Call Kurtis: Help! I've been billed for the wrong end!
SACRAMENTO — A Sacramento viewer said she went in for an endoscopy and was charged for a colonoscopy. It was time to call Kurtis to investigate.
Of course, both procedures involve cameras checking out your insides, but she says her bill actually listed the wrong end.
Felicity Callow is certain the doctor put the camera down her throat for an endoscopy. So, when she got the bill for a colonoscopy, she said she was surprised.
The colonoscopy was $2,113, with Felicity's portion being $806. But the endoscopy was actually $2420, with her paying $912. But this wasn't the only problem.
"They billed me for the first time for the wrong end of my body," Felicity told CBS13.
After pointing out the mistake — which actually cost her $106 more, out of pocket — she said she pushed her provider, Dignity Health, to correct the mistake. She says they did — but then, another mistake!
Felicity says Dignity ultimately sent her to collections for a trip to the cardiologist, even though she had proof she paid her portion of the $569 bill.
"As far as I was concerned, I paid this invoice twice," she said.
Some studies suggest medical billing mistakes happen around 75-80% of the time, but the American Medica Association, which represents doctors, puts that number at a much lower 7%.
Felicity would just like the whole ordeal to be over because she's had to battle not one, but two frustrating billing mistakes.
CBS13 reached out to Dignity Health, which said, "Upon review, we identified a system issue as well as a training opportunity for our customer service representatives."
They fixed the double billing but never referenced the original endoscopy mix-up.
"Where the ball dropped, I don't know," Felicity said. "I would love for this to just be done."
The Kaiser Family Foundation, which is not tied to Kaiser Permanente, says medical billing mistakes are a big problem, blaming coding errors, high staff turnover and delayed bills. They suggest never paying a bill until you receive an explanation of benefits from your insurance provider. Make sure things match because that's where you'll probably spot the problems. And if you can't get results fighting it directly, file a complaint with the state attorney general's office.