I don't know what company HRH hired to do their billing but incompetent barely covers it. I got a bill today for $150+ . I haven't been near the place in since last November! So, the bill is for something (no idea what) back on September 24 of last year! Why haven't I gotten a bill before this? What is it for? Why has it taken a year for me to be billed?

I know there is NO point in calling HRH because they don't have a clue. I've gone that route before. It is for something last year. Okay, what? Can't tell. Why wasn't I billed last year? Have no idea.

Argh.

We need single payer, people. If only to try to cut down on getting year old unexpected bills the same week the car license and car insurance are due.

They waited a year to bill me. They can wait a while before I bother to consider paying them.

You are not alone. I once received a lot of EOBs because HRH submitted the same, previously paid claim 26 times. I finally had to go to their office to get it cleared up. One of the myriad of reasons I travel to Billings for my healthcare.

Ditto! You're likely to be turned over to collection before you receive your bill.

I had 747.00 in collections that I had no idea why I never got a bill! Several from my newborn that were xrays that I never knew they did! All paid now but took a toll on my credit.

Got a bill from a bill collector last month for a service in January. It was paid in February. Their mistake.
Got a bill from their billing agency for a service in Feb. that was paid in March. Their mistake.
See the pattern?

Won't go into previous billings but....just received a bill from January that I insisted was not mine. After much calling, etc., the office visit was for my wife but billed to my insurance. I hear ya!

[This message has been edited by Gene (9/10/2013)]

They're terrible and Billings Clinic isn't much better!

I've not had an issue with Billings Clinic, but twice we've got collection notices for HRH before getting the bill. Once was for something 2 years old, that no one could tell us what it was for, just that we better pay it.

My wife has made me promise to take her to Billings or Dickenson if she ever needs something major.

You also need to pay attention to how much you were charged for a procedure! We were overbilled several hundred dollars ~ THAT took a long, long time to straighten out..

I was born at HRH. When I moved back here after 20 years, they pulled out my old file, in my old name, and just stuck on a new label. I have been a stalwart fan of the service I have gotten from them but this is ridiculous. The bill is due Sept. 23, which is one day short of one year since I went in, and the note is all about how I better pay up.
I hate to yell at the poor soul who answers the phone because it isn't their fault their program was designed by angry orangutans but it is SO FRUSTRATING!!!!

This is typical for HRH, I have gotten several bills for services year or so later. When I call to find out why it took so long they replied by law we can wait up to 12 months before billing. Not sure if that is true, but one things for sure don't forget to pay them.

I know their billing is terrible but if you really can't pay it all right away I have never had any problems setting up payments with them just have to call the questions about billing number on the bill. Not sure if that helps or not.

With medicare and most other insurance plans the medical provider has a 12 month window in which insurance submission can be made for a particular date of service, corrected if needed and resubmitted, and then the remainder gets forwarded to the patient.

I would assume, as with most large medical clinics that the backlog of unsubmitted claims is quite high. Also, most insurances now will deny, without even looking at the claim, a significant ratio of said claims. It's regular policy. You just have to resubmit the same claim over again. Thus the backlog problem.

Many larger clinics have also outsourced their insurance submissions to a completely different company, loosing track personally of their accounts receivables.

Despite the improvements in coverage for patients that Obamacare will hopefully reveal in the long run, the truth is we are still dealing with insurance companies who know it is more profitable not to pay claims.

Big Medicine, big insurance are both equally responsible for irrational billing. Try your smaller, independent providers and see how your health care experience improves.

I know the claim was rejected. I hadn't met my deductible. But this giving them one year to bill and then expecting me to pay in two weeks is proof that corporations rule this country. They will get paid. Eventually. With a nasty note included when I send the payment in pennies. (I'd do that if I could but the shipped cost would be astronomical.)

Not much to say about HRH here, besides choosing to not use their services since my tonsils were removed years back which came with side effects of bitchy nurses who caused major bruises on my arms with the blood pressure machines, and ending up with an infection that caused me to be in the hospital 2 weeks longer than necessary..

However, Billings Clinic is another story.

I got a collections notice in May for a $27.01 bill. Called the local clinic and got told they had no clue, and I needed to call Billings. Did that, got informed that my bill (which I made monthly payments on, based on their payment plan) had not been paid for in april, yet the payment was made in march and may. Kinda confusing, as I had paid it... But whatever. They told me I had to take it up with CBB Collections in Billings. WHAT A COMPANY THAT IS. After Paying my bill off in full with Billings Clinic, I called CBB and attempted to pay the bill, but I was shot down as their systems were down. After attempting to pay this bill for a full week, calling 3 times a day to check if the system was online (They told me each time to keep calling back, as they were clueless to when it would be restored) I literally said F**K It.

So now, thanks to the stupidity of billing at Billings Clinic, I have a pathetic collections agency trying to get now $27.27 out of me. And the interest keeps rising .10 a month. Ridiculous.

I got a bill in August almost 5 months to the day of my visit in March. When I called them their reason was switching computer systems. Then the lady asked if I wanted to pay my bill over the phone I told her I didn't get paid for another week and I heard a "click" she hung up on me when I couldn't pay it. I called the supervisor and she seemed like she cared and was going to check into for me and talk to the worker that hung up. Total BS in my book!

Amorette, paying one's bill with pennies carries a sense of satisfactory revenge. However, pennies are not considered legal tender, so the creditor does not have to accept them. Foiled again!

They are not legal tender over a certain amount, I think $1.00. I knew that. Still like the idea.

Can't stop you from paying in nickles.

All of these posts are quite interesting regarding HRH billing people months after the procedures. I broke my ankle in Miles city the end of May and had to get an ambulance to transport me to the ER. This was on Friday, May 24. X-rays determined that it was broken and they suggested I go to Billings for surgery. Problem was that since it was going into the holiday weekend, I probably couldn't have surgery until Wednesday or Thursday. We decided we could be home before then and get a surgeon of our choice. They put a splint on me from my toes to knee, gave me a script for some high powered pain meds and we drove 4 days thru much rain and skirting tornadoes. My bill from HRH was in my mailbox by that next weekend! Problem is that after they copied BOTH SIDES of my Medicare my Medicare supplement cards, they can't find the supplement information. I have called them every month when I get my bill to give them the information, and they still can't get it posted to my account to bill my supplement. I told them that I wasn't paying it until they submitted the information and it was determined what my part is. I figured it would be to my benefit to wait until all my insurance decided what to pay them than to get them to refund any overpayment, if any. Having same problem with bill from the ambulance service. Guess I will be contacted by collections bureau also.

I don't like the fact that when you do get billed it is just a summary. You have to call them for an itemized bill. I think that is wrong.

I don't like the fact that when you do get billed it is just a summary. You have to call them for an itemized bill.

Be sure to do so, each and every time. I've been over/double charged more than one time.

I am guessing they are counting on that.

I got a no name non itemized bill from someplace down south a few months after I had visited the hospital after the VA said I could get an appointment in about a month. Couldn't breath...etc. Great service, recovered ok and thankful. The bill had no mention of HRH or what service was provided. I CALLED AND THEY SAID IT WAS A MISTAKE.... Several months later I got another bill from HRH. I wonder if the VA would pay it ?