Make Medicine Better

In April 2011, I received a bill for a procedure in July 2010. The bill was not itemized, had no date of service, and contained only the bill total and instructions to call for an itemized list of charges. The itemized bill was mailed out from MO Bap on May 3rd. I spoke with a series of “customer” service reps, informing them that I was being billed erroneously, that my insurance was paying the bill, etc. Instead of working with me on any aspect of the claim, they turned the bill into collections exactly 2 weeks after they mailed the itemized bill to me. Even if I had been responsible for the claim, they would not have processed the check by that time. It turned out that I owed nothing on the claim, that it was paid in full by my insurance, and that MO Bap actually owed me $28.80. I faxed a letter with all of this information and the supporting documentation (as instructed) to the billing manager, Jackie Roberts, on June 21st. In the letter, I provided her with my phone, email, and mailing address to contact me. As of today, July 15th, I still had heard nothing. I called the billing department again, was told that the bill had been taken care of, that I would receive a refund check for the additional charge but that Jackie Roberts would have to talk to me about the letter I requested to ensure that the mistaken claim with the collections agency would not affect my credit. I was told that she would call me back today. I am not surprised that I have not received a phone call since it is consistent with the poor service that I have received to this point.
Throughout this process, I have discovered several concerns with your billing process.
1. Why is a 10 month old bill sent out without any itemization, date of service, or other identification to even tell the patient what it references?
2. Why was the claim turned into a collections agency 2 weeks after the itemized bill was mailed to the client?
3. Why are none of the customer service agents helpful or cooperative in resolving an issue?
4. Why is the billing manager unable to return a phone call or communicate with a client when requested or when she says she will?
If anyone at BJC is actually concerned about improving their billing process and customer service, I can provide significantly more information on my numerous interactions over the past 3 months.