Over the course of the three years that I've had Medicare, this staff of this office has told me several different things I needed to do to get my adjustments paid for. However, because I've changed Medicare plans a few times, I am going to limit my complaints to my last two visits: October 18th (I believe) and today.
When I went in for back pain in October, they said I need a referral from my doctor to get Blue Cross to pay for my adjustments. They never said ANYTHING else. Now I realize they probably were thinking of leaving for lunch that day (since I was one of the last appointments before closing); but at no time afterward did it ever occur to them to call me and say, "By the way, your copay is going to be about $40 unless you start a treatment plan with us."
Today, I was informed that "Medicare doesn't pay for chiropractic at all". They must have been referring to BCN Advantage, because Medicare paid for it just fine when I was on Traditional. In fact, they told me that Traditional would only pay if I was in pain, so I stopped going every month and just started going only when I was hurt and could adequately fill out the pain surveys that Medicare demanded.
"Didn't you get my referral?" I asked. "You told me that's what I needed to do to get Blue Cross to pay for my adjustments."
"No, we got that"...something, something..."you don't have Medicaid."
"I do too! It's through Blue Cross."
Some more babble, then, "Medicaid doesn't pick up what Medicare doesn't."
Funny, that must be only valid for chiropractic, because Medicaid picks up the rest of the cost everywhere else! That's why I almost never have copays!
"I do all this legwork for you because you claimed that that'll make Medicare pay for my adjustments; and then when I finally finished all your requests, you say they DON'T? Why do you keep changing your story every time I come in here?"
The woman at the desk said she was sorry and she didn't know who was telling me what, but she was right and that's the way it was. (She even checked with whoever was in the billing office and they agreed.)
"Then what the hell am I doing here?!" I whisper-shouted.
"I don't know! It's your insurance, not ours!"
In other words, it's not their fault that they can't keep their stories straight, and that they couldn't be bothered to reach out to me anytime in last two months and explain that I need a treatment plan or whatever in order to get Blue Cross to pay up.
The saddest part is there was a voicemail when I got home with the receptionist claiming that they quote, "Dug deeper into my insurance plan, and while today's charge was valid, [they] have some advice for the future."
Sorry...what part of whisper-shouting and storming out with tears of rage and frustration makes you think that our clinic/patient relationship is repairable?
I have some advice for the future, too: I need to follow my dad to Rollé-DeWitt, where he only gets charged a $20 copay on the same Medicare Advantage plan!
-----
P.S.: I remembered overnight that the woman I dealt with yesterday was almost assuredly the same that, when I managed to pull several muscles down my right side last fall, continually insisted I pick "neck or back" because there weren't any pain surveys for your side. Dr. Laurie finally got fed up listening to us argue, stuck her head out of a treatment room and said, "Do [billing speak]."
You know...because apparently it's easier to stand there like a bullheaded imbecile rather than ask your boss for help. read more
