eventually the current state of affairs in our healthcare system will turn us all into billy martin

So a guy comes to the office this morning. He was actually waiting at the the door before we got there. He wanted to return a medical device that the doctor had given him to help him with his particular condition. The reason why he wanted to return it was that we had told him it would be covered by his insurance. It was covered by his insurance but he had a twenty dollar deductible applied to the item.

I want to explain in detail how ridiculous this is but I just don't feel like getting into it. We can't always know how much deductible a patient hasn't met for their particular plan, we can't take back used medical equipment, we are pretty damned friggin' cranky first thing in the morning

But the doctor walked by while I was crankily explaining deductibles and took one look at the item and said, "You didn't get that from me." A full-on shouting match ensued. "YOU CALLING ME A LIAR!!" "NO, YOU'RE CALLING ME A LIAR!!! I CAN'T BELIEVE I AM HEARING WHAT I'M HEARING!!!" Later, the doctor told me that at the conference he was at this weekend, they discussed the possible tactics for dealing with situations just like this and purple-faced screaming wasn't one of the methods mentioned. The doctor screamed, "WHAT YOU HAVE THERE IS FOR A FRACTURE AND I NEVER TREATED YOU FOR A FRACTURE AND WHAT I GAVE YOU WAS FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT!" To which the guy said, "WELL...oooh" He then gave his best apology while fighting back humiliation and apoplectic rage.

I saw him in the parking lot from our window on the second floor. He was screaming at his wife and kicking dirt on her.

the fight for every dollar, part 1

Here is the progression of events:

1)patient comes in with a specific complaint
2)doctor treats
3)insurance company sends us Explanation of Benefits explaining they don't cover treatment for that complaint
4)we send patient a bill
5)patient calls insurance company to find out why she has received a bill from us
6)insurance company calls me to find out why we sent bill to the patient and I explain that it was on account that her insurance plan did not cover her for the services she received

Now comes the 'what comes next' section. The rep from the insurance company said she would explain the situation to the patient. It probably won't be the exact explanation I would give. Then the patient will have to decide whether to pay us or complain some more, and if she chooses to complain some more, she will have to decide who to complain to.

I will follow up to let you know how this specific situation pans out. Until then, feel free to bet on it. I give 2:1 that her next move is to call me and complain.