My fantasy author, Sandy Lender, says people who work in medical billing must have access to all the most fabulous drugs in the universe because they have no ability to do their jobs. And it's a rampant problem in Southwest Florida. Since her arrival here, she's not seen any examples of medical billing performed correctly on the first try.
It's making her quite fussy.
The most recent screw-up (her phrase, not mine) arrived in yesterday's mail. She received a notice from a health insurance provider that she hasn't had coverage with for about two years. The notice was basically denying payment for a doctor's follow-up visit she had back in February. At that doctor visit, she filled out new paperwork and gave her new insurance information to the folks who would be taking care of filing the medical claim.
So she figures they must all be taking copious amounts of fabulous drugs and she finds it unfair that the rest of the population would get arrested for doing the same thing.
She just left a message for Eileen in the billing department at her doctor's office to let Eileen know that the correct company to use is the company that she gave information for at the most recent appointment. Basically, Sandy doesn't want to get stuck paying $245 out of the blue for something Blue Cross/Blue Death of Florida should be paying. And doesn't $245 seem excessive for an office visit? I guess the office visit price has to be commensurate with the cost of the prescriptions, which are $170 each, per month, after insurance. There's a hit to the bank account. (Can't you buy these things on the black market more cheaply? What? I heard about it on television when you weren't paying attention to me the other evening.)
It does make me wonder. I mean, I've heard her make these kinds of phone calls several times just since I've been in this society helping her promote the novel. You would think these people could do their jobs. At least check the dates on paperwork or something... It seems simple enough to me. But, then, I'm not from this society, so maybe dates are difficult to find on paperwork. I don't know. Maybe something that was filled out in early 2006 is more valid to a medical professional than something filled out in February of 2008. It just strikes me as slightly odd. Perhaps that's why so many old people down here have strokes... They have to deal with the medical billing fiasco every time they go to the doctor's office and it causes them too much angst.
And that's the latest installment of a writer's life.
Tags: fantasy author, Sandy Lender
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