Complaints

This profile includes complaints for St Charles Health System, Inc.'s headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see Find Local Branches.

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  St Charles Health System, Inc.

  2500 NE Neff Rd Bend, OR 97701-6015

• 

  St Charles Health System, Inc.

  470 NE A St Madras, OR 97741-1844

• 

  St Charles Health System, Inc.

  63031 Layton Ave Bend, OR 97701-8240

• 

  St Charles Health System, Inc.

  2600 Northeast Neff Road Bend, OR 97701

• 

  St Charles Health System, Inc.

  384 SE Combs Flat Rd Prineville, OR 97754-2562

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:02/15/2025

  Type:Product 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.

  St. Charles never billed me, and they sent the bill to a collection agency. original amount for one bill was $375.92 for date of service 3/12/2019 and another was for $2459.28 for date of service 2/19/2019. which was a total of $2835.20. the garnishment was sent for $3633.75 why? I have made a total payment of $4225.96 towards this bill. the credit company is very sketchy they are unwilling to give me information when I call. I received a new bill from professional credit service saying that I still owe them $1286.63 the same bill from 2/19/2019. also keep in mind I am a single mother of 4 kids, ages 13,7,3,3 weeks. this has really been a problem because I was at the verge of losing my housing due to insufficient fund to make rental payment because of the garnishment... also paying childcare. and other bills was very difficult. I need help for an attorney even if it just to give me advice on this whole legal thing. I am asking that the bill of $1286.63 be taken off and refund of money owe back to me. if an attorney is hired, I will ask for them to be held accountable for My legal fees. I walked into St. Charles billing center they stated that they had indeed sent bills to ********************* but without a unit number. why they did not contact me directly I do not know. it was unnecessary for both St. Charles and the professional credit company to put my family in the financial struggles during a high-risk pregnancy and the diagnostic process for autism of my 3-year-old. I request that you refund me back is $1390.20 why the overall amount that has been paid has been $4225.96, so $4225.96- $2835.20 is $1390.20. I have also attached a bill that professional credit service printed January 9th, 2025, of ******* but when I called credit company, they stated that there was an interested added so the amount due was $1286.63,

  Business Response

  Date: 02/21/2025

  See attached

  Customer Answer

  Date: 02/21/2025

   
  Complaint: 22946722
  
  I am rejecting this response because: St charles has stated that they sent the first bills to the wrong address. There is no evidence that the bills had ever been received. If you check my accounts there has been other bills that have been billed and never not answer weather it was paying or applying for financial assistance. As a mother of 4 children i can't afford to pay for medical bills thats why I qualify for *** and have qualified for years.I am willing to close this case but only if St.charles agrees to refund me $1390.00 that was over paid to the collections company,while that **** should have never sent to the collection company. I would like to speak in person a supervisor or manager from St. Charles to try and resolve this in person. I'm willing to work something out with St.Charles.since the collection agency was not willing to do so.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ******* Hidalgo *******

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/11/2024

  Type:Order 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 had repeated unsuccessful interactions with attempting to get this hospital's billing department to properly ************* Advantage for multiple hospitalization events. I have been told false information, contradictory information, and have experienced a general lack of concern or competence while attempting to process the medical claim. They have been indifferent, bureaucratic, and combative while I have attempted to resolve this bill. They constantly push the **** onto the Health ************** provider when they have failed to correctly bill the services provided, and then refused to correct their obvious errors. As a result, the estate of my late ex-husband has been in ***** for over half a year while we struggle to get any reliable information out of their billing department. I have made dozens of attempts to resolve this issue, and have turned to the BBB out of desperation as they simply don't care if they can get money from the insurance provider or send the bill out to collections. As a few examples of their errors, one claim was delayed for over a year due mismatching the hospital between the pre-approval letter and the final bill. This was a clear clerical error on their part, and only through the assistance of the insurance provider were we able to get this resolved.Currently, an outstanding bill that is nearly 2 years old remains in limbo because they coded the cause of the event incorrectly leading to a denial of coverage from the insurance provider. Each time I call in, I have to start over with another billing specialist who will tell me a different reason why the bill has not yet been processed, and they have frequently been wrong. At times, I have been denied even the ability to speak on the deceased's behalf because they cannot even find the personal representative information I have repeatedly provided.This has been in process for years, and still remains unresolved. I seek the BBB's help in resolving this abuse.

  Business Response

  Date: 12/23/2024

  See attached

  Customer Answer

  Date: 12/23/2024

  
  Complaint: 22675666

  
  I will be rejecting their response.

  
  Its disappointing to see another party at their hospital come forth with suggestions that do nothing to resolve the issue at hand, which is to process the unpaid insurance claim promptly.  Nor have they acknowledged any of their many mistakes or sought to appoint a person to correct this very resolvable issue. St. Charles billing department has displayed a pattern of behaviors that show wanton neglect of our financial interests and have the haughty self-importance of a government bureaucrat. We are at our wits end and after a long and painful process come to the BBB to seek some level of accountability.

  
  I have inserted footnotes into their document to give more insight into what has occurred.  Our initial complaint was constricted in size, so this should provide a lot more background and detail, but still does not necessarily encompass all of our interactions with the billing department as they have been quite numerous. I am also including a recent letter from the insurance company showing their efforts to attempt to resolve the bill.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***** *********

  Business Response

  Date: 01/06/2025

  Dear Better Business Bureau,

  
  Thank you for the opportunity to respond to the additional comments submitted by Ms. ********* regarding Complaint #********.
  After reviewing the complainants most recent submission, we note that no new substantive information or documentation has been provided that addresses the specific questions or information we requested in our original response. As such, we respectfully reaffirm the position outlined in our initial response, which addresses the matter comprehensively.
  We remain committed to resolving legitimate concerns and will gladly review any additional information should Ms. ********* choose to provide it in the future. Until such documentation is submitted, we consider our original response to fully address the concerns raised.

  
  Thank you for your time and assistance in facilitating this process.

  
  Sincerely,
  St. Charles Health System

  Customer Answer

  Date: 01/07/2025

   
  Complaint: 22675666
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  St Charles has not acted in good faith to resolve our billing issue.  They place responsibility on the patient and their family to resolve all issues arising from valid concerns of the insurance company regarding errors the hospital committed.  We lack the scope to process this claim when we have limited access to medical records, cannot code medical billing, nor can we force their billing specialists to directly contact the insurance company to resolve the issues between the hospital and the insurance company.  My hope upon opening this complaint was that they would place someone in charge of processing this case who would take responsibility for resolving the issues the insurance company raised, but their entire billing department operates in a black box of unaccountability, and they apparently will guard their "we do not contact insurance companies" policy to the very end.  

  If St. Charles wants to operate in this manner where patients must go through endless cycles of appealing denied claims for errors they create, they might as well give patients the authority necessary to resolve the issue by eliminating their billing department entirely, giving us their access, and the authority to recode the medical bills.  We have done everything we could possibly could at every juncture, and they remain a roadblock to successfully getting reimbursement from the insurance company.  Their indifference to collecting money for services rendered from the correct party is perplexing.

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

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/20/2023

  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.

  Re: Complaint Regarding Account Number *********** Dear St. ********************************************* Customer Service,I am writing to formally express my dissatisfaction and concern regarding the handling of my account, specifically pertaining to billing issues under Account Number ************** multiple occasions, I have attempted to contact your billing department to settle an outstanding balance of $4,727.65. Despite these efforts, I have been informed that there is no record of this bill, leading to a great deal of confusion and frustration on my end.This situation is particularly distressing given a previous incident where, despite our willingness to pay another bill, we faced legal action due to similar administrative oversights at your establishment. It is unacceptable that a healthcare institution, entrusted with the well-being and care of its patients, exhibits such a lack of coordination and responsibility in its billing processes.This repeated negligence not only causes undue stress to your patients but also undermines the trust and reliability expected of a healthcare provider. My efforts to resolve these issues amicably seem to be ignored, raising serious concerns about the operational efficiency and customer care standards at St. *********************************************** urge you to address this matter with the seriousness it deserves. An immediate investigation into my account and a prompt resolution to these billing discrepancies is expected. Failing to do so not only risks further escalation of this issue but also damages the reputation of St. Charles Health.Please acknowledge receipt of this letter and inform me of the steps you will take to rectify this situation. I am eager to resolve this matter and expect a response within 14 days otherwise, we plan to take full legal action against St. Charles to hold this establishment accountable for their gross negligence. Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter.

  Business Response

  Date: 11/27/2023

  See attached. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/20/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore 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 went into the urgent care for a sinus infection, I have had them multiple times and needed to get medication for it. The doctor barely looked at me insisted it was COVID because "It is going around" I told him that I do not think it is that and I do not want to be tested. He proceeded to order the COVID/RSV/Flu swab, which I was required to take before leaving. There is no reason for me to pay almost $500.00 for a simple nasal swab that I did not even want. Last year COVID tests were free, the amount that I am being charged for this test is insane. Additionally the doctor should have listened to me.

  Business Response

  Date: 10/02/2023

  Dear ****************,
  
  This letter is in response to the Better Business Bureau complaint dated September 20, 2023 (the Complaint) against St. Charles Health System, **** (St.Charles) regarding your August 28, 2023 urgent care visit. 
  
  Fees are appropriate.  On August 28, 2023 you presented to urgent care seeking treatment for four days of upper respiratory infection symptoms.  *elow as Exhibit A, ***************************************** provides thoughtful clinical support related to the reasoning and justification related to the urgent care visit. 
  
  *************** agreed to be financially liable for the costs related to the treatment she herself intentionally sought. See below Exhibit * Conditions of Registration/General Terms and Conditions of Service, specifically Section 4.(Payment for Care and Treatment) provides, in part:
  
  I agree to pay for the care and treatment provided to me or to the person to whom I am signing this consent. I understand that I am financially responsible for the cost of all such care and treatment that is not covered by insurance or other payors, as well as the cost of applicable co-payments, deductibles, and coinsurance amounts
  
  In addition, the balance **************** refers to of $488.71 is because she has not met her deductible.
  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  
  *****************
  Associate Attorney
  
  
  
  
  Attachments:
  Clinical supporting documentation from *****************************************, who treated ****************, as Exhibit A
  Conditions of registration verbally agreed to by **************** attached as Exhibit *.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  EXHI*IT A
  
  
  I reviewed my documentation for this case. This patient presented with 4 days of upper respiratory infection symptoms. These symptoms,in my opinion and experience, are potentially consistent with many different infections including COVID/flu/RSV and many others. I do routinely order the test this patient was given as it checks for multiple common infections and can be done in a timely manner. There are other testing options available, some of which are slower and more limited, others that are more wide ranging and vary in terms of result timing. I do not routinely consider the potential cost of a test when placing these orders as they can vary so widely from patient to patient, but certainly will if a patient makes a specific request in that regard.
  
  A patient can always refuse any test that is recommended,either with me, or as is often the case, when the RN or MA or lab technician comes to collect the sample. If this patient was opposed to covid testing at the time of our encounter I clearly did not recognize this or I would not have ordered the test. I frequently have patients that do so and I make a note in those charts to the effect of "patient declined covid testing" which is not present in this patient's charting. I can certainly understand her frustration with the cost given changes throughout the pandemic.  I would also note however, that having had previous sinus infections and believing their current symptoms were similar,does not preclude the possibility of any of the tested infections being present during the currently referenced illness course, this is why we do these tests.Additionally, COVID has been circulating widely in our communities and patient populations in the past weeks and months.
  
  The complaint states I "barely looked at" the patient but given the documented exam I can say it was in depth and included all necessary components, and possibly some that weren't entirely required. In the complaint the patient describes wanting medications for illness symptoms,she was prescribed sudafed and flonase (which are available over the counter as well) during the encounter.
  
  The complaint also states I "insisted this was COVID." I can guarantee this is not the case. I may have said something to the effect of this may be COVID as symptoms are consistent and that we are seeing a lot of it on our testing, but without a positive test I would never "insist" a particular diagnosis/pathogen. Additionally, I routinely say COVID is a possibility but so are many other potential infectious pathogens.
  
  In my practice obtaining this test was reasonable given the patient's presenting symptoms and exam.
  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 10/02/2023

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  Trinity ******