Well, I'd like to be able to say that my tale of woe about billing problems at Swedish Medical Center here in Seattle had a happy ending. But it was more like a frustrating, annoying ending.
Rose--who I have never actually spoken to live--left me another voice mail the other day, saying that Swedish had "written off my balances AS A COURTESY."
So what does that mean? That I never owed the money in the first place, despite Swedish sending me to collections three times, and costing me my home equity line of credit (since reinstated)? Or that I
did owe the money, but Swedish doesn't think it's cost-effective to provide me with documentation that shows which doctor I saw on what date--and why I still owe anything after my insurance (which has a preferred provider relationship with Swedish) has paid up my and annual deductible has been satisfied?
The thing that's really annoying is that Swedish would have continued to send me computer-generated bills and collections notices--ignoring my letters in the meantime--on and on into infinity if I hadn't gotten their attention by e-mailing the PR person and letting him know I had sent guest editorials about this problem to The New York Times and NPR (neither one responded yet, by the way).
Cancer patients shouldn't have to go to such lengths to get their billing problems sorted out.
NOTE: Still have problems with the new Typepad editing tool, hence the font issues ...
@ Jeanne Sather 2008.
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