Trolling Not Allowed

Trolling Not Allowed! Comments from anonymous trolls are not permitted and are deleted if posted by the offending pest.

Tuesday, September 30, 2014

TLC Eyecare & Laser Centers: Incompetent Billing Department, Incompetent Administration?

I have been placed in the very uncomfortable position of replacing my ophthalmologist. I am disturbed that this is necessary. While I am extremely satisfied with and have full confidence in my current ophthalmologist, James D. Ravin (I even went to his father, Dr. Louis C. Ravin, also an ophthalmologist, back 40 an 50 years ago when I was a child), I am extremely dissatified and angered by the bureaucratic, impersonal, and nonresposive organization for which Dr. Ravin practices his craft. I write in reference of TLC Eyecare & Laser Centers.

Here is my story.

In August of 2013, I went to the TLC Eyecare & Laser Center located at 3000 Regency Court in Toledo, Ohio for my annual exam by Dr. Ravin. In addition to the regular annual comprehensive ophthalmologic eye exam, dilated retinal exam, dilated macular or fundus exam, I also underwent fundus photography I&R. The fundus photography procedure for diabetics such as me is not uncommon; and, there are special billing codes and documentation needed for that and other eye exam procedures. (REF: Coding for Diabetes Procedures)

In September 2013, I received a bill from TLC Eyecare And Laser Centers, 857 W. North Street, Suite 104, Jackson, Michigan 49202-3196. I also had received a "Claim Receipt, Explanation of benefits and payments" from my medical insurance company stating, A coding error was detected. This diagnosis code is not valid when billed as a primary diagnosis. Consequently, I made a personal visit to the TLC Eyecare & Laser Center located at 3000 Regency Court in Toledo, Ohio.
[As a side note: I have had some experience in my career life in the area of medical billing. At one time I served almost three years as the administrator of a private, nonprofit ambulatory health care clinic and the billing office was part of my administrative responsibilities. I also served five years as a Medicaid Supervisor for Lucas County and a few years in supervisory and managerial capacities for several preventive health care programs.]
Well, let me tell you, I got nowhere fast! I was greeted at the front desk where I explained why I was there. I was directed to speak with an employee in the back office area. I spoke with the employee, showed her the billing notice from TLC and the EOB from my insurance company, and because the TLC employee failed to comprehend the object of my consternation, I had to explain and point out the line items and specific sentences in those communications - not once, not twice, but three times.
The employee told me that she could do nothing for me, that I owed the amount billed,  and I could pay her right then and there. She also stated that I could telephone the main TLC offices in Jackson, Michigan. I paid the amount and left in total disbelief at the lack of courtesy, lack of helpfulness, apparent lack of knowledge on the part of the employee, substandard professional demeanor, and lackluster (to say the least) customer relations.

After quite some time had passed, I wrote a letter to the TLC main office in Jackson, Michigan. In that letter, I relayed what had happened, provided copies of all correspondence along with the billing and payment receipt, and stated, "I expect a proper and adequate resolution of having my payment being reimbursed to me and your office may resubmit a corrected billing to my insurance company."
I NEVER RECEIVED A RESPONSE OF ANY KIND FROM TLC EYECARE AND LASER CENTERS!!!

In July 2014, I received a letter from TLC Eyecare Laser Centers Corporate Office, 857 W. North Street, Suite 104, Jackson, Michigan 49202 dated "Tuesday, July 08, 2014" that stated in large bold type, center-justified:
It's Time to Schedule Your Next Appointment!
and then, on the next line in smaller regular type, left-justified:
Please call our office at (877) 852-8463 to schedule your appointment.

I responded to that letter by sending an electronic message via the Contact page of the TLC Eyecare & Laser Centers website. The following is a copy of that electronic communication:
Your name *
Roland L. Hansen

Your e-mail address *
rolhansen@ (redacted)

Subject *
Very Unhappy Patient Acct# (redacted)

Message *
On January 4, 2014, I sent your main office a written letter expressing my displeasure and disappointment with your billing and business practices. My letter went into detail and specifics about my concerns. I stated that I expected a proper and adequate resolution to my concerns; and along with my letter, I provided copies of the billing statement, insurance EOB, and receipt of my payment.
YOU NEVER RESPONDED TO MY JANUARY 4 LETTER AND NOW YOU HAVE THE AUDCITY TO HAVE SENT ME A NOTIFICATION DATED JULY 8, 2014 THAT IT IS TIME TO SCHEDULE MY NEXT APPOINTMENT. HOW DARE YOU!!!!
You failed to respond to my concerns; and, you expect me to continue a professional relationship with you. What chutzpah!! Why on earth would I want to continue a relationship with a company that ignores its patients/consumers/customers?
AGAIN - I NEVER RECEIVED A RESPONSE OF ANY KIND FROM TLC EYECARE AND LASER CENTERS!!!

Then about a month ago on August 27, there was a message on my home telephone answering machine. The message was from a woman by the name of Kate from TLC stating it was time for my regular annual appointment with the doctor and she requested that I telephone 877-852-8463 to make an appointment.
Uff da! What chutzpah! I could not believe it!!!

I conclude and proclaim the same now as I did in my my concluding sentence of January 4, 2014 written correspondence to TLC Eyecare and Laser Centers:
I am a retiree with diabetes. I do not need this aggravation.

Monday, September 22, 2014

The Fraud Being Perpetuated By The Republican Party On The American Public.

I am providing a few direct quotes from a very interesting article that I recently read online.

  • The GOP is working desperately to deny the right to vote to citizens it doesn’t like. You know, poor people, black people, Hispanic people, old people, female people, .....
  • The right-wingers on the U.S. Supreme Court last year gave Republicans a hand in this effort by striking down key protections in the Voting Rights Act. Joining them this month were three Republican judges on the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
  • When their hands are pressed on a Bible in court, Republican experts admit they’ve got no evidence of the in-person voter fraud that the GOP claims these laws are intended to prevent.
  • In Texas, the expert called to testify by Republicans supporting the law admitted when cross-examined that he was unaware of a single case of in-person voter fraud there. In Wisconsin, Republican officials acknowledged in depositions that they could not produce one example of in-person voter fraud in the entire state history.
Everyone has their own subjective opinion and puts their own spin on the topic of voter fraud in the United States of America. Me? I, myself, prefer to deal with fact. While the article to which I make reference contains opinions, it also contains verifiable, indisputable, objective facts. Read the entire article for yourself! Just go on over to:

*NOTE: GOP = The Republican Party

Friday, September 19, 2014

Republicans are Wrong About the Minimum Wage

I "borrowed" that wording for the title of this Roland Hansen Commentary, as I am now borrowing this intro to the video I am placing here.

"Watch: Pres. Clinton Explains Why Republicans are Wrong About the Minimum Wage"


Bill Clinton Explains Why Raising the Minimum... by funnyvideo1

I got the whole thing from following a link on a friend's Facebook wall status update that took me to Occupy Democrats, a website of which I had previously been unaware. You can view the actual webpage by following this embedded link.

Tuesday, September 16, 2014

President Bill Clinton on Senator Mitch McConnell

William Jefferson Clinton served two elected four-year terms from 1993 to 2001 as the 42nd President of the United States.

Former President Bill Clinton is perhaps the best President of the United States of America since Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

Recently, President Clinton took Senator Mitch McConnell to task making reference to a speech McConnell gave this past June at a gathering hosted by the billionaires Charles and David Koch.

Here is YouTube Video of what President Clinton had to say:



Over thisaway, you may read the article Bill Clinton to McConnell: "What about 9/11?" by James R. Carroll of The Courier-Journal which also contains another video of President Bill Clinton's remarks on Shameful Senator McConnell.

Monday, September 8, 2014

Timothy W Higgins Just Blowing Smoke on Toledo, Ohio Water

The following sentence is the watered down version of what I originally thought of writing:
Mi Amigo Tim Higgins has written a little piece about the Toledo, Ohio "water crisis" experience of this past summer.
ref: re: water crisis:
* The Blade, COLLINS’ TAKE ON EMERGENCY, Mayor says water crisis is similar to 9/11, Both were wake-up calls, led to second-guessing, BY TOM TROY BLADE POLITICS WRITER, Published: Tuesday, 8/19/2014.
* FOOD & WATER WATCH >; BLOG >; BLOGS > The Toledo Water Crisis Won’t Be the Last, By Elizabeth Nussbaume, August 18th, 2014
Aw, shucks! Go on over to read:
Just Blowing Smoke... TFP Column (not): Water Water Everywhere

Is Timothy all wet or is the City of Toledo, Ohio throwing the baby out with the bath water? Is this a wash job? Who is wet behind the ears? Who is all washed up --- Tim Higgins or Toledo Mayor D. Michael Collins or Toledo City Councilwoman Lindsay Webb or the City of Toledo Department of Public Utilities (aka The Water Department)???

Oh, and by the way, I wrote a little something myself a few years back about the City of Toledo and its opprobrious Water Department. Read it for yourself:
Toledo, Garbage, Water.