Team Health sent me a ‘bill’ via test. It isn’t registered with the BBB and has an F rating. (I blocked it.) Next it sent a bill to my address. I filed a complaint with the BBB. No response from Team Health to the BBB as of this writing. It’s been 2-3 weeks.
Can ‘Team Health’ send an illegitimate bill to credit rating agencies? My credit is frozen with all three agencies. My concern is they are persistent and not going away.
If so, how can I get ahead of them with the 3 credit agencies and report this?
Maybe someone stole your identity and it’s a real bill, but not one that you yourself incurred?
Thank you Ochtona,
I was in the emergency room on the date on the bill. The bill isn’t from the hospital I paid that in full and called them to confirm I have a zero balance.
Team Health is a third party billing company ‘up-coding’ emergency visits. A search on ‘Team Health Scam’ is a litany of lawsuits and BBB complaints.
I just want to make sure they can’t touch my credit. I don’t owe them anything and they are bad news.
Great suggestions Rasputin.
I will start with number 1. I haven’t really lost any time as of late, only the BBB report and inquiring on Clark. I just want the parasite to go away.
Should I send Team Health a copy of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau complaint?
NO, CFPB will do that when they contact them.
Thank you Rasputin.
I attempted to file a complaint with Consumer Finance but this particular situation is not supported. There a limited number of circumstances it supports.
All I really need to know is if any company can ding a person’s credit even if the claim is not valid. (My credit is frozen. If that helps at all.) If they can’t report it to the credit rating agencies then I will just ignore them.
Note:
-The first attempt to bill me was by text message.
-Second attempt was by mail
–The envelope is postmarked Florida
–The bill says to to send payment to Cincinnati OH
–Team Health Website states location is Knoxville, TN
–BBB says they are in Canoga Park, CA
*The emergency room I visited is in Bellingham, WA.
Today I received another bill. I haven’t opened it. Should I return to sender?
I’m guessing this is a legitimate bill that you owe. The ER doctor or others (e.g., radiologist) may not be hospital employees, and may bill separately. They may even contract out their billing to a company in another state that specialized in it. That’s how our system works. It’s also not uncommon for medical billing to be delayed. Typically they wait for your insurance to process the claim before billing you.
I think you’re jumping the gun on fighting it. If you have insurance, did you get an EOB? If not, and you can call the medical office and have them submit it to your insurance. That could drop the amount due by 80%.
Incidentally, I would expect any and every debt collector to have an F rating with the BBB. People who don’t want to pay debts are not happy when debt collectors insist.
Yes, they can report it to credit reporting agencies even if your credit is frozen, so it’s best to take care of this.
Thank you for the feedback Ratbert2k,
I paid the hospital and confirmed my balance is zero in July. Team Health sent a non-itemized bill 6 months later. I never saw a doctor or received any services. I sat in the hallway for 2.5 hours and left. I still paid the hospital over $800 in July. I don’t think I should have paid that but I did. Now Team Health is saying I owe another $550.
I can ask them to send me an itemized bill. Since you know how the system works: Is there anything else I should ask for?
If and when you determin that you in fact do not owe the bill you can send then a Drop Dead Letter by Certified Mail-Return Receipt Requested.
It is critical that you verify that this si a debt that you do not owe before sending the letter.
Fair Debt Collection Practices Act
Kelly,
This is a medical “surprise bill” really. You need to file a proper complaint, my $2000 surprise bill went away in literally seconds.
No Surprises Act | CMS
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You paid $800 and were never even seen? That doesn’t make any sense. What did they say the $800 was for? How much did your insurance company pay for that?
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A critical point to remember on FFDCA is the law is aimed at creditors and debt collectors, not you the consumer. Whether you owe the debt or not is not the focus of the act. It’s concerned with did the people coming after you obey the law? If they didn’t (call you at work, at home, after you told them not to, etc.) each one of those violations creates a cause of action for you to take them to court.
And if they messed with your credit report, harmed your reputation implying you’re a deadbeat who doesn’t pay his bills, they’ve opened themselves to penalties and damages way in excess of small claims court.
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I never submitted to insurance. This was back in May. When I called the hospital billing they said it was the cost of the emergency room. There weren’t any rooms so I sat in the hallway. I just thought that is the way emergency works like when I take my dog to emergency vet. I have pay a minimum regardless. Either way that is done and paid it even if unfair.
Regarding Team Health. I am mailing my hospital receipt back with the bill. I am also requesting an itemized bill to see what I could possibly owe. I don’t want them to have my email address. They already have my cell and home address. Hopefully this will either end it or at least provide more information.
If you were not seen, there is no charge. Submit to your insurance and let them fight it out.
Medical costs have codes attached to them, and those codes determine what insurance pays. There is no code for sitting and waiting for service.
I recall being with my parents in the ER, and my father getting impatient, and wanting to leave. No charge.
That said, if you registered with the ER, it is possible that a physicians group sent a standard bill. But if you registered, they should have had your insurance listed for billing…
Sounds good. I have the letter ready to send to Team Health requesting itemized bill. There aren’t any codes listed as of late. If they respond with a code I will send off to insurance.
Thank you everyone for the helpful feedback. I will post an update once received.
It’s not done. Call the hospital billing department and ask for a refund because you received no services. At the very least, they should have billed your insurance. I’m frankly surprised that getting your insurance information wasn’t the first thing they did before they sent you to wait in the hall. If you get nowhere with them, call your state agency that regulates hospitals and ask what they can do to help resolve this.
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