Cook Children's Orthopedics and Sports Medicine Walsh Ranch

My son had an appointment in January of 2021 with the orthopedics doctor at Walsh Ranch. The billing office called me after the visit and asked for a referral from the pediatrician as we have an HMO plan that requires a referral. I called the nurse at the pediatrician's office and asked to provide a referral for that visit. She said she would. A couple of days later I called the Walsh Branch office to make sure my bill was taken care of. I talked to the receptionist, billing office, and office manager. They said they would look into it and the billing manager will call me back. She never did. So I called again and the person on the phone at the billing office assured me that she can see the referral in the system and she will take care of it. My husband took my son for his next appointment in May and inquired about the $150 charge for the visit in January and they said it's not there it's been taken care of. Guess what, they send it to the collections office. Now 11 months later, Tammy from the Walsh Ranch calls me to explain how it all works and how it is my responsibility to provide referrals and know the difference between referral and authorization in their system. That conversation would be great back in January of 2021. Not 11 months later when insurance can not backtrack and pay for the visit.