Finally!! It's about time!!

Some of you know I do NOT like Allina Health System. Their billing practices are very...what's the word...impractical. When a patient has an outstanding balance on their bill and call to set up payment arrangements Allina's guidelines are so strick that most patients end up going into collections. I've worked in medical billing for 6 years (hoping to go back in soon) and worked with patients in setting up payment arrangements. I worked for North Memorial and Twin Cities Orthopedics and their guidelines were flexible and patient friendly. We were even lax enough that we could sometimes go outside of those guidelines to further help a patient.

Not Allina, you only have 3 months to a pay a bill. Doesn't matter the balance, whether it be $300 or $3000. If you can't do that they say you can sign up for their MedCredit and pay that off monthly. Oh but what they don't tell you is the interest rate on it is 18%. Most patients don't find this out until afterwards. I have actually advised patients NOT to take the MedCredit and to do what they could to pay off their debt without it.

When Daddy had his ambulance ride in 2007 we owed $300. I called the transportation billing office (remember I worked in North Ambulance's billing office for 3 years) and asked for a payment plan. They told me I could pay $100 for 3 months. I said that was no good and wanted to do $50 for 6 months. She said I can't do that and my account would go to collections (after only one bill?! That is NOT right!). After talking with her and her talking with her boss (which she was NOT happy about) they agreed to $75 for 4 months. I've agreed to less for patients when I worked at North Ambulance and TCO.

Now, FINALLY, someone is doing something. The Minnesota attorney general is suing Allina Health System. Yahoo!!! Now hopefully they can change their practices and help patients pay their bills. Doubt it but hopefully they get them to lower the interest rate.

I don't care how long it takes a patient to pay their bill. It's better for it to take 6 months to a year to get paid versus the patient filing for bankruptcy and not getting paid at all. Or having it go to collections and have to turn around and take 30% of the payment to pay the collection agency.