Michelle has a parasite growing inside of her that will eventually become our fourth terrorist / third princess. Sadly, we decided to try Multicare in Gig Harbour because it’s the closest facility to our house offering baby things. We’ve since stopped being their customer and we’ve moved to Silverdale with Doctor Lo. Because Multicare appears to care more about billing us for things then doing good for us, and the worst then billing they send our things out to other provides with no care at all for our insurance coverage. – That’s another ranting post I am going to SEO and ADWORD the fuck out of to make it come up on first search page for Multicare

Natera Genetic Testing

We’re starting to live in the genetics future where it’s fairly simple to determine things about babies in utero. Simply by extracting bits of baby blood from momma’s blood and running the baby blood through genetic testing we find things out. We like knowing things, so we’ve always opted for the genetic testing. The past 3 babies the testing was fully covered by insurance, so we didn’t even think to ask. Multicare didn’t think to ask their third party genetic testing facility either – this is where we solidified our sad face experience with them and started the talk about leaving.

Shortly after the genetic testing we received the Explanation of Benefits (EOB) to the left from a company we’d never heard of. I looked up Natera on the interwebs and determined they were a genetic testing company. Internally Multicare bands their testing Panorama and does not mention Natera. Making you think it’s part of their internal genetics practice. After working out it’s a bill we might have authorized based on forms signed I freaked the f out. Freaked, because it was looking like we were going to be on the hook for an 8,000$. More money than we spent to purchase both of the cars we drive combined; kev angry face.

Finding someone to talk to

Multicare does not publish email addresses other than their generic customer service department. I was not in the mood to deal with level 1 suppprt. I needed someone empowered to make our bill Vanish, so we were stuck with trying to find a person. We went to the Gig Harbour facility looking for a boss level employee. We did not find one, we were told to call billing in Tacoma. Billing told us they do not represent Natera and cannot help us. They suggested we should talk to an office manager in Gig Harbor, whom they provided a name for. Research proved the name was for someone who did not work at Multicare.

Eventually we found Linda Smith, the supervisor of the Gig Harbor clinic. By the time we found Linda my rage meter was reading please don’t talk to anyone in person or over the phone because KEV MAD. I wanted to email Linda to shield her, and protect myself from my rage. No one would provide an email address for Linda, and again, their addresses are not published.

Well I email for a living as a level 99 Black Wizard elf Emailer and desired to email someone; no problem I can fix this issue. Luckily Multicare’s MX record points to mailext1.mulitcare.org which is an in-house hosted SMTP server configured to allow RCPT validation. Some PowerShell, a download of the staff directory, and sometime later I had a list of the email address for all the Multicare staff. I could found Linda’s, but I like to come to battle prepared. If Linda did not help me the board of the hospital was going to be added to the TO line.

We emailed Linda Smith <Linda.Smith@multicare.org> and copied Customer Service <Customer.Service@multicare.org> – About a week later Linda solved out problem with, to me, shocking results. Instead of owing 8,000$ we only owed 100$; WTF? I’m shocked and stunned and happy and annoyed at all once. Natera appears to do what most medical companies do in America, rape the fuck out of insurance, then play nice if asked. The meaningful part of the email from Linda –

I have reached out to the customer service rep with Natera/Panorama, and this is the information I have received. They did say that they are not contracted with the majority of insurances (only about 2-3), so they do expect that everyone will receive the EOB showing a large balance owing because they are out of network. They do expect this, then would like the patient to contact Natera at 877-476-4743. Let them know you received the EOB for out of network and would like your bill to be reduced to the $100.00. That is what they do for the out of network insurance companies.

Michelle called Natera the next day and they indeed took 100$ and were happy about it. All stress and frustration over this bill vanished. Annoyance with medical leveled up a bit.

Target for drugs

While writing this post I was looking all of the bills for the pregnancy, and the anti-nausea stood out as another WTF? Michelle is taking some Anti-nausea drugs this pregnancy, because she’s been a bit of wreck tummy wise. Poor girl is still running an upset tummy on the drugs half way through the parasitic infection. I feel for her. Our medical pays 100% for almost all medications, so we don’t tend to look at the EOBs and prices. The anti-nausea drug started at 2,228$. In the end Target took 2.4% of their initial price offer. I can see the conversation going like this.

• Target – “We’d like 2,228$ for these generic pills“
• Microsoft – “No thanks we’ll pay 58$ “
• Target – “That’s great thanks very much, you’ve been a doll to deal well we accept your offer with a smile. we’ll try to rape someone else“

What else is annoying

I don’t like our medical it’s insanely frustrating. Next mission, I need to call into Multicare and have them lower other bills we have that cost more then they should. Like the hand held 5-minute ultra sound we didn’t ask for, or need that cost 900$ vs. the hour long ultrasound a few weeks later that only cost 250$. WTF? I Don’t feel it from most of the staff dealing us, but I feel like we are just dollar signs to Multicare as a company.