Tittle & Perlmuter law firm is taking on the Cleveland Clinic’s unfair and deceptive billing practices in a joint class-action lawsuit filed with Myers Law, LLC. Both law firms are located in Cleveland, and the lawsuit represents patients who were victimized by surprise bills, billing errors, and overpayments.
Outrageous and deceptive billing practices are an ongoing problem for many Americans, including many Ohioans. In fact, the Ohio legislature has tried to rectify the problem, passing laws forcing health care providers to be more transparent in their billing practices. As late as 2019, the Ohio Senate passed a bill addressing “surprise medical bills.” The provision required hospitals and other health care providers to make their prices for various services available to patients. It also outlawed the practice of “balanced billing,” in which patients are charged for the difference between what the provider charges and what the insurance company allows.
However, shady billing practices continue. This lawsuit filed by Tittle & Perlmuter and Myers Law, Amanda van Brakle vs. Cleveland Clinic Foundation, demonstrates it clearly. The named plaintiff went to the Cleveland Clinic’s Lakewood office in the summer of 2018, for which she paid a $25 co-pay but received no receipt. She later received an $800 bill, on which she began making partial payments. But the payments weren’t applied to her account in a timely manner, leading to van Brakle being hounded by debt collectors.
“The Cleveland Clinic’s harmful billing practices need to end,” attorney Scott Perlmuter of Tittle & Perlmuter said. “Patients have been double-billed, or the Clinic failed to apply their payments to the correct account. This has caused serious financial harm and undue stress for too many people.”
The lawsuit seeks $5 million in damages from the Cleveland Clinic on behalf of several clients.