department. My original counselor is now out on maternity leave but no one told me and she has no such indication on her voice mail. So I kept leaving her voicemails not knowing what was happening. I complained to my nurse and I ended up getting a call back but the counselor was defensive. It's ridiculous. I can't believe the amount of money I'm about to shell out and I can't get reliable help from them.

They've been talking about the transition as an excuse for not knowing how much is owed since the beginning of the year. How is it still such a huge issue this many months later? Really irritating.

[Anonymous]

OP here - update - I spoke to billing this morning who said that the bill they issue is just some brief version of the entire bill that only selectively lists some of the items. She said the fulling billiing statement is pages and pages so they don't issue it, and supposedly my payments are in there somewhere. She was supposed to email me the full itemized statement to review and I'm still waiting for it.

I still think this is a horrible practice - at least, if it's an abbreviated bill, show some line item for total payments received rather than expect patients to just accept an abbreviated bill at face value without questioning it.

A reason this is incredibly frustrating is that I lost an appt time I wanted on one of my IUIs because they locked my account from booking appts, saying I was past due - I wound up having to go all the way to Rockville which was nearly an hour drive for me. This is why I always asked at future visits if I had an outstanding balance, so that I wouldn't lose another appt time.

But per the billing person, insurance can take months to issue their payment - so why on earth would they lock someone out of an appt if it can take that long to confirm what they owe? I've been done with their service for four months and even on the phone with me, she said, oh there's this $x payment that wasn't credited so we can deduct that. Don't send bills then until everything is final!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I paid a bill in their office a couple of months ago and have the receipt. I keep getting new bills that show the amount as still outstanding. Very frustrating.

I keep getting bills for the same services that I know I have paid. Last time it took hours to deal with but this time they are not only billing me again but billing me 17k for services that were already done — that they wouldn’t have done unless I’d prepaid for them. It’s so stressful and I hate it so much.

[Anonymous]

this is frustrating

Anonymous wrote:I underwent three IUIs at Shady Grove and my service with them was completed through the beginning of April. Throughout the process, I was constantly confused by how much I owed because I would ask at every visit to pay any outstanding balance on my account. Usually they didn't know, but when they would look into it, they would say, oh it's x amount. I understand there's a lag with running everything through insurance.

At any rate, I waited to pay my final bill to ensure that my insurance had covered whatever they needed to given it seemed I was constantly getting high bills, then told my insurance hadn't come through yet. I got a bill now for $800 of an outstanding balance, but when I reviewed it, it's missing most of my payments. Since the end of Decmber through the end of my service, it's showing I only paid about $500. However, per my bank account record, I've paid about $1500 in the same timeframe during various visits where I asked what I needed to pay on my balance. I emailed the financial person and I'm waiting for a response, but so confused how large chunks of payment are missing from their bill!