how would you handle this encounter

Discussion Topic: Billing Inquiry As a member of the medical office team you may encounter communication with a patient regarding their bill. Below, is a scenario that you may encounter as a billing/coding specialist. Review the scenario below and provide your response. Be sure to include a researched customer service focused reference that would SUPPORT your actions.

Scenario: You are one of three certified medical billers working in a large family practice office. You are covering lunch breaks at the front desk due to short staffing issues. During your time at the front desk, an irate parent arrives for the appointment with two sick children (ages 10 months and 2 years) who are crying. The patient communicates in an unpleasant tone regarding a bill she received. The patient communicates the following to you as she approaches the window:

“I received another bill from you people today. This is the THIRD bill I received and now I am being threatened to be turned over to collections for an error that YOU caused. I am sick and tired of coming here and having to give my insurance information to clear up a bill when I am not asked about my insurance or to show my insurance card when I bring my kids for their appointments. If I keep getting billed incorrectly, I am going to call my lawyer. If it wasn’t for the doctor, I would have left this practice a long time ago!”

Based on the communication provided from the patient, how would you handle this encounter?