(Avoid) Stupid Business Practices
Last summer I had a skin infection, a nurse friend talked me into going to the emergency room on a Sunday night instead of waiting for the doctor’s office to open on Monday morning and in doing so I generated a hospital and physician bill.
The hospital bill came and we paid it. We never got a physician bill. They had the wrong address. So they turned it over to collection, who sent me a statement, got it back in the mail and then called me. Very nice, not credit report issues, etc.
I asked why the doctor group didn’t pick up the phone and call me when the bill came back in the mail. I was told that they just don’t. They turn everything over to collection after one try. Talk about a stupid business practice. Collection agencies usually get about 1/3. It doesn’t take too many going to collection to fund an employee to collect receivables.
And I even asked, at the time of service, if I should pay the bill while there and was told no, we’ll bill you (why not take the money when offered?).
“Every wrong attempt discarded is a step forward.” Thomas Edison