At Age Management of West Michigan, they know next...

At Age Management of West Michigan, they know next to nothing about Medicare. I went for an appointment two days ago for blood work. They said they did not know about "Welcome to Medicare" which is a free screening within your first year of eligibility. They do not know anything about billing correctly (I have no money for health care this year, but I am keeping up Medicare insurance payments, so it matters greatly to me that they do not send me dun letters for services that are free under Medicare). For example, the literature (see the online Medicare booklet "Your Guide to Medicare's Preventive Services") explains that blood tests for diabetes and cardiovascular disease are completely free of charge (no co-pay, no annual deductible) to patients who are instructed by their doctor to have these tests. At the lab desk within this clinic, they could not assure me that they would bill my lab work this way. It seems they are willing to insist on their own ignorance at my expense. There is a whole new area that has recently opened up for Medicare patients (Age Management of West Michigan seems oblivious to recent Medicare changes): These changes mean that many preventive screenings are completely free of charge to patients who need them, things like urinalysis, mammograms, and most blood work. Yesterday, I talked to a Medicare agent on the phone; he explained very, very clearly that the clinic is wrong. All necessary blood analysis ordered by a doctor is completely free of charge under the new guidelines for preventive care. A big problem is that even when I do their homework for them, they do not listen or care. My initial interview in the spring was free of charge; I explained to everyone I encountered (from billing staff to the Nurse Practitioner) that I had not seen a doctor in 30 years, and that I had just started Medicare, and that I was looking for a basic health screening. They should have understood that that visit was covered by "Welcome to Medicare." When I called billing and pointed out their mistake, not only did they not change the status of that visit to "Welcome to Medicare," they sent me the same wrong bill again. They really need to up their game. Here is one thing they know in spades: How to turn a visit to the doctor into a bureaucratic nightmare (which is most certainly not good for your health).