| The Heart Institute |
| The Heart Institute For Children Midwest Pediatric Cardiology Unprofessional and Hurtful Conduct by Billing Department Chicago, Illinois |
| 22nd of Mar, 2011 by User100276 |
Don't get me wrong--the doctors are amazing at what they do and they probably have very little input on the practices of the billing department. But the concerns still stand. THIC's Billing Department (technically "Midwest Pediatric Cardiology 1482 Momentum Place Chicago, IL 60689-5314") is staffed with the most unprofessional, heartless, uncaring, rude bi**hes you will ever encounter--and I use the term bi**hes with purpose not just to throw out profanity. The women who work in this department including Julie and department head Kathy for some reason think that their sh*t don't stink and treat you like you're less than a maggot. I understand that collecting on doctors' bills is probably a difficult job as everyone wants the medical care but doesn't want the horribly overpriced charges that go along with it. In their defense, the medical community as a whole has adopted a practice of marking up its services to astronomical proportions in order to get what they need from insurance companies (being that insurance companies negotiate a % off because of the volume of patient accounts they pay for). But back to THIC Billing Department specifically. It's hard to believe Kathy is even the manager/supervisor based on the way she acts on the phone, and how she refuses to accept any responsibility for her employees' behavior. If you complain about the way someone acted on the phone, Kathy will tell you that she doesn't believe anyone on her staff could be anything less than professional and she will literally argue with you instead of just taking a complaint. I guess this explains why they don't record any of their calls.
My particular incidents stemmed from inquiring as to certain charges on the bill I received. I asked for clarification on 3 items that I didn't recognize as being done at the appointment for my son. I was met with a sharp tone and scolded for even daring to raise this concern. I explained that we had been going there for years and never did I see those 3 charges on a bill, nor do I remember ever having the services performed. Julie said that doctors don't lie and all they can do is take my payment. She said I could either pay now or it would be sent to collections and that was the bottom line. They have no dispute process or investigations procedures. That's when I asked to speak with a manager and I was told Kathy would call me back. At first I didn't even believe it was a manager who called me (3 days later by the way). The way Kathy behaved on the phone resounded of the way Julie spoke to me. It was demeaning and angry. I then contacted the clinic "administrator" named Robert who never called me back after I left 2 voice mails on his phone number and 1 orally taken message with his secretary. I have complaints open with the BBB, the state licensing board, and the FTC. I also called all the TV stations but I'm not sure they will care about little old me. Anyways I wanted others to know what happened and I suggest you find one of the doctors who has left THIC and gone into private practice - and you use them. That way you still get the quality without having to deal with the scam artists and abusive nature that is the billing department at THIC. |
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