@800goal800 wrote:I'm not alluding to shirking any responsibility nor using this as a technicality to avoid paying. Rather, I found it quite surprsing that madical information is shared when most likely not necessary..........
Actually there are a number of situations where it would be necessary but the business entity is not required to add additional time to sort out which ones need full disclosure vs. minimal and can have a policy in place that covers all of them. While your wife may have had one procedure that you knew automatically what the bill was related to that is often never the case. Patients who go to the ER may get several bills all from different providers. Sending a DV response that says the bill is for your ER visit is too vague. Sending a response that says "this bill is for $2500 for the MRI for headaches during your ER visit on 5/23/2020" leaves no question what the bill is for.
The reality though is the CA really doesn't care why you saw a provider. They have no time to dwell on an account and read medical records for entertainment. In all likelyhood their software is set up to parse out the needed information, insert a copy of the bill or the information into the DV response, which gets mailed and they have already moved on to the next account. I have been in healthcare for 40 years. I have seen so many people without clothes on that nudity is not a stimulation in any capacity for me and never once have I been in public and saw someone and thought "hey, I recognize that fanny/boob/junk"! More often patients are upset because I don't remember them but they remember me. I see thousands of patients/year they see one of me. The CA cares that they don't send your information to your neighbor/pastor/another patient. They care if they comply with HIPAA for billing. They care if they collect on the account. They don't care if you had a colonoscopy for excessive diarrhea for 6 months.
@800goal800 wrote:Thanks. My understanding is if the amount is under 500 it's not reported and if over it will be removed once paid ?
I think it is $600, and yes once paid it is removed.
@800goal800 wrote:@Cowboys4Life 1: Not that helpful. 2: I hadn't asked for a DV.
1: maybe not to you but to others who might read this it could be very helpful. 2: Okay, so you hadn't DV'd. They simply took the faster/easier route from their end and sent you the full information of what/why they were collecting. STILL not a violation.