Recommendations for law firms specializing in FDCPA credit report damage claims... APP of Tennessee double billing now gone to collections

[Swordsman4570]

Greetings and I'm glad I found this forum.

 

I'm looking for a law firm to extract some damages from APP of Tennessee ED PLLC.  They billed my insurance for $687 for the ER Doc (really a PA) to remove foreign object from my eyeball in November 2021.  My insurance paid them in January 2022 and I have the Explanation of Benefits to prove it.  Then APP started billing me after Health Alliance denied their second attempt to collect on that November 2021 ER visit.  Their people claim that the Health Alliance payment of 687 was to the ER, and not the doc (separate billing).  Well, Health Alliance did pay the ER something like $1300 for the ER visit in November of this year.  (Not sure why the delay for the ER to bill Health Alliance but not my circus, not my monkeys.)

 

Multiple phone calls to APP of Tennessee with each bill (which they send monthly)...  everytime once I explain it the call taker goes from wanting me to pay (or should I say INSISTING I PAY) to "oh, I see you did send in that EOB.  This should all be taken care of."

 

Two letters to them as well, with copies of the EOB, etc.

 

Now it's gone to Wakefield & Associates collection agency.

 

Like I said, I'm looking for recommendations on a law firm that can file suit for derogatory filings against my credit score, which is in the low 800s, depending on which of the big three agencies pulls it.  I want a firm that will swing for the proverbial fences as they've been repeatedly informed, in writing with proof, that the billing has already been paid, yet they want me to pay again.

 

I figure some of you have some institutional knowledge on who can get damages for wrongful billing that goes to collections and is reported on one's credit file.

 

I'm pretty stubborn on this.

 

THanks in advance.

 

John in Illinois

[hegemony]

is it even on your consumer credit reports?

[Why Chat]

Try here;

https://www.tn.gov/attorneygeneral 

to file a complaint against them

 

Unless you have demonstrable proof of harm you will likely be paying an attorney more than the amount of the bill to file an action, assuming you can even find one .

 

Get your reports and see IF anything was actually reported

https://whychat.me/GUIDEBOOK.html

[hdporter]

It's not entirely clear that you have all your facts lined up.  The billing entities and who received payment for what should be crystal clear from the paperwork.  You shouldn't have to rely upon anyone to verbally tell you who received the $687.

 

Just saying that if someone claims not to have been paid, and your EOB shows that the billing was satisfied by your insurer in full, then there's not much to argue about ... unless they claim that they didn't receive the payment documented by the EOB.  In that case, it's not their responsibility to chase after the insurer for a missing payment.  Whatever the cause of a lost payment, you're the one that ends up on the hook should the problem not be resolved.  You need to contact your insurer and request proof of payment receipt (cancelled check, etc.) and submit that to the provider to resolve this.

 

Another possibility is that  you're being "balance billed".  If the ER or physician doesn't have a preferred provider contract with your insurer, it may mean that they haven't agreed to accept any payments from your insurer as "payment in full", and reserve the right to bill you for any shortfall in insurer payment from the billing.  Not saying this is necessarily the case, but it's one possibility.

 

Bottom line, you need to review all of your documents and get a firm handle on what was billed and by whom, and what's been paid out by the insurer to date (and to whom).  From that, work up a solid picture and relay it to the providers in whatever fashion necessary to ensure they finally get the message and put this to bed.

 

What you've been doing to date apparently isn't working.  I fully accept that the fault is with the provider.  The onus is still on you to change up tactics to achieve a more satisfactory result.

[Swordsman4570]

Update:

 

Hired Jaffer & Associates.  They went after Wakeland and Associates after APP of Tennessee sent it to them for collections.

 

Sent Wakeland the same evidence of payment in full and a FDCPA "no contact" letter giving them one single written contact permitted reference this matter.  They didn't use it.

 

Wakeland may have "hypothetically" submitted a settlement offer of $3500 but they want to include an NDA which I have not (yet) agreed to or signed.

 

Thought folks would appreciate an update.

 

All the best.