Complaints

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/09/2025

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  2-24-25 voluntary endoscopy. the practice ran the wrong insurance and provided invalid/incorrect out of pocket expense. at time of scheduling this i was told my out of pocket and that the only additional bill may be pathology. i told scheduler we would only do this procedure based on out of pocket costs. i was told it was around $260 and those costs were paid. i have since received $1400 more in bills and have been calling this practice for 2 months trying to get a resolution. they admitted their employee made a mistake and ran wrong insurance and provided me incorrect info but they will not address the $1400 in additional bills. the price of the out of pocket costs was the determining factor in having this voluntary procedure and their error is $1400. the "estimate" they provided was not an estimate since it was completely done in error and not in good faith. they have avoided trying to rectify this and weeks and week of me calling trying to get answers results in getting passed off again. their employee error should not cost me $1400 more when the out of pocket price was the sole determining factor. estimates are off by maybe $100 or $200 - not $1400 due to an employee error. i was even told they'll do training about it. my money is not a training exercise.

  Business Response

  Date: 05/12/2025

  Response - Complaint ID: ********
  
  Having reviewed the complaint filed with and provided by the BBB our response is below.
  
  When a patient is scheduled for a procedure, the patient sits down with one of our "schedulers" and completes all of the required documents. One of those forms is known as a COST ESTIMATOR. We use this form to estimate what the out-of-pocket expenses will be for the patient.  It is only an estimate, because we are not 100% sure what insurance portion of the cost will be and also the procedure coding could change during the procedure. Patients are always encouraged to contact their insurance provider to verify the cost.  In the case of this patient, the form was completed and provided to the patient. It was determined the deductible portion was left off of the cost estimate calculation. 
  
  Our Director of Billing did in fact reach out and speak to her. Normally a payment plan would have been offered during this call, but after she was told that our practice "needs to figure this "F***ing" billing out", the call ended - recorded call 4.14.25. An additional call was placed by the Director of Operations and during that call a 20% discount was offered and was rebuffed. 
  
  There was no malicious intent in the estimate, but an honest mistake. GI North is still more than willing to offer a payment plan option. This process is an estimate and the patient fully acknowledges that by signing as well as in our financial policy. Both of which are on file.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 05/12/2025

   
  Complaint: 23308445
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  I have been calling for over 2 months.  You get cuss words after 2 months because one tends to be upset.  And after your employee didnt do their job correctly you get cuss words.  
  your cost estimator clearly says cannot verify codes so how would I verify with insurance.    I also have a right to know the costs.  I was told by billing department the employee made a mistake.  I was told by ****** they made a mistake and told me all wrong information.  All wrong information is not an estimate.  Its not even close and if you dont see that youve lost all morality. The employee that made their mistake apparently does so often as seen in many online reviews.   There was no verification of insurance and therefore it was not an estimate.  Go review the original calls with scheduling when I said I cannot do this if the out of pocket costs are too much.  Your employee said repeatedly the only additional cost could be pathology if anything was sent out.  Your employee error does not get to put a medical burden and medical debts on people.  I asked if this was necessary right away because couldnt do it if too much.  This procedure never would have occurred had the employee done the job required of them since the price affected the decision in proceeding. As noted in the original calls.
  you are affecting peoples decisions and their finances.   This was no estimate   This was a company that did not do their job and did not provide us the right to know the costs of this procedure.  You werent even close.  You didnt do your job.  20% off of $1400 go north mistake you made is comical.   You have zero right to allow an employee to mess with someones finances or credit  and think that is acceptable.  And the other reviews online stating your billing department has issues clearly shows something going on there. 
  

  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***** *****

  Business Response

  Date: 05/20/2025

  At this time, GI North feels that they have responded in good faith to all questions presented in the initial request and any additional responses will still not be provided closer. She was provided with an estimate and all paperwork indicates that any remaining responsibility is the patients responsibility. We have exhausted all options short of the demand for waiver of fees and that is not an option GI North is willing to offer.  Unfortunately, we do not see this being resolved to the patient's satisfaction nor do we see the need to respond to the additional false and borderline defamation being issued on other platforms. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 05/20/2025

   
  Complaint: 23308445
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  I had told people earlier in all my phone calls I would pay the pathology portion of these bills since I was told I could expect pathology bills if sent off.   GI north should credit the other 2 bills due to them running all incorrect insurance and their employee not providing any valid estimate since it was not a valid estimate  

  You can review the original scheduling phone call where your scheduler directly said no additional out of pocket costs other than pathology.  And where I asked if this was urgent to do if costs were too much I couldnt do it.   Your scheduler stated on the phone since this was only done over the phone that no additional costs would be incurred other than possibly pathology.  And where I had to ask for these fees since they were put in the portal and not given in person.  They relayed all incorrect information over the phone since none was discussed at an in person appointment.   That employee did not do their job  and did not provide an estimate since it was not done even remotely close to correct  
  

  I have called the billing line for over 2 months. They admitted they did not run correct insurance and would send message to next person in chain of command to call me back to discuss.  This went on for 2 months until I finally got a call.  2 months to speak to someone that could discuss or decide anything.   Then get passed off again.  Theres nothing untrue Ive said anywhere. You have other complaints online stating same issues - that your company ran wrong insurance, nobody calls back and theyre getting additional bills.   your employees negligence should be your company responsibility.  That was not an estimate when the wrong insurance was run and your employee gave all incorrect information over the phone that influenced the decision to have an endoscopy.  
  

  Ill pay that pathology portion  but yall should credit/write off the other 2 bills since your employee did not do their job  

  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***** *****

  Business Response

  Date: 05/28/2025

  BBB

  I submitted a request last week via the portal for BBB to contact me regarding this.  We have responded each time.

  Could someone please contact me from BBB

   

  Business Response

  Date: 05/29/2025

  GI North will not be responding to additional request for response on this ticket.  The patient cannot provide any additional information that will change the decision we made or warrant additional response. We have responded in good faith and tried to solve the issue directly prior to BBB being contacted.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/01/2025

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Prior to my medical procedure in early 2025, GI North required upfront payment based on an estimate I requested. After the procedure, I received an unexpected $500 charge for pathology that was never disclosed. Their billing also threatens "additional fees" if payment is not made within 30 days, which I confirmed with the ************************* **************************** is illegal under Georgia law.I contacted their billing department three weeks ago to address these concerns and received no response. After escalating to COO ***** ******, I received an apology and acknowledgment that patient communications were not handled properly, pathology charges are not disclosed up front, and billing language will be reviewed.I am filing this complaint to document GI Norths misleading billing practices, poor communication, and unlawful billing language.Desired Outcome:Update billing forms to reflect accurate disclosures, remove unlawful interest threats, offer transparent payment plan options for unexpected charges, and ensure prompt patient communication.

  Business Response

  Date: 05/07/2025

  Hello,
  
  
  Ms. ****** first came as a new patient to GI North on 2/5/2025, Based on her symptoms, our provider recommended that she have her procedure. On the same day, she met with our procedure scheduler, details of her procedure along with a cost estimate of $1103.75 was given signed by Ms. ******* On the estimate, it clearly states that the "Estimate #****** is based on eligibility benefits received from insurance on 2/5/2025. Assumed coverage and allowed amounts for procedures have been selected by staff before a claim has been filed. Patient responsibility may change due to current benefits, actual insurance allowed amounts, and submitted diagnoses/procedures. Estimate does not consider any supplemental insurance policies that the patient may be covered under. If an overpayment occurs, you will receive a refund; if an underpayment occurs, you will be billed for the balance." This cost estimate is attached. Ms. ****** made the full payment on 3/5/2025 of the cost estimate given to her on 2/5/2025.
  
  
  She also received and signed a copy of the No Show/Cancellation/Reschedule Policy, also attached for your reference. This policy states at the bottom some important reminders, 2 of which state:
  1. Final codes cannot be determined until after the procedure occurs. The above are only estimated costs; we cannot determine exact costs until your insurance company processes the claim. Therefore, additional payment may be required. 
  ***** will receive a separate bill for pathology/laboratory services if specimens are taken during the procedure. 
  
  
  Ms. ****** states that she received a charge of $500 for Pathology, which is incorrect. This charge was sent to *****, her insurance company, which processed the claims and left a $19.74 patient responsibility. She has not yet been billed for this. 
  
  
  For Anesthesia:
  -We quoted Ms. ****** $78 coinsurance for the anesthesia, however, Aetna stated it applied $105.60 towards her coinsurance, leaving her with a balance of $27.60.
  -She was sent the statement on 4/11/2025, and the payment was made by her on 4/14/2025.
  
  
  For Facility (GI North Endoscopy):
  -Aetna processed most of her facility claim towards her deductible.
  -*** - *****
    *We quoted her $125.75 for this *** code as her co-insurance.
    *Aetna processed this code first and on 3/20/2025, we received an EOB stating that $604.39 was processed towards the patient's deductible, $27.32 was processed towards patient's co-insurance, and the paid $109.29.
    *After deducting Ms. ******** payment, we sent her a statement for $243.72 on 3/26/2025.
  -*** *****
    *We quoted her $250.00 for this *** code as her co-insurance.
    *Aetna processed this *** code on 4/24/2025 and we received an EOB stating that $257.60 was processed towards the patient's co-insurance, and made a payment of $1030.40.
    *A new statement was sent on 4/28/2025, which now included both of the *** codes, since the balance for *** ***** was still outstanding, and a total balance of $501.32
  
  
  For Newco GI (professional portion):
  -Aetna originally processed her procedure claims but *** ***** was processed incorrectly, so we had to submit a corrected claim. This caused her entire procedure claim (both *** codes ***** and *****) to be reversed. Due to the incorrect processing, she was sent a statement for $924.27, which is incorrect. She has not received any additional statements for this entity because some of her insurance claims are still pending for ***** to reprocess. 
  
  
  On 4/2/2025
  -At 1:13 PM - Mr. ****** called our office to question the balance she saw on her patient portal, she stated that she did not receive a paper statement yet. She asked what it mean about charging additional fees which is mentioned on our statement. Our ****** explained to her that those fees only get applied if her account is sent to collections. This happens if a balance is not paid after receiving 3 statements, a collection letter and 2 phone calls. The collection agency will charge a fee.  She understood that. She asked to split the balance in 3 payments, and asked for a payment plan. Our ****** told her that she will have to get an approval from her supervisor, and once approved she will need to complete a form. She then said would it be easier for us if she just made the payment in 90 days. My ****** said she is not sure about that option and will need to check with her supervisor. She asked that statements not be sent via email, she preferred paper. Our ****** informed her that she will email her the form for the payment plan, which she would need to complete and put a card on hold. Ms. ****** stated that she did not want to do that as she does not want her card information to be stolen. we explained to her that the only way to set up a payment plan is to put a card on hold. Our ****** agreed with the bill pay option she wanted to setup. She then asked to speak with a supervisor, and was told that ******* will call her back.
  -At 1:15 PM - Ms. ****** confirmed out address, then said that she was waiting on a call back from someone, and gave our ****** her account number. She asked our ****** that her invoice states she received an invoice which states that she has a 120 before her account goes to collections, she wanted to make sure if she paid the invoice within 60 days she will not accrue any fees.  She once again asked about the fee being accrued of not paid in 30 days. We informed her that we will not be adding additional fees. We also again explained that the fee applies if the account is set to go to collections. She also stated she called earlier and told she will receive a call back about a payment plan. But after having this conversation and being told that she has 60 days to pay then she does not need the call back. She confirmed 60 days from 3/26/2025 will be 5/25/2025. She said she will pay her account by then. She was also going to receive another statement as it is a monthly cycle. She also asked her dashboard will be updated, and we confirmed that it would be. She once again before ending the call stated she did not need a call back. 
  
  
  After this we did not receive any communication from Ms. ****** until 4/28/2025.
  -At 10:02 AM she spoke called our billing office to speak with someone in charge of the billing department. She was told that the billing manager was not in the office yet but we can send her a message to call her back when she comes to the office. Ms. ****** stated that she left a message in the past for ******* to call back but never received a call back. The ****** asked if she left a VM, and she said she talked to another ****** and that they will pass the message to her.  Our ****** told her that she will send the message to the billing manager, at which point Ms. ***************** if she needed to speak with the owner as to why the billing manager was not responding to her. She refused to give details to our ****** and asked to speak with a supervisor. She refused to be sent to the billing manager VM,  because she stated that she called during business hours and did not like that the billing manager was not available to speak with her during business hours. Our ****** explained that the billing manager is working, but she is in the office today and in-between offices and will call back as soon as she is at her desk. After multiple requests, she finally gave her account information. Our ****** tried to explain how insurance work and she kept cutting her off. At this point, she was transferred to the billing manager's VM. 
  -At 10:13 AM, she left a VM for the Director of ***************** 
  -At 10:16 AM, she called the billing department again to confirm if the ********************************* email was a good email to reach the person in charge, and was told it was. 
  -At 10:31 AM, an email was sent to the wecare@gi-north,com email, to which a prompt response was made. Ms. ****** thanked our COO for his prompt response and told her that we will review her account and reach back out to her. 
  -At 11:17 AM the Director of **************** called Ms. ******* however she ended up reaching her VM, so we left a VM for MS. ****** to call back with a direct extension.
  We did not receive a call back from Ms. ******* instead, at 5:54 PM Ms. ****** sent an email to the ********************************* email letting us know that she received the Director of Billing's voicemail. She asked for copies of a few documents, and also mentioned that she has not filed a complaint to BBB, and required all further communication in writing and will not make further payments until the matter is resolved. 
  
  Now that a complaint was filed with BBB, we ceased all further communication with Ms. ****** and will be communicating directly with BBB. 
  
  She continues to call the office and has also called and complained to Aetna that our office is not reaching back out to her. There are specific instructions made on her account for no one else to speak with her except for upper management. She has the contact information for the Director of ****************; however, she continues to call the billing department.
  
  We have also spoken at length with Aetna, via a roughly 50-minute phone conversation, explaining everything mentioned above and Aetna also agrees with the steps that the practice decided to take. 
  
  GI North has responded to every communication requested by Ms. ****** except after the formal complaint was made to BBB, as we will now go directly through BBB.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 05/07/2025

   
  Complaint: 23262886
  
  I am rejecting this response because: Dear BBB Representative,
  Thank you for forwarding GI North's response. Their reply contains inaccuracies and omits critical information that I'd like to clarify.
  1. Incorrect Billing and *****************************start="534" data-end="537">GI Norths statement claims the "$500 for pathology" is incorrect, but my complaint never mentioned pathology charges specifically. Rather, the disputed invoices relate to CPT code ***** (Bravo) and CPT code ***** (EGD with biopsy). They sent two contradictory statements:
  Invoice dated 4/18/2025: Balance of $924.27 (attached).
  Invoice dated 4/28/2025: Revised balance of $501.32, again without clear explanation (attached).
  GI North later admitted directly to Aetna (my insurer) that the original billing was incorrect and that they had to reprocess the claim. This contradicts their statement to BBB, where they did not clearly acknowledge their billing errors.
  2. Interest *************************start="1265" data-end="1268">Both invoices explicitly stated:
  "If balance is not satisfied within 30 days additional fees will be accrued." (See attached statements.)
  GI North's explanation that the interest is only applied at collections was never clearly communicated on these statements, nor was it included in any of the documentation I signed (see their provided signed document #******). Thus, the statements clearly contain misleading language.
  3. Account Freeze and ******************************start="1744" data-end="1747">GI North confirmed to ***** that my account had been frozen internally, preventing their billing team from accessing account details. ******************** states this was due to my filing a BBB complaint; however, BBB confirmed that GI North was notified, yet GI North claims otherwise. Their decision to cease direct communication based solely on a BBB complaintespecially one they claim they never receivedhas significantly obstructed resolution.
  4. Ongoing *********************************start="2226" data-end="2229">I have escalated this issue with Aetna by filing a formal grievance, and Aetna has verbally confirmed (recorded on their line) that GI North acknowledged errors in the billing statements and promised to remove interest language.
  How I'd Like to *****************start="2487" data-end="2490">Given GI North's conflicting statements and failure to provide accurate invoices or clear communication, I ask BBB to require GI North to:
  Provide a corrected and final invoice after Aetna fully processes my claims.
  Officially remove the misleading interest charge language from all billing statements.
  Clarify their policy regarding patient communication once a complaint is filed, ensuring accurate contact details are shared and confirmed.
  Provide written confirmation that no additional penalties or fees will be applied until the dispute is resolved fully by my insurer.
  Thank you for assisting in resolving this matter.
  Sincerely,
  *** ******
  

   

  Business Response

  Date: 05/08/2025

  1) As mentioned before, due to multiple entities being involved in the procedure, multiple statements will be sent.
  -A statement will be sent for each entity, and each time a posting is adjusted. A statement will also be sent each month for each entity if the balances are fully paid off. In the original complaint, Ms. ****** states, After the procedure, I received an unexpected $500 charge for pathology that was never disclosed. To this statement, we responded, Ms. ****** states that she received a charge of $500 for Pathology, which is incorrect. This charge was sent to *****, her insurance company, which processed the claims and left a $19.74 patient responsibility. She has not yet been billed for this.
  -We have not incorrectly stated anything, as you can see from this original communication about her statement on the pathology charge.
  -The statement for $924.27 was sent for the professional entity, which, as mentioned in our original response, was sent in error. We have not sent any other statements to Ms. ****** for the professional entity since the claims are still in process with *****. When a corrected claim was sent to *****, they ended up recouping the entire claim, and now we are waiting for the full claim to be processed by *****. When Ms. ****** called on 4/28/2025, our ****** tried to explain to her that we submitted corrected claims to *****, however, she was not ready to listen to her. We repeat that after the first statement of $924.27, which we agree was sent incorrectly to her, we have not sent any further statements for the professional entity to Ms. ************** statement for $501.32 is for the facility GI North Endoscopy. All details are already provided in our original response.
  2) As far as the language on the statements, this states that fees will accrue if balances are not satisfied in 30 days, however, we also work with our patients to allow longer time to make those payments, which was explained to Ms. ****** multiple times. We informed her that she still has time to make the payments. We also agreed to allow a payment plan option; however, that required her to put a card on file, which she did not like to do.
  3 )As we mentioned to the ***** representative, once this type of complaint is filed with any agency by a patient, we put a limited view for the rest of the staff, as we ask the patient or any other party to communicate with specific individuals in the company. Our Director of **************** explained to the ***** representative that BBB complaints usually come through written communication via email or fax, which she has not yet received, and that she will ask her co-workers to see if they received it. The BBB complaint came through the fax and also email, which was forwarded to our Director of Operations, when that was forwarded to the Director of Billing, a response was made to BBB with details.
  4) We have not promised to remove any language from anything to the ***** representative; we have, however, informed them that once the claims are fully processed and if credits are due back to Ms. ******* we will go ahead and process them right away. She will still, however, be responsible for paying the balance due for the *****************
  5) We cannot remove anything from our documents that has been there for years, for patient satisfaction. We make it very clear that we will not be communicating further with Ms. ****** directly. We will be happy to speak with anyone who contacts us through the agencies where she has filed the complaints, and *****. After multiple emails, we have also sent her an updated statement for the ***************** along with a statement that we will no longer communicate with Ms. ****** directly.
  6) As mentioned in the statement that he balance is still in the Current bucket, we will be following our patient accounts receivable process and continue to send her statements until the balances are paid in full.
  7) A fee will only be incurred if her accounts are sent to the collection agency, which will happen after no payment is made once she receives 3 statements, a collection letter, and 2 phone calls. If, after this process, the full payment is not made, then the account will be sent to collections, and a fee will be applied to her balance by the collection agency. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 05/08/2025

   
  Complaint: 23262886
  
  I am rejecting this response because: 

  Dear BBB Representative,

  
  Thank you for forwarding GI North's latest response. Unfortunately, their explanation continues to misrepresent critical details of my complaint and contradicts previous admissions they made directly to Aetna. Below, I've clarified the facts and my ongoing concerns:

  
  Clarification on Billing Accuracy:
  GI North continues to mischaracterize my initial complaint regarding pathology charges. My issue was not specifically with pathology but with receiving multiple unexplained and inconsistent statementsspecifically, the $924.27 statement on 4/18/2025 (now acknowledged by GI North as sent incorrectly) and the subsequent unclear $501.32 statement on 4/28/2025. GI North's latest response admits explicitly that the $924.27 was incorrect, confirming my original dispute as valid.

  
  Misleading Interest Charge Language:
  GI North claims that the invoice language about interest and fees after 30 days applies only if the account is sent to collections, yet this critical clarification appears nowhere on their written invoices. Instead, their statements clearly threaten immediate accrual of additional fees after 30 days. Despite their verbal assurances, their written statements remain misleading and are not compliant with transparent billing practices.

  
  Communication and Account Access Issues:
  GI North has confirmed that my account was internally restricted following my BBB complaint. They acknowledge this internal "limited view" policy was enacted, thereby obstructing resolution and limiting effective communication. Further, their claim of not receiving the BBB complaint promptly due to internal misrouting reinforces my concerns about their handling of communication and documentation.

  
  Contradictory Statements Regarding Claims Processing:
  GI North explicitly stated to ***** representatives (recorded by *****) that the invoice I received was incorrect, that the claims were still being processed, and that I might even receive a credit upon final resolution. Their current BBB response contradicts their earlier recorded admissions to *****, creating significant confusion and delaying resolution.

  
  Continued Misrepresentation of Payment Terms:
  While GI North mentions payment flexibility and plans, they fail to clearly acknowledge my right to withhold payment until Aetna fully resolves the claim, especially given their previous admission that the billing amounts were incorrect.

  
  Given these ongoing inaccuracies and contradictions, I request the following actions to resolve this dispute:
  GI North should provide a corrected and finalized invoice only after ***** completes the claims processing.
  The misleading "interest and fees" language should be clearly removed or explicitly clarified on all future statements.
  GI North must formally acknowledge in writing their internal admissions to ***** regarding incorrect billing and assurances against charging interest.

  
  They must confirm no collection actions or fees will be initiated or accrued while this matter remains actively disputed.
  Please keep this complaint open until these requests are fully addressed. I've attached relevant invoice copies for reference.
  Thank you for your continued assistance.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *** ******