Mayo Clinic Optical Store - La Crosse

I was seen at this facility almost a year ago. I hadn't been there prior to my last visit for some time. When I checked in and gave the person at the desk my insurance card, I asked if they accepted that insurance. She responded with a definite yes, so when a bill never came I wasn't shocked. I was shocked however when I got a letter in the mail that I had been sent to collections. I have never been sent to collections and my credit is perfect. At first I had no idea that they had sent it. Once I figured it out I gave the billing department a call to find out what happened. A woman in "customer service" spoke to me and said that they had been sending the bills to my university email account. I had not been a student at the university since 2009 and when you are no longer a student, you no longer have access to their database which is where you access your email from. I asked why did they not call me or send me a letter in the mail? She said that was not their policy. I was so infuriated that they had other ways to communicate with me and they didn't, nor did they even ask to update my account. I had not remembered that I set up an online bill payment years and years ago. Also, emails change, people lose access and that is not uncommon. I also spoke to the supervisor who had nothing to say other than it is not their policy. This hospital does not care to fix their billing system to prevent this from happening to others, so beware!!