For surgery, which Mease was meant?

By Suzanne Palmer
Published June 17, 2007

Q: On Friday, June 30, 2006, Dr. Michael Zelig of Advanced Gastroenterology Associates performed a colonoscopy on me.

The procedure went fine, but the scheduling problems created by his office staff continue to be a problem.

I was given instructions to go to Mease Countryside at a specific time. When I got there, I was told I wasn't on its schedule. Zelig's office was called and it said he only works out of Mease Dunedin on Fridays. A call to that hospital confirmed he was there and waiting for me. We had to rush through traffic to make the appointment.

On Sept. 27, 2006, I received a bill from Mease Dunedin for $2, 172.55 because my insurance company denied the claim.

I phoned my insurance company and was told the procedure hadn't been approved at Mease Dunedin. It was approved for Mease Countryside.

I phoned Zelig's office and was told it would try to get authorization so my insurance would pay the claim. On Oct. 6, 2006, I called again and was told the hospital had sent an appeal to my insurance company.

On Feb. 20, 2007, I received an amended, and reduced, bill from Mease Dunedin. Insurance had paid the claim on appeal, but now I owed a 20 percent co-pay because the procedure hadn't been done at an outpatient facility.

I live on a fixed income and the co-pay, $173.78, is a lot of money to me. I called Zelig's office again and was told someone would contact Mease Dunedin and see what could be done.

Then I received demand for payment from a collection agency on March 6. In order to keep my credit from being damaged, I paid by credit card.

I have been extremely patient for seven months trying to get this matter resolved, none of which was my fault. I finally wrote directly to Zelig, but have received no response.

Nancy Bennett

A: Zelig responded swiftly when he received a letter from Action. Your certified letter never made it to his desk, he said.

He contacted you directly and then sent me a copy of his follow-up note to you as well.

"I want to apologize for the runaround regarding your bill from the hospital, " he said. The assistant who mishandled your scheduling no longer works for his practice. "Certainly, we have learned from this to be that much more careful when scheduling cases."

Zelig said he has asked his office manager to send you a check for the amount of your co-pay. I trust it has arrived by now.

Paying for checks

Q: I just got off the phone with Check Gallery, from which I ordered four boxes of checks for a total of $24.19. This was the advertised price.

I received an invoice for another $22.11, which only covers the first two boxes they sent me. They want a total of $46.30 for two boxes. I was told I owed the additional amount because I was a repeat customer and couldn't take advantage of the introductory offer.

I wasn't aware of being a repeat customer, but in the course of the conversation, I discovered I had ordered from Classic Checks, an affiliated company. I asked why I wasn't informed of this, but I couldn't get a clear answer.

If I don't remit the $22.11, are they going to debit my checking account?

George Spachman

A: No.

"We did not in any way say that we would withdraw any monies from Mr. Spachman's checking account, " said Michael Gemmill, customer resolution representative at Check Gallery. It would be illegal to do so without your permission, he pointed out.

While Check Gallery and Classic Checks are affiliates, I could find no such information on the advertisement you sent. As it turns out, the affiliation is irrelevant. If you're ordering from Check Gallery, it doesn't matter if you've ordered from Classic Checks in the past, according to Gemmill.

Check Gallery has canceled your bill and entered the order for the remaining checks to be sent.

Action solves problems and gets answers for you. Write Times Action, P.O. Box 1121, St. Petersburg, FL 33731, or call, (727) 893-8171, or, outside of Pinellas, toll-free 1-800-333-7505, ext. 8171, to leave a recorded request. Complaints can only be accepted by mail. Send only photocopies of personal documents. Names of letter writers will not be omitted except in unusual circumstances. Letters may be edited for length and clarity.

[Last modified June 15, 2007, 15:11:29]