Last May, Rhoda Lawing had a mammogram and bone densitytests at Raleigh Breast Center. Her insurance usually covers the tests,but this time, she was denied.
Lawing found out it was filed under the wrong code, so after it wasrefiled correctly, her insurance company paid the bill.
"At that point, I figured it was all going to be OK," she says.
Lawing had already paid Raleigh Breast Center $130 so she thoughtshe was now entitled to a refund from the breast center, but she neverreceived her refund.
Every week, Lawing called theBreast Center's billing company Per SeTechnologies weekly, inquiring about herrefund.
"They were telling me that their procedure wasto send out those refund checks at the end ofevery month, and they were sure that they would behandled," she says.
After two months of waiting without a firmanswer on when she would get her money, Lawing called5 On Your Side. We called Per Se, which sent the $130 checkthe next day.
"I was elated. I was so tickled that I didn't knowwhat to do," she says.
A Per Se spokeswoman said Lawing's wait "was not unduly long," but Lawingdisagrees and says she wishes she had not been so quick to pay while it was in dispute.
"Before you go ahead and start to pay offsomething like that, make sure of what yourinsurance company is going to do," Lawing says.
The important thing to remember: Pay closeattention to insurance statements. If somethingis not right, question it. It is also a good idea to give the dispute time to work out before you decide to go ahead and pay thebills yourself.
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