Obtaining my child's medical bill's

[glessen]

I am court order to pay half of all my daughter's dental and medical bills. The problem is the court told my ex to get them to me w/in a timely matter. But she does not. When I call the doctors office they tell me they have to have approval from her to send them to me. I am the one providing insurance on her, but they denie me the bills???

[awakenlynn]

Send them a notice of your court order, a copy of the statute that deals with medical information to the NCP and let them know as a parent you have a right to the medical information without permission from the other parent.  If they still do not wish to cooperate, let them know you will be filing a complaint with the medical board in regards to the way they run their office.  Talk with an attorney first to see who needs to be sent what.

Then send a certified letter to your ex that states she has 30 days from the day of the appoinment to notify you of the appointment and send you the bill.  If she chooses not to notify you within those 30 days then she has chosen to disregard the court order and she will be responable for the entire bill.  (Be prepared for court for this one though--you'll probably get a nasty response)

Or send the doctor $20(or so) a month and write in the memo(make a copy of the check) and state it is for your child's medical bill.  Include a self addressed stamped envelope and write(make a copy) that they are to send you a receipt and balance due.  (Make a copy of the bank statement that shows the check went thru)  DO NOT make the check out to the ex.

If they do not send you a receipt or a balance due, then you can show the court that you are making an attempt to pay and are being obstructed at each turn.  IF the doctors office returns the check(doubtful), keep the letter, the check and evelope(everything) and file it.  Transfer the money into another account(set one up for medical money) so you don't spend it.  Keep the transfer reciept and the banking statementts so if you have to go to court, you can show all the work you have done and that you have set the money aside until you get the required information/permission to settle your half of the bill.

If you provide the insurance, the insurance company should be sending you a statement after each appointment.  Try going thru them for the billing information.

[Kent]

Use the FERPA letter posted on this website,
http://www.deltabravo.net/custody/recrequest2.php

More infor on this letter is here:
http://www.deltabravo.net/custody/reportcards.php (for schools, but works the same for doctors)

As long as you have at least partial (legal) custody, the doctor's office must provide you with copies of the medical records, unless there is a court order prohibiting them from doing so.

If you provide the insurance, why do you not get the insurance statements? My insurance statements tell me what was done, how much the insurance pays, and how much the doctor's office will charge you.

*** CAUTION ***

I frequently have to call doctor's offices that charge more than allowed. I need to call them with the insurance statement, after which they (unwillingly) reduce my bill to the correct amount.

Kent!

[Sherry1]

hospital.  I personally know that CFO's and upper management do not like getting letters like this... amazing, he finally got the records!

[glessen]

After soeaking with my insurance company and found out that since I am the card holder for her insurance they should give me a copy. In which I contacted all doctors by phone and am receiving copies of medical records. Now the dentist is the only one refusing to send them to me ans said it was between my ex and me. And that they did not care if I was the one who carried the insurance and did not care what the IL. Statues state. So I am needing to get my daughters dential records now.
Any ideas on how???????????

[Sunshine1]

Ask Soc how to draft a letter for these unwilling participants.  Are they a franchise type dental place or a privately owned one like Smith Family Dentistry?  If it is a franchise type you can easily send the letters to the CFO and the like.  If it was a privately owned one I wonder if you could take a police officer with you...( in the morning with a waiting room full of patients) and demand the records that you are legally able to see, by court order and state statue?  Just a thought, I would personally be their worst nightmare if they had said that to me...but that's me, I don't take no very easily....I'm working on that!  LOL :)

Another thought is to be sneaky..hey, if all else fails...I would have your GF or wife pretend to be BM and call them up and say hey could you just send this pain in the ass all the information he needs?  Whaaala..might work, might not?

By NO MEANS is this LEGAL ADVICE, but there is more than one way to skin a rabbit!

[glessen]

After soeaking with my insurance company and found out that since I am the card holder for her insurance they should give me a copy. In which I contacted all doctors by phone and am receiving copies of medical records. Now the dentist is the only one refusing to send them to me ans said it was between my ex and me. And that they did not care if I was the one who carried the insurance and did not care what the IL. Statues state. So I am needing to get my daughters dential records now.
Any ideas on how???????????

[Sunshine1]

Ask Soc how to draft a letter for these unwilling participants.  Are they a franchise type dental place or a privately owned one like Smith Family Dentistry?  If it is a franchise type you can easily send the letters to the CFO and the like.  If it was a privately owned one I wonder if you could take a police officer with you...( in the morning with a waiting room full of patients) and demand the records that you are legally able to see, by court order and state statue?  Just a thought, I would personally be their worst nightmare if they had said that to me...but that's me, I don't take no very easily....I'm working on that!  LOL :)

Another thought is to be sneaky..hey, if all else fails...I would have your GF or wife pretend to be BM and call them up and say hey could you just send this pain in the ass all the information he needs?  Whaaala..might work, might not?

By NO MEANS is this LEGAL ADVICE, but there is more than one way to skin a rabbit!