Ameripath Quest Diagnostics are not Crooks after all

UPDATE: I received a phone call today from a very nice guy at Ameripath named Jerry.  Jerry is a corporate Director at Ameripath and had read this blog entry.  He said he researched the case and discovered a billing data entry error based on an ER visit I went to a week or so before the doctors visit that I missed.  Long story short, the bill should have been for $6.40 and should have been tied to the ER visit and not a doctor’s office visit.  He credited my account (for the whole thing, not just the mistake) and called off the collections people at CCS.

I am really glad for three reasons: 1) I don’t think my doctor is a crook and billing for services he did not perform.  2) Ameripath actually cares about their customers (enough to call me and fix this, as well as take the time to explain the error), 3) that CCS place won’t be calling me anymore!

I truly wish other companies would respond to customer issues with such concern.  Ameripath/Quest with a single phone call from a caring person changed me from their enemy to their fan in two minutes.

That being said, I did explain to Jerry if my phone calls to his front line reps had been handled with the same care, we would never have gotten to this point, and he agreed.

Thank you again Jerry. 8/25/2009

— ORIGINAL POST FOLLOWS —

Ameripath/Quest Diagnostics just might be crooks.  Either that, or my doctor is.  I can’t figure it out.

I continue to get collection calls from a company called CCS (866-945-4977) to my cell phone and I continue to tell them I refuse to pay them a penny, but they just continue to call and threaten me.  They insist I owe their client Ameripath $53.67.

So here’s what happened.  I scheduled a doctors appointment in September of last year.  I was having some issues that turned out to be nothing.  So I did not go to the doctor’s appointment I had scheduled.  Well, it seems the doctor was none to happy about my not showing up, so rather than being an honest physician, he processed the visit, just like I was there and sent something off to Ameripath (bloodwork I assume from the calls… sure would like to know who’s blood he sent!!??).  Anyway, I got a bill from Ameripath for $53.67 for my portion that the insurance did not cover.  I called them and told them that this was fraud.  AMERIPATH TOLD ME NOT TO PAY THE BILL and they would figure out what happened.  Then, I start getting calls from this CCS place.  They keep telling me that if the insurance paid it must be legit.  Wow.  So if the insurance pays for fraud, I should too huh?

I continue to ask for proof that I was there, and they continue to tell me they do not have to provide it.  So I continue to tell them exactly where they can shove it.  I do not and will not pay for fraudulent services that were never rendered.  Funny thing is, I emailed the Blue Cross/Blue Shield fraud department about this, and they never bothered to even acknowledge my email.   I suspect they don’t care either.

I wonder how many more calls I will get before they give up.