If you go to Sarasota Memorial Hospital beware of MBB Radiology billing practices (Jacksonville: insurance)

[wondermint2]

I was in Sarasota Memorial hospital at the end of November 2020. I saw numerous doctors and had several tests done. I gave my insurance card to SMH and they had my insurance information on file. I had not received any bills related to this hospital stay until out of the blue I received a letter from a collection agency yesterday stating that I owed $563 and the original provider is listed as "Radiology Partners". It lists three dates of service: 11/27/2020, 11/29/20, and 12/06/2020.

Then it says Itemization Charge-Off Date was 12/07/2022.

The debt collector is "Capio Partners" and the letter was sent from PO Box 4115, Concord, CA 54524 but they have a business street address in Sherman, TX.

Capio Partners is offering to settle my debt for $337.80.

Capio Partners claims in their letter that they purchased my debt from "CF Medical LLC".

I have never received a letter or call from CF Medical LLC - so I looked up their telephone number on Google and called them. They said they don't have any record of me ever having an account with them. So this is really strange - perhaps CF Medical is also listed under another name.

I called Sarasota Memorial hospital and they said if the bill was based on radiology it would be from one of 2 radiology companies they use. SMH gave me their phone numbers. One was in Tampa - I called and it wasn't them. The second number was for Mori Bean & Brooks (MBB) out of Jacksonville - and BINGO!

Boy does this company seem to be a mess! First off when you call them it sounds like the call is routed to some foreign call center and the rep has such a strong accent that they can barely be understood. Anyway they claimed they had sent me 3 bills which was BS because I never received anything. They also never sent a claim in to my insurance because I called my insurance and they said MBB never filed a claim with them!

Anyway a bit more about MBB: On Google reviews they're only rated 1.2 stars (out of a possible 5 stars). If you want to read a comedy of horrors read the MBB reviews. On the Better Business Bureau web site MBB has a rating of "F". I think that an F rating is a bit unusual because the BBB is usually pro-business. Now for the kicker - MBB has been fined $1.4 million for shady business practices:

Jacksonville Radiology Practice Agrees To Pay $1.4 Million To Resolve Health Care Fraud Allegations

https://www.justice.gov/usao-mdfl/pr...lth-care-fraud

United States Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez announced that Mori, Bean and Brooks, P.A. (MBB), a radiology practice in the Jacksonville, Florida area, has agreed to pay the United States $1.4 million to resolve allegations that it knowingly submitted false claims to Medicare and Medicaid for radiological images that were ineligible for reimbursement.

[wondermint2]

I'm trying to figure out if my situation is some kind of fraud/scheme or if MBB is just very disorganized. It seems odd to me that my insurance company never received a claim from MBB and I never received a bill.

It's been so long ago and I had many tests done that I can't remember the specifics. But I was in SMH during this time frame. I believe MBB are the ones that read the radiology tests.

Anyway I have informed Capio Partners (the debt collection agency) and MBB that I was insured at the time of service - and that my insurance information was readily available from SMH. As such I told them I should not be responsible for the debt.

The first time I called MBB they were not cooperative. They said they had turned it over to collections and thus it was now out of their hands. So I tried calling them again and threatened them with legal action -and the rep put me on hold to talk to a "supervisor".

The end result was that MBB said they are going to try and bill my insurance company NOW (yeah good luck with that for a service that was (supposedly) performed almost 3 years ago). And they said they would notify the debt collector that I was insured at the time of service. (We'll see if they actually follow through with their promise).

When I called Capio Partners (the debt collector) to dispute the bill they connected me to their "billing advocate" - and I told her I was insured at the time of service. Gave her the details and she said she would research it and get back to me in 2-4 weeks.

So I'm waiting to see if they drop the debt or continue to try and pursue it.

[gypsychic]

Hmmm... smells like a scam to me!

[MOforthewin]

I had a ct scan and xrays done a smh Venice. No issue with billing! Now hca hospitals like Fawcett on the other hand a total scam! Gov needs to look into hca. Gotta be a lot of medicare fraud going on there!

[Travelassie]

Originally Posted by MOforthewin

I had a ct scan and xrays done a smh Venice. No issue with billing! Now hca hospitals like Fawcett on the other hand a total scam! Gov needs to look into hca. Gotta be a lot of medicare fraud going on there!

I have had no problems with billing from Fawcett.

[Sunshine Rules]

Document everything-- who you talk to, their job title, what they said , date, etc. Log all of it. You may need this information later on.

Can you get a copy of the original billing?

I'd also get copies of my credit reports to see if the company has impacted your credit scores negatively already. If they have , demand they remove any collections claims.

[beach43ofus]

We must have stronger hospital regulation to stop them from ripping us all off, and our insurors and gov't.

Right now, they have a license to steal. I'd only go to a hospital in life threatening situations...but that's just me...not suggesting anything to anyone else out there.

I'm too young to have Medicare, & I have a huge deductible, so they'd fleece me, and my insuror.

[Srqgirl10]

I too had a ct, 3 mri’s and a series of X-rays at smh through smh healthcare insurance for employees. The test were paid for by insurance and a copay was submitted by me prior to the test.
Now the Mori Bean and Brooks are trying to charge a total of $2800.00 to read the results of these test.
I have been round and round with the insurance they said everything is taken care of and paid my only responsibility was my copay prior to the test. I called MBB and they are saying this is my deductible and the insurance says no I shouldn’t have a bill from radiology.
This is in a collection agency now and they are demanding payment. I don’t know what to do. No one will listen and I don’t want my credit ruined.
I feel like this is a scam. Does anyone have any suggestions?
I saw the MBB was in the news and a lawsuit and was caught for insurance fraud.
Any suggestions are welcome .

[wondermint2]

I sent a letter to the collection agency that erroneously tried to collect a charge for MBB. I stated that I shouldn't of been billed because I had insurance. MBB never billed my insurance (or me either). I included a 'proof of insurance' letter from my insurance.

I have never heard from the collection agency since then.

I also called MBB several times and told them I had insurance. At first they tried to claim they sent me 3 bills and I never responded (which was a lie because I never received a bill). So they said it was too late to do anything about it.

But the third time I called them to complain they finally connected me to a 'supervisor' - he said they would try to bill my insurance. I don't think they ever received anything from my insurance because too much time has passed (and in any regard the charges might of been bogus in the first place).

I haven't heard from MBB or their collection agency again since then. My recommendation to you is raise the biggest stink you can and be persistent.

--------------------------------------------

*Follow-up: I looked on my insurance web site for claims filed and I couldn't find any claims filed by MBB. As for as I can tell they never tried to collect from my insurance which leads me to believe it was a scam (or else their billing office is very poorly run).

[dave w]

All this sounds like a fishing scam. Some people will just pay the bill, the ones that contest the charge you never hear from them again.