I too received the same intrusive letter. What they don't make clear is exactly who wants this information, nor do they explain in human terms anyone can understand, why they want it. Of course we're afraid of giving out our personal medical information, out of the blue, to some company who doesn't truthfully identify themselves.
I refuse to respond to their letters of inquiry because everything they need to know is in my medical record. I've already stated how/why my injury occurred. It's from a lifetime of breaking my back so you birdbrains can get rich. Leave me alone.
Here's something that makes it a bit clearer. It did for me anyway.
Here's some gobbly [censored] for your edification: "With health care costs on the rise, most employers are looking for ways to better manage their employee’s insurance and medical expenses. In support of this effort, Blue Cross Blue Shield administers a provision that will encourage the reduction of health care costs without reducing health benefits; that provision is known as Reimbursement or Subrogation and applies when Blue Cross and Blue Shield has paid claims that might be the responsibility of another party.
Our partnership with Healthcare Recoveries, Inc. (HRI) will assist in this administration of the Reimbursement/Subrogation provision through the review of paid health care claims that could potentially be the responsibility of another party (e.g., claims processed for a member who had been in an auto accident).
Source(s):
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois Customer Advocate."
Then why doesn't your company identify itself as Trover Solutions Inc. in their mailings? Could it be the name doesn't sound 'medical' enough?
I know all I need to know about your company, and mine.
Just received "3rd notice" from your company. Listen idiots, I've already given accurate information at time of admission to ER. I, repeat, I, already know WHO is responsible for my care. Kaiser, the company I, repeat, I, pay through the nose for. So what, you want to find a way to make the state pay? Go f*ck yourself!
Nope. I'm not legally obligated to waste my time answering their questions. Not gonna happen.
Well, apparently, according to Gibson & Sharps, PSC, on behalf of Kaiser/Healtcare Recoveries, I am legally obligated to answer the vultures inquiries. I received a letter today telling me so. Frankly, this is extremely upsetting to me. Last March my back gave out, I missed 6 weeks of work throwing me into a financially bog. I'm now making payments to Kaiser because I 'd foolishly opted for their deductible plan through my job. Now: I owe Kaiser $500, behind financially, and they hire firm to bother me about details, details already given at time of treatment of my injury.
Here's what part their scare letter says:
"Dear Member, This firm represents Kaiser Northern California and Heathcare Recoveries. You may wish to review your health plan contract to determine any legal obligation you might have to provide certain information in connection with the claim referenced above."
BTW, I no longer have Kaiser. Had to cancel due to money problems. I will never, under any circumstances, use Kaiser healthcare again. I'd rather die. P.S. Cheri Hall, I have zero intention of answering duplicate questions to your company or any other firm you deal with. What? Am I going to be arrested and sent to jail failing this?
Interesting. Just googled the law firm, found an interesting tid bit:
"I got the same letter. This is purely speculation on my part!
I don't think they are actually hired by BCBS. I suspect that they found a loophole in HIPAA that allows BCBS to sell contact information that a claim was paid out but not give details of the medical condition. Healthcare Recoveries probably pays BCBS a fee to obtain the list in hopes that they can receive a bounty for any recovered funds. A recovery may not come from the individual, but maybe a insurance payout for workman comp.
It seems similar to 3rd party debt collection efforts.
The wording of the letter is slickly crafted to make you think you need to take action. I'm sure that BCBS verified they are "legit" because Healthcare Recoveries pay a fee and is a customer of BCBS.
Very creative but still slimy."
Yes! Spread the word!
IGNORE THEM! JC, did some of their weasel employees find their way here? Honest, hardworking Americans have no time for money grubbing shenanigans like that. Vultures!
Healthcare Recoveries is a division of Trover Solutions, Inc., a company founded in 1988 and headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky. Healthcare Recoveries works in partnership with your health insurance company in reviewing medical services provided and/or paid claims that may have been the result of an accident or injury. In order to effectively administer health contract benefits, we need to obtain detailed information from you to determine if another party is responsible for the medical treatment provided to you. The letter you received is signed by Cheri Hall (not Cheri Hill), the Manager of our Customer Service Department. When you call, the Customer Service Department representative will ask for the event # listed in your letter and/or your health plan member ID number to assist us with looking up your account when you call. For more information about our Company, please visit our website at www.troversolutions.com. Thank you. Amanda Hopper, Director of Compliance.
I believe I can help clear up your confusion about Healthcare Recoveries and Trover Solutions.
Healthcare Recoveries is a division of Trover Solutions, Inc., a leading independent provider of claims recovery and cost containment solutions. Since 1988, our Healthcare Recoveries division has provided these services for private healthcare payers across the country. Trover also has another division, TransPaC Solutions, which serves the property and casualty insurance industry with similar services.
Healthcare Recoveries works with health plans to review medical services provided and/or paid claims that may have been the result of an accident or injury. Our company obtains detailed information from health plan members to determine if other parties may be responsible for medical treatments they have received. Your response to Healthcare Recoveries is an important part of your health plan’s cost management program.
If you are interested in learning more about our company, corporate information about Trover Solutions is available online at www.troversolutions.com. I hope these details eliminate any uncertainty regarding our identity and purpose. On behalf of your insurance company, we appreciate your time and attention.
I received a similar letter and not going to respond. I am not going to spend any of my time helping health insurance and the
healthcare solutions get richer. I am not working for you, guys. You are working for me.
Okay, here is the solution to take care of these anoying ambulance chasers and get them to stop pestering you: You are going to have to talk to them once. Make everything up, names, places, details of the events in question, do not provide one factual statement. After they go chasing down the rabbit hole, they will get the message full on, and will leave you alone.
This was very helpfull. I too have been getting letters from Health care recoveries. I sent all my info to the insurance company and I do not Know why they would have to use a second party. I also received the letter from Gibson & Sharps Law Firm. I do not plan on calling them. I would like a copy of my plan that states I have to give my info to another campony. No where on the letter does it have my member number. I think that is strange. Don't you?
Gibson & Sharps, PSC, is located in the same building as Health Recoveries and Trover Solutions. What legitimate business would troll complaint sites and respond to complaints?
All in the same building is just to cozy. They are simply ambulance chasers.
Got my "3rd AND FINAL NOTICE" two days ago from Ms. Hall. It states that my cooperation might be required by my contract with BCBS. If Healthcare Recoveries doesn't hear from me within 10 days, they will "refer this matter" to BCBS "for appropriate action."
I agree that their letters are slickly crafted. Their tactics should be given as much publicity as possible, and reputable firms like BCBS should be pressed not to cooperate with organizations (to the extent that they do cooperate -- the letters says that Healthcare Recoveries "represents" BCBS) that employ such tactics.
I Just got a letter from "Humana c/o Trover Solutions Inc".. They seem to know about a medical procedure I had done on a certain date, but not what in particular. They also do not have my Humana ID or group number.
A note at the bottom of the page: "Inquiries made by Trover Solutions on behalf of your health care plan are in full compliance with HIPAA." Well, I've had to pass a HIPAA training course in order to prepare for a research class. And so I know, just 'cause you say you're HIPAA don't mean you're really HIPAA. HIPAA could be used as lever to pry Trover open, or a club to beat them down: there are a number of awfully ugly and inhumane historical facts that drives modern HIPAA laws and compliance.
Another amazing fact: The telephone number they ask me to call, [protected], identifies with a voice greeting of "Thank you for calling Humana Healthcare", then asks me to fill in the event number of the letter. The REAL Humana Healthcare service number can recognize you by your incoming phone number, birth date and zip code. Trover's answering machine is lying.
So Trover Solutions is really troving around. Their company name means "to find". I wonder if they are trying to find trouble? These guys are suspicious to me.. I'll see what Humana has to say.. Maybe they're in bed with these dogs, maybe Trover is tying to insert themselves into the situation. I would not put anything past Humana, though.. I had to sic a lawyer after them once after they denied a claim. At my place of work, we have legal insurance, believe it or not! I wouldn't *think* of dealing with Humana without a legal pit bull on a leash..
What a bunch of ambulance chasers.
I have submitted a complete and detailed report to my pcp during my appointment. My pcp turn sent me to the hospital where again i submitted a complete and detailed intimate report to the technician upon admittance to the hospital.
Both of these agents submitted a complete and detailed reports to blue cross blue shield. These reports contained no accident information or reports because "i was not in an accident" so why in the h_ll do i need to send even more information to some agency that i know nothing about and that blue cross blue shield refuses to acknowledge. I have sent 5 emails to my blue cross blue shield provider through the website that i have to log into with my account number. They have not acknowledged you www. Troversolutions.com so that tells me you are a fraud.
Received my letter and landed on this page searching for info on the company. Contacted them and inquired why they would need additional info if they are working in conjunction w/ my service provider. Got a canned, scripted response that those records remained w/ the provider, but they need to VERIFY details they are not privy to to begin with..?
I told the rep "great - thanks for the info, it's obvious you have not been contracted by my SP. Remove my name from your data base, and do not contact me again." The rep thanked me for my time and said I would be removed.
I made this call from a VOIP phone, and gave only my first and last name and city of residence (they already have our mailing addy's).
A URL is also given https://responseform.hcrec.com Feel free to go there and give them all kinds of ficticious info;)
[censor]... Don't give them any of your info! They, along with your healthcare provider, are not out to help you... they are in it for the $$$.
We have received these letters for years. We have never responded and they shred just fine, like all the credit card offers we receive. :) The treatment dates that they list refer to regular check up appointments with our primary care doctors. No ER, no accident, no reason I would want to sue someone! So we ignore these . Go ahead and refer "this matter" to my local BCBS, they barely have time to answer real questions, much less come after us for "appropriate action". Frankly, I'm relieved when I receive the "Third and Final" letter, that means you won't be bothering me anymore.
actually worked for them, and this is what they are all about. say you fall and break your leg. If you're lucky, you have health insurance, go to the hospital, get treatment, and get better. Your health insurance company, even tho' they paid for your care, wants to know, WHERE did it happen. see, if you broke your leg at a friend's house, then your insurance company, say blue cross, kaiser, all the big ones do this, well, your health insurance company would like to sue the homeowner's policy of where you broke your leg...since technically they are liable. and GET BACK THEIR MONEY! say you broke your leg at a business, cha-ching. fall on the city sidewalk? healthcare recoveries would like to sue the city, on behalf of your health insurance company, and get their money back. even if you fell at your friend's house who rents a trailer and doesn't have homeowner's, much less any insurance...who is liable? subrogation is basically the process of WHO CAN WE MAKE PAY FOR THIS! Health insurance companies hire healthcare recoveries to get back money for them. so yeah, gone are the days when you had health insurance, something happened, you were covered, and life went on. so, that's what they're after, hence the forms and asking for information. your insurance company, and darn near all of the major health ins companies do this, flag certain claims/treatments, and then has healthcare recoveries "check it out" and see if they can get the money they paid out on your claim, back. seems ridiculous, but unfortunately seems to be how it's done these days.
Let me add to your disgust, dear readers. I actually work for my insurance company (medical) and support their systems, dealing with the people one on one...daily. Why would a 3rd party company send letters to me at home, asking for insurance information about my medical insurance coverage (regarding a family member i support from a mid-1990's divorce event)...on behalf of the company i actually walk around in?
My employer IS my insurance company! Do you really think my employer needs to find out what their own insurance information is, to give to themselves, and can't figure that out. BTW, i got trapped in a phone call w/ "Healthcare Recoveries" and didn't realize the problem with them at first, and sent them paperwork with legal information proving insurance responsibility and court paperwork for the joint-custody divorce of the mid-90's...and declared everything openly to them. Months later i got the ole' "2nd Rquest for Claim Information" letter that many of you here have gotten. Imagine...i sent them EVERYTHING, legal documentation with judges signatures, and they still contact me with "we need more information."
By the way, the person on the phone at that time, was very elusive and threatening at the same time, that legal action could be taken (which i see some of you refer to in your postings as well).
I think something fishy is indeed going on here, and now i'm sad i didn't think about it at first that my own insurance company wouldn't need to use a 3rd party company to get my insurance information...and i panicked that i'd missed something along the way in the final years of my divorce decree going null/ending. Oy veh...i say stay away from Cheri A Hall and Healthcare Recoveries, because i don't believe they are being honest but are gold-diggers (well, ambulance chasers is a better term, like others have said repeatedly in their postsings).
I received a letter from Healthcare Recoveries and decided to check them out on the internet. So glad I did... I felt the same way...why are you asking me all this information again...this happened a year ago...I too have mailed, faxed..etc everything to my BCBS provider...why again..why now! It was totally frustrated.. I am so glad I didn't respond to these people... so glad I checked out the internet before being pulled in by these ambulance chasers.
Thank you everyone for clearing this scam up for me. I received my 2nd notice yesterday and decided to do a little research before calling them. Now I won't have to. GFY Cheri Hall!
I just got a letter from same company. I'm calling Blue Cross Blue Shield to answer any questions they may have. I will not give out my health information to a company that does not have a member ID or any information to confirm this is not a scam.
My suggestion is to call your insurance company directly and ask them if this is a legal letter. That is exactly what I am going to do!
I caleld my health care insurance provider (Aetna) & confirmed they use a third party, HRI, to review claims for subrogation purposes. Subrogration is when one insurance company reaches out to another party (usually another insurance co) and shares the cost of the claim. This is most commonly seen when insurance your health insurance company has claims related to a workman's comp claim or car accident.
The # Aetna provided for HRI was different than the one provided onthe letter from HRI. I called the Numberfrom Aetna, the event number pulled my records & I was asked a few simple questions regarding my DR appts. Where did it happen, did I file with any other insurance companies, what is work related, etc. At the conclusion of the call I asked what happens next & was informed she updated my records & determined no third party responsibility. I asked for something to identify the call if necessary down the line & received the reps name & reference #.
It took less than 5 minutes for the call.
All in all it seems this is a reasonable way for the insurance companies to confirm everyone is not over paying for services.
I just called Healthcare Recoveries and they are a company (subsidiary of Trovis) retained by your healthcare provider to audit the claim to see if anyone else (auto insurance, other third parties, etc.) can be brought in to the mix to save your healthcare provider some money. In the end, they are paid by savings provided to your HC company. Not a scam but not really a business I would be proud to be in either. They are essentially trying to find someone else to pay what they’ve already said they would pay.
Where there is a demand, there will be a supply. HRI is the nation’s largest vendor for subrogation services to the private payer industry.
There are insurance fraud investigators on both sides but HRI does something different and essential to the whole insurance industry. They don't investigate fraud, they investigate responsibility after the payment of insurance has been approved and paid. If you were BCBS and a company like HRI returned 200 million to you for legally finding the resposible party you would worship HRI. HRI is no threat to the consumer (unless you lied and there is fraud) and they have a large impact on keeping insurance rates down. I know of this company and they do the same thing for property and casualty insurers. If your driving and a tornado throws your car into a house...who is reponsible? Your main health provider will usually pay but legally your injury may be the legitimately responsibility of your car insurance or the homeowners insurance or the states catastophic insurance. If subrogation was not available to the insurance industry, and trust me on this, your insurance would delay payment for untold perids of time until they were sure they were responsible, causing you serious problems from the doctors and hospitals that treated you. So unless you are commiting fraud, just tell them where and how your injury happened on behalf of your insurance that just paid 50 grand or more to fix you back up in exchange for the 1 or 2 grand you pay them per year.
I can assure you that NOTHING HRI does will keep your healthcare costs down. Subrogation is a very, very, very, small part of the insurance industry. And of that small part that they recover from... they (and companies like them) usually keep up to a third of what they collect. I also suspect that "4the record" is actually a company employee posting comments here to try to maintain the high moral ground in what they do.
Obviously, all of you are complete idiots who are so blinded by your own ignorance. Have any of you ever once thought about how much money your health plan pays out for your treatment!?! Um, it's nothing compared to the monthly payments of however many hundred dollars you may pay for your health insurance... One treatment you receive may cost over $1, 000 or more depending on what type of tx you may get. ER visits are damn expensive! I wouldn't want to pay that completely out of pocket! I would be thanking your health insurance for covering your treatment! With this being said, your health plan has a RIGHT to know if the treatment you received is a resut of another party's negligence...that's all they want to know. Yeah they ask you to verify your privacy info to make sure there not speaking to some crack pot old fool that picked your letter out of a garbage can somewhere and wants to discuss YOUR medical treatment. And they ask for a few brief details of your treatment to get a clearer picture of what caused your treatment. They only see a select few treatments your health plan has sent them to go over, NOT your entire medical history! Seriously, if someone else is responsible for your treatment don't you think, as an ethical human being, that the negligent party's insurance should cover your treatment cost? Uh, yeah. Why the hell should your medical insurance have to pay if someone else is responsible!?! Seriously. Don't be so completely ignorant! If you don't like the proper procedures your health plan uses to keep your insurance costs down, then shut your mouth and get another insurance company! But beware, because sooner or later all insurance companies will be using these subrogation services. A: It keeps insurance costs down, big time. Because naturally, if your insurance paid for everything all the time, they would have to keep raising your monthly bill, by other responsible companies paying for the correct treatments it keeps the system regulated. And B: your health insurance is so freaking busy working on going through all your claims and paying for them, member services, etc. That they don't have the time or resources to handle subrogation in their own company. So, outsourcing to a different company basically is the easiest way to keep the process simple and efficient! If you don't like it, perhaps you should have read the fine print in the contract you have with your health plan before you agreed to pay for it. Being ignorant is no excuse, do the damn research before you ### about something that saves you money in the end. Just saying. Healthcare Recoveries rocks! (oh, and p.s. Healthcare Recoveries is a branch if Trover Solutions, whoop de do if they don't list every single branch of the company in your letter! It's not fraudulent, what difference does it make!?!) get the hell over it, ###.
Hi, I received a few letters from Healthcare Recoveries regarding a chiropractic visit. I thought this was strange as I go to the chiropractor every week and have done so for the past 4 years. I did not understand why they would be singling out one visit. I went on line and found this complaint site & decided to ignore the letters based on others' experiences. Then I got another letter but this time it was from Gibson & Sharps Attorneys at Law. The letter stated that I was obligated to respond to the inquiry. I decided to call my insurance company. I was told by Keystone's customer service that the inquiry was legitimate. Instead of calling I went to their website. There was a form to fill out. I was required to qualify the nature of my condition - whether it was work related or not. I do not anticipate any negative fall out from this experience, but if there is I will update it here to keep people informed. When I called my insurance company, the representative I spoke with understood my concern about phishing scams and identity theft. I think if any of you are really concerned, you should contact your insurance provider. I hope this post helps alleviate some of your concern.
You guys are seriously getting worked up over a legitamate business.
4 months ago my 4-year-old was wrestling on the bed. He hit a corner and got a cut on his face that needed minor stitches in the ER. I have Kaiser.
I got my letter from Healthcare Recoveries and was suspicious. After reading this thread, I went ahead and called the 1-800 number as requested, but I was cautious.
They asked me identifying info, but not complete info. Just my street address, but not the city/state/zip. My name, but not the name of the patient (my son). They never asked for anything sensitive, like my SSN or medical number or what-not. That implies that it really is for verification, not for identity theft or scamming.
Anyways, after that, they asked what happened, which I explained in two sentenses. They asked where it happened. My house, in the bedroom. They asked if there are any claims related to this incident with other insurance companies. I said No.
She thanked me and that was all there was. The whole thing took 2 aminutes.
It is not a scam. As others have tried to say, your healthcare provider is in the medical business, not the legal business. So they hire a 3rd party to cover their bases and make sure they are not being taken advantage of by paying for things that other insurance should be paying for.
just ignore the letters. the idea that Healthcare Recoveries keeps costs down is not right . endless lawsuits with everyone suing everyone Increases our rates in the end. of all the megacorporate industries, the healthcare industry is one of the ones i'm least sympathetic towards. and i'm not spending one second calling kentucky just to help them increase their profit margins even more.
Bottom line here is you simply DO NOT have to tell them anything. Yes, they may be "working" for your health care provider, but they are doing you NO service. Ultimately their goal to to take any settlement proceeds (or insurance payout) you may be entitled to as a result of an accident, or injury, and forward those monies back to your health care provider (after keeping a percentage for themselves). In practical terms, it does VERY LITTLE to keep costs "down" and simply is just another source of revenue for your provider. In "some" instances they may contact your employer group who MAY (or may not) force you to cooperate with HRI... and if that occurs, they you'll have to grudingly cooperate, but until that occurs (if at all), simply ignore them.
I heard from Cheri as well. Called my provider (Highmark). Highmark does employ Healthcare Recoveries to try to recover costs from third parties they believe might be responsible for costs. HOWEVER, the Highmark subrogation rep I talked you said that NO ONE was going to "come after" me for not responding to Healthcare Recoveries' letters.
My letter states, "If we do not hear from you within ten days, we may refer this matter to our Legal counsel." (I like how "Legal" is capitalized, though it shouldn't be.)
The Highmark rep laughed and said, "There's nothin' to come after you for."
Here's what I did. I think it would work for anyone who recd letters from Healthcare Recoveries:
1) call your provider
2) ask for the Subrogation Dept
3) tell the rep that the claim did not involve any 3rd-party liability (do not go into details. simply tell them that the party was injured)--unless you believe that another party was truly negligent or culpable
4) ask your provider to update your information and tell Healthcare Recoveries to leave you alone
I also received my letter. You know I pay enough for insurance, I am so stressed about this medical mumbo jumbo anyway. I gave all of my info to the hospital. I just hate thinking that all the money I spend a year for medical insurance is going to companies like this. As I said before I gave the hospital all the information. I know what happened. If someone else was involved in my accident I would be the first person to get money from the other person to pay my medical bills not my own insurance company. Where does it end, and how do we make it stop. GOD help us all...
I received a similar letter. I agree with the previous posts. They specify a treatment date but not what it is for. BCBS has all the info they need and with what we pay in premiums they are crazy if they think I am going to do their work for them. Ok Gibson and Sharps attorneys at Law, please tell me what crime I am committing in not responding to a company I've never heard of and not giving them my personal information? If an injury was due to an accident it would be on file with BCBS and they wouldnt be asking me what the injury was for.
Ahh... just got my Gibson & Sharps letter after ignoring all the previous letters for the most part. My wife is all panicked about them so I actually did try to call after the 2nd letter and they wanted me to hold for them. I waited approximately 5 minutes in the queue waiting for someone to take my call. No thanks, I'm not wasting my time sitting on hold so I can help you. Gibson & Sharps, meet my trash can.
jwren: Thanks for you simple, 4-step action list. Feeling uneasy about the snail mail received yesterday from "Cheri Hall", today, I decided to check online for folks relating similar experiences. To avoid future contact with "Healthcare Recoveries", I will follow your suggested course. Hopefully, that will do the trick. Thanks again! k2
How do I reach you with a private email about a claim?
I don't want to post all the information for public viewing.
I present all of you with the facts and what you can do in regard to letters received from Healthcare Recoveries.
Don't ignor the letters, be pro[active and call the 800 number. Inform the Rep. that your call regards the event number printed on the letter and ask the Rep. for their full name and an employee ID, if there is an ID to give, (be polite) do not give your insurance card number, instead, think about what statements can be made to fullfill any legal obligations covered under HIPAA RULES AND GUIDELINES. under HIPAA rules it is legal for this third party;
Healthcare Recoveries to request information about your event. However, if your visit to the ER was not the result of an accident you only need to state that fact and tell the Rep. that any more information would have to be provided on a report issued by the hospital in regard to the release of the ER Summary report.
If your ER visit was indeed the result of an accident. you can again state that any information that would be factual woulf or should come ffrom a professional sorce, i.e. hospital ER summery report or if related, any police report that sould be provided through the actual insurance provider, i.e. Blue Cross.
Keep in mind that most of the information they need and legally entitled to can be obtained through proper channels when they abide by HIPPA rules and guidelines. By sending you their letter all that their really doing is hoping you'll help make their job less time consuming and more cost effective.
Do not be intimidated by threats of legal action against you, the fact is, in the state of Illinois; the state Attorney General could when proven, impose a fine on the company (healthcare recovery and the law firm of Gibson and Sharps for harassment, which could result in your being awarded $1, 500.00 but, you do have to first prove that you were pro-active and that you did send a letter requesting no further communications with HCR and/or their legal reps.
Hey all,
I got the same fishy looking letter form Healthcare Recoveries so I called BCBS with the 800 number on my card and asked them if they are are a company they do business with. I found that they are in fact doing business with them and that is the correct number to call them with. I then called Healthcare Recoveries and found that the only information they wanted was the Event number listed on the letter and if the procedure was due to an accident or some other event that would enable them to spread the financial load to other companies. They really only asked the question "was this treatment called for due to an accident" I told them no, and that it was recommended by my doctor. that is the only information I gave and that is all they asked for, I did not offer any details past that. At the end of the day its a bit of a pain but I can understand why the are doing it due to the incredible cost of medicin now. Clearly they are getting enough results to be able to spread the financial load to other companies. otherwise they would not be paying a 3rd party to do this. Now if you would have to answer yes to their question I would think that you might want to work with Human resources at your co. if you have that, just make sure this was handled properly and with confidentiality. I would not give up that information without some input from people that are familiare with those kinds of issues.
Alright, this thread really freaked me out because I had no idea who was legit or not -plus some people are really harsh or just don't seem real. Here's my story: I had wrist surgery to have a cyst removed recently(3 months ago) and just got my "2nd notice" from Healthcare Recoveries ie Ms Cheri Hall. I ignored the first letter, hoping they would just take me off their list(wishful thinking i know). But number 2 came and I knew it was time to call Blue Cross Blue Shield to confirm the legitimacy of the letter. So, I called the number on the back of my insurance card and finally got through to a real person who nicely informed me that "yes, it is real." she explained basically what alot of people on here are saying, the company is hired by BCBS to see if any monies can come from anyone else. I told her that I have had past experience of fraudulent medical practices(Backstory:a hospital sold my old record of an ER visit to the collection company CMRE who said I didn't pay it and it was over 3 years old! This was absolutely not true and I had records to prove it. I had to seek legal counsel and write dispute letters which did finally clear up of that scam) so I'm very hesitant to call them and give any information. She said that most likely they have it all and would most likely only ask for event number which is provided on letter and maybe date of birth like her company does. (which I didn't like bc thats not on the letter so do they really have that?) She also said that I wasn't the first person to ask her about these letters and how they don't seem to be authentic and apologized for that. Strange but nice.
So I hung up the phone and decided I would try the online method that was provided on the letter first before calling Healthcare Recoveries. It actually was simple to my relief and they didn't ask for any extra personal information that isn't provided on the letter- as in NO birth date, etc needed! :) The online form is in 5 steps: First you put in the event number and the info on the letter(address, name). Next page, it asks how the injury was received with several options which you have to choose one.I chose "other" so the next page made me fill out the "other" information - which included detail description of the injury/incident. So I explained it was not an injury and my doctor recommended the surgery, no one else involved or at fault. no accident, etc. The rest of the page asks specifics like where you got hurt, when exactly did it start, if you had involved any other insurance companies/filed anywhere else, and finally is the patient represented by an attorney.
Final page- says thanks for filling out info and asked for a telephone number if they have questions. So this was the only piece of information that was not already on my letter and i figured i'd give it to them, although I wish I didn't have to.
That was it. So here's hoping no more letters or other issues come about. I would recommend people to call their insurance/biller directly. Find out the scoop, give minimal information if you do give anything. Be careful if you talk with anyone.
The comment below was posted on another site but its worth a read...
Subrogation is usually proved by some bit of information the consumer supplied to the INS CO. They get this information when people talk to places like Healthcare Recoveries (work for BCBS). DO NOT RESPOND TO THEM!
How many times have you tried to contact your INS CO and they have given you the run around and WASTED YOUR TIME. Get them back by not answering them! If you make the mistake of answering the phone, put them on hold.
Healthcare Recoveries is trying to get money out of you! Even if the INS CO has paid the claim they can still try to recoup their money. Example: If you fell at your mothers house they would try to sue your mothers homeowners INS CO. Nice, now her INS rates go up.
Lets address keeping costs down... These are the most common healthcare scams; Phantom Treatments, Double billing, Shoddy Care, Unneeded Care, Identity Theft, Rolling Labs and Runners. Subrogation isin't on most heathcare scam lists. The fact is, it's easier for the INS CO to just ask you a few questions and then take your money or money from your mothers INS CO than to go after the real crooks. Your mom will thank you.
DO NOT ANSWER HEALTHCARE RECOVERIES!
DO NOT ANSWER HEALTHCARE RECOVERIES!
omg you ppl are crazy, call you health plan its a real compnay that works with your health plan to make to third party isnt liable for you treatment like work comp or car insurance. this is not a scam they are just trying to keep cost, so the health plan isnt paying for stuff another party is liable for.
Healthcare Recoveries, Gibson and Sharps, Trover, who pays for them? We do, with higher premiums, as the insurance companies try and "3rd Party" their way to profits. Who are the "3rd Parties" who "should pay"? Why other insurance companies with their own subrogation henchmen and the same motives. How in the heck does this keep costs down? Does it really keep costs down if your BCBS gets paid back by my Kaiser who does the same with another Ins Co and so on with the added overhead of all these "lawyers" and "recovery" shysters? Get real. Ignore these idiots, you are just feeding their fraudulent system.
I also got a letter from healthcare recoveries and made the mistake of calling before I checked on this website.She asked about the incident listed but also asked about other incidents which I answered and regret I did. I had no idea what was going on started getting upset over her questions and she ended the call. I should have asked for a superviser but I think the damage is done and things will be blown out of proportion.I dont know what to do now. Do not call them... Anonomous1