I was referred to this company by my main physician for anxiety, depression, and for ADHD.
Beginning my treatments I was told I'd need at least 14 months of treatment. To clarify I have been previously diagnosed with ADHD and that was what I was primarily seeking treatment for. Dr. Shaily Jain was the psychiatrist I was seeing. It took me a few once monthly sessions to convince her that yes, I am just ADHD and depressed that I couldn't force myself to function after all. I did ask for non stimulant meds, but received a scrip for Adderall on the basis that she wanted to try me on it first.
When I first went in I should have gotten a clue that their billing department was bass ackwards when they didn't know if I had a copay or not on the visits. After giving them my insurance card of course.
5 months in to treatment I found out that I owed them 500 dollars on my visits. I called my Mom, who is an experienced RN, and told her about the bomb that just went off in my finances.
Me and Mom called up the billing department and put them on speaker phone while we tried to figure out what in the name of all that's holy is going on. So we come to learn from Keisha, the billing nightmare lady, that no. They don't take our insurance. This was an arduous conversation in which both me and my Mom were understandably frazzled from. Having to explain how the insurance company has the policy set up multiple times is a frustrating experience.
So we bitterly resign ourselves to paying 100 a session because they don't take our insurance. I wanted to drop the sessions. Personally I don't care for psychiatrists. My Mom was uneasy with the thought of me stopping treatment and told me to keep going.
Then they scheduled me for Thanksgiving day, and I didn't catch this error until December. I scheduled again for January. I was now on bi-monthly visits and still paying $100 a visit.
I decided to move in May and ended my treatments at Apex. Before I left, at my last session ever, I asked for an itemized report from them detailing the billing. The lady behind the counter made some odd noises when she looked at the screen. Then she promised to give me a call while they straightened it out. Oh no.incidentally they did not charge me for that visit although they made me pay for the missed visit in Nov. They promised to cancel that. Oh joy.
I got a call back, but never did get my itemized report. I went ahead and moved before paying them. Over the phone, again on speakerphone, we talked to Keisha. We being my Mom the RN and me. We were told that paying this last lump sum of about $300 would put us in the clear and we wouldn't owe them any more money. So we paid them and asked for a copy of the receipt and billing history to be sent to us. This was end of May/beginning of June.
Fast forward to July. I received a bill in the mail from Apex for $10.50, and was promptly questioning why? I called them to ask why, and got Keisha. She kept reading a canned response about billing and insurance and kept doggedly ignoring me. I will admit that I did not do myself any favors and got angry over the phone. Keisha got snippy back at me and I had to give the phone to my Mom. I was shaking so bad in anger, I paid them, how could they still want MORE?
Keisha interrupted my Mom and again doggedly ignored our questions. And here's the best part. She told my Mom that the $10.50 was from a visit in March that they'd just gotten back from our insurance. Hold the Phone. I was informed that they didn't take my insurance, as was my Mom. We asked about that and were informed that we were wrong. Oh really?
When my Mom took over the phone she pulled out the copies of our history we'd gotten from them. When my Mom called Keisha on it she became more snippy over the phone, more curt and just a mean attitude. When my Mom brought up creative billing, Keisha hung up on my Mom.
I have in front of me now the invoice for March-actually-May. Keisha attached a copy of the insurance check to them and a note about how I'd paid $25 in May and they have a claim in to my insurance for March. I am sickened by this as I was told I had paid my dues and I didn't owe them any more money.
I wish now that I kept more of my receipts, and hope that I can get statements from the bank in the event of a rebuttal.
Christie
Spring Creek, Nevada
U.S.A.
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