Complaints

This profile includes complaints for Serene Integrative Services, LLC's headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see Find Local Branches.

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  Serene Integrative Services, LLC

  1616 E Seltice Way Post Falls, ID 83854

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  Serene Integrative Services, LLC

  827 W Prairie Ave Hayden, ID 83835-8459

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:09/04/2024

  Type:Sales and Advertising 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.

  I have been in a stressful dispute with the owner of this clinic since June 2024, first over erroneous billing that I was unaware of from 2023. After fighting to get the billing resolved, I requested my complete records from the time as a patient at this clinic. The provider I saw as a patient left the clinic in 2023 shortly before I left the clinic to seek care with new providers. I submitted my request shortly after the bitter billing dispute, and was given multiple stories about my records, ranging from saying my prior provider had taken them (I contacted that provider and they informed me they had left my records with Serene Integrative), to they had to contact someone to see if the records could be accessed due to using a different patient portal now, to the most recent, which was absolute refusal to release my complete records (instead offering a useless summary edited by them), citing a reason that has no merit, evidence, and is being used as a excuse to withhold records that I am legally entitled to review for my continuing care and personal use. Not only has every interaction with this clinic and owner been an absolute nightmare while trying to get everything settled so I can return to my life before the clinic initiated contact in the first part of June 2024 - I have been subjected to intimidation and threats of being sent to collections by the owner before she hung up on me during the billing fiasco (which turned out to be completely unnecessary when the billing errors turned out to be the clinic's fault), and an overall extremely unprofessional attitude that I would never expect from a licensed therapist. I did not instigate the contact from this clinic, and despite my best efforts to remain calm over the past 3 months, I feel very threatened by the owner's hostility towards me personally, despite her never being a provider of my care at any time. Resolution: I just want my complete patient records and to never hear from this clinic again.

  Business Response

  Date: 09/17/2024

  Serene Integrative Services                                                             September 17, 2024
  ***********************************************************
  
  **********************
  Connecting through BBB website.
  
  Re: the BBB #********
  
  Dear Better Business Bureau,
  
  I am writing in response to the BBB complaint submitted by Ms. ******* *****. We take our client feedback seriously and believe it is important to address the concerns she has raised while clarifying misunderstandings.
  
  First, I would like to provide a context regarding Ms. ******* time with our clinic,Therapy VIP. She became a client on October 27, 2022, and began her therapy on November 10, 2022, with a therapist who subsequently left our clinic.Initially, we processed her bills through Optum; however, in March 2023, we transitioned to billing her ********** of Idaho plan, as it became applicable.
  
  During her time with us, Ms. ***** also began seeing our Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner (NP) in June 2023. Unfortunately, claims were denied due to coordination of benefits because Ms. ***** had ******** as her primary insurance, which we do not accept. After informing Ms. ***** of this situation, she provided her ******** information several months later. To alleviate any concerns, we wrote off her total dollar charges incurred during this period, ensuring she owed us nothing.
  
  Regarding Ms. ******* request for her complete medical records, we understand her frustrations but must comply with HIPAA regulations. We offered her a summary of her treatment, which contains essential information while safeguarding her mental well-being. Our decision to not release Ms. ******* notes by providers were made with the consideration that it would have potentially done more harm than good for her. We were concerned with Ms. ******* emotional stability if she were to read her prior therapist's notes. This action is rooted in our commitment to client care and confidentiality, rather than any intention to withhold important information.
  
  Additionally,I apologize for any stress or discomfort experienced during her interactions with our clinic. It is never our intention to intimidate or threaten our clients. We strive to maintain professionalism in all our communications.
  
  It is important to note that despite our efforts to accommodate Ms. ****** she has reached out through multiple platforms, including the ************************** to express her grievances. This ongoing dispute is compounded by her connection with ****** ******* a disgruntled former partner, who has also filed a complaint against our clinic (BBB #********). Ms. ****** interactions with Mr. ****** raise concerns about affiliations influencing her complaints. We mention this in case any further complaints arise that may be linked to *********.
  
  
  While we understand Ms. ******* desire to have no further contact with our clinic, we will do our utmost to assist her needs through proper channels. If she wishes to enable her new providers to receive necessary documentation, we encourage her to have them reach out directly with us.
  
  Should you or Ms. ***** require any further details or clarifications, please do not hesitate to contact me directly.
  
  Thank you for your understanding as we aim to resolve this matter amicably.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  
  ******** ********** CEO
  **************
  *****************************************************************************************************************
  
  Attachments:None

  Customer Answer

  Date: 09/18/2024

   
  Complaint: 22236739
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  There are many discrepancies and flat out mistruths in the response from ******** *********. This is my rebuttal and further clarification of the incidents and statements that I am challenging the honesty and integrity of:

  First: My insurances at the time I became a patient of Therapy VIP were ******** and ********** of *************** Ms. ********* contends that I did not have this insurance at the time of becoming a patient; however, that is completely false and I do have documentation to prove that I had ********** of ************** several months before establishing care with Therapy VIP. As I do with every clinic and provider that I contact for reasons of establishing care, I was fully upfront and honest about my insurance coverage, and was informed that it was accepted. I then immediately provided copies of my insurance cards. The one point that Ms. ********* is correct on is that right now, her clinic, Serene Integrative, does not accept ******** at this time due to not being approved for it (despite currently and dishonestly listing it as an accepted insurance).

  The bill of $1.310 was not written off until after I had been harassed, and had the absolutely unpleasant and unprofessional interaction via phone call on June 19, 2024 where Ms. ********** in a moment of uncontrolled anger and animosity, after she tried unsuccessfully to badger and bully me into paying a bill that I had never received a copy of, nor been contacted about prior to June 7, 2024, threatened to send me to collections before hanging up on me. During this call, I had tried unsuccessfully to explain to Ms. ********* that the insurances that I had (and had from the start) had to be billed in a specific order. To keep the charges from being declined, ******** had to be billed first, the my ******** would cover any remaining charges. Ms. ********* was extremely hostile with my explanation, and insisted that the bill was my responsibility, and that she had not and would not  (emphatically)  bill ********. At the time of this conversation, I had not been informed of the exact amount of this bill, nor of the billing breakdown. I was not offered a copy of the bill either. After Ms. ********* hung up the call, any further attempts I tried to reach out to the clinic were in vain. No calls were returned, despite leaving multiple messages. I did not find out the exact amount of the bill until Ms. ********* (or one of her staff) responded to my public ****** review and only then did they state the amount. Not only was this a breach of patient privacy, it was the height of unprofessionalism. To protect my patient information, I removed my review, but I also have proof of her response listing the exact amount that I owed, while insinuating that they couldn't collect due to my error - an insinuation that I also highly resent due to its dishonest and misleading tone. 

  Now for the records: Per *****, my rights as a patient are to review and receive copies of my medical records. This includes everything but psychotherapy notes, which are not part of a patients file. Ms. ********* is abusing a clause in ***** designed for inmates, psychiatric hospitals, court ordered therapy, and clinical trials. I do not fall under any of those categories. Per the ***** rules studied straight off the ******* website, the simple issue of "emotional upset" or "lack of understanding" are not valid reasons to withhold a patients records. Neither of these would apply to me either. Despite Ms. *********s attempts to paint me as an emotionally unstable person (another point of resentment), I am a fully functional adult, and am mentally mature enough to read and comprehend my own progress notes from sessions where I was an active participant and the information contained in those records should not be anything more than the things I discussed in confidentiality with my providers. If there is anything that would support Ms. *********** claims in my records, one: I never signed a release of information for her to read my file as I was never her patient, and I left Therapy VIP before it was absorbed or changed to Serene Integrative, meaning if she has taken the liberty of reading my file, that is a violation of ***** and of my privacy as a patient. Second, by her refusal to give me a copy of my legally entitled patient file, she is denying me my right to see and request corrections of any incorrect information. 

  Because I was never Ms. *********** patient, nor was I ever a client of Serene Integrative, nor have I ever contacted them with a request to become a patient, Ms. ********* is illegally withholding records that are not even hers to withhold. Ms. ********* contends that this is not out of a desire to withhold information, yet when I initially requested my records, I was given multiple stories. The first was that they did not have them, that my former therapist had taken them with him when he left the clinic. I then contacted that therapist and politely requested a copy of my records, where I was then informed by him that he did not take my records, and that they were still with the clinic. I went back to the clinic, and this time was told that the patient record server was different, and they did not know if they could access my records. The third and final story is that they have my records, but adamantly refuse to let me see them (not even offering the options that are outlined in the ***** Rules). I signed an ROI for my designated representative to pick up a copy of my records, but that person was adamantly denied my records as well. If Ms. ********* was honestly doing this out of a completely ignorant sense of intending well, then there was absolutely no reason to deny my representative my records, which is also not legal. 

  Regarding my contacting different platforms, this has all been done out of a desire to have these issues resolved, since Serene Integrative, and Ms. ********* have not been upfront or honest in any of these issues, nor have they offered any resolutions that satisfy the legal parameters. I did contact the State of ******************************** ***************************** with the request for their mediation regarding the bill that I had been harassed over. Ms. *********  was dishonest in her reply, stating that there had been no contact for payment and that there was no balance due with her clinic. I had also filed a grievance with ********** of Idaho, and they received a similar response. At no time did Serene Integrative reach out to me personally to inform me that the balance had been resolved. After multiple requests, I was finally able to receive a copy of the bill for which I had been subjected to an unnecessary amount of unprofessionalism, the bill I received was issued and received on August 30, 2024, a day or two after requesting it, and full two months after I had been threatened with collections for this exact bill, and well over a year after I had left the clinic - the reason I had not received the bill in question was because it had  not existed. A side note on that bill, it contained an appointment that had already been covered in full by my insurance, meaning that the harassment I had endured was partly for a bill with a fraudulent claim on it. I have reported that to the appropriate agencies for review, and have full evidence of this issue to validate my claim of a fraudulent charge on that bill.

  Regarding the underhanded slight towards ****** ******* I would like to offer clarification on this. I am not in cahoots with ****** ******* nor are we working together. *** ****** came into this because Ms. ********* conveniently left out the important little detail that he was my therapist at Therapy VIP, and when I was told my therapist took my records with him, naturally, I contacted *** ****** to request a copy. *** ******* who wrote the records and is the only one with the legal right to withhold my records (since in the eyes of the law, they are his because he is the author), he said there was absolutely no reason for my records to be withheld, that I had been a good patient of his and was making excellent progress with the treatments he had created for me. Until Ms. ********* stated that there was an additional report with BBB from *** ******* I was completely unaware of this action on his side, and am once again highly offended and stunned at the unprofessional attitude Ms. ********* showed because the information shared about *** ****** is extremely inappropriate to bring into this forum since the obvious conflict with *** ****** is not relevant to this discussion, and gives me concern that the withholding of my records may not be due to a racist or disability discrimination as I had feared, but rather out of ***** spite for a former colleague. 

  To summarize, I am refusing Ms. *********** resolution as it does not offer a resolution, but is an attempt to justify and reward her attempts to deny me my legal rights. If Ms. ********* is open to reconsidering her position on withholding records and is willing to hand over a complete copy at a fair price, then I will be happy to accept that complete file. Until then, no resolution offered by Ms. ********* will be accepted. 

   

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