Consumer complaint received 2016-06-06
Company: FMA Alliance, Ltd.
State: TX
Product: Debt collection
Sub-product: Medical
Issue: False statements or representation
Sub-issue: Indicated committed crime not paying

Complaint:
Dear XXXX XXXX, I appreciate your time and attention to my email. I am writing to convey my concern and dismay regarding XXXX XXXX 's patient practices. In XXXX XXXX, my XXXX, XXXX XXXX XXXX, ordered a XXXX XXXX. A prior authorization code for a XXXX XXXX was obtained by your institution from my insurance ( XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX ). This code was XXXX. On XXXX XXXX, XXXX I had the XXXX XXXX completed at XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX at XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX. On XXXX XXXX, XXXX, I received a bill for the full amount of the XXXX {$1300.00} ; my insurance had not paid anything. I called XXXX XXXX with the billing office and spoke with her. She told me it was " my job '' to figure out why the insurance had not paid. I did call my insurance company and found out the code XXXX XXXX submitted was XXXX ( XXXX XXXX ) which is not the code submitted for preauthorization. In fact, the code submitted to the insurance for the XXXX was a procedure that was not even done. I called XXXX XXXX with this finding and she said she would correct this. I received another bill for the same amount on XX/XX/XXXX, and I told my doctor about my trouble. I gave a copy of my bills to XXXX XXXX on XXXX XXXX, XXXX, and she said her office would call XXXX XXXX about this. 

I thought all was settled because I did not hear anything else nor receive any further billing about this matter until XXXX XXXX, XXXX when I was called by " FMA Alliance employee by the name of XXXX XXXX ''. I asked if he was affiliated with the hospital and he replied that he was n't, something I found out to be untrue later. XXXX XXXX also stated that I had to pay on XXXX XXXX, XXXX, or he would " decrease my credit score ''. By saying this to me, he was breaking FEDERAL LAW under the Fair Debt Practice Act ( FDCPA ). 

I tried calling the billing office 2 times on XXXX XXXX, XXXX and once spoke to a " XXXX ''. I tried to explain the coding/billing mistake to her as I had with XXXX XXXX, but " XXXX '' said that the " billing office could not speak to me on this matter and FMA Alliance will collect on the money because the bill needed to be paid '' and then she hung up the phone. 

I submitted my problem to the patient advocate, since no one at the billing number that XXXX XXXX provides on their statements would speak to me. This advocate was XXXX XXXX via email on XXXX XXXX. She said she would " get back to me that day or by the next day ''. When I had not heard anything, I sent her another email on XXXX XXXX, XXXX inquiring about the progress on my account ; she never replied. I called her on XXXX XXXX, XXXX near XXXX, and she said " some other outpatient advocate would be calling me ''. No one ever called as of XXXX XXXX, XXXX. 

My XXXX reached out to XXXX XXXX and had no success, I asked for who they were working through. I called XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, and she never returned my call. I have also XXXX XXXX XXXX 's office call XXXX XXXX on my behalf on XXXX XXXX, and XXXX XXXX, XXXX ; unsurprisingly XXXX XXXX XXXX did not get back to them. They too, struggled to reach anyone who would listen. 
My husband, the guarantor on the account, has also called the billing office, the coding office, outpatient XXXX managers, all have either not responded or told us to simply " pay ''. This is XXXX XXXX 's fraudulent business practice, and the utter lack of effort to correct the mistake is appalling. On XXXX XXXX, XXXX, my husband spoke for 30 minutes on the phone with someone from the business office who did not give her name and this XXXX XXXX employee hung up on my husband after putting him on hold to contact our insurance. 

XXXX XXXX called on XXXX XXXX, XXXX and said she would " try to help ''. I asked for daily updates, and unsurprisingly, she has not followed thro

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation