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Kokua Line
Question: I have a complaint on how a situation was poorly handled by the staff of Queen's Medical Center and one of its collection agencies. I was called by Asset Recovery Group and the caller began asking questions about my address and phone number without identifying herself or the purpose of the call. Only after I asked did she say she worked for a collection agency hired by Queen's. I told her I was not aware of any outstanding payments due to Queen's. She said she couldn't tell me the nature of the bill and that I would have to protest the invoice in writing. I explained to her how can I protest a bill I never received. She said that was the procedure and that she wanted authorization to pay the $31.94 I owed by phone. I told her how do I know that she wasn't a scam artist and I refused to pay. I then called Queen's billing operator. I received a very cold response that in February, 1999, they had an incorrect address for me and sent the bill to a collection agency. When I asked Queen's to mail or fax me the bill, the woman said she couldn't and that I had to write to the collection agency. When I asked to speak to her supervisor, she refused and again referred me to the collection agency. Queen’s hospital to
investigate complaintAnswer: Carol Lee, Queen's manager of admittance and business services, apologized, saying your call should have been referred to a billing supervisor. She asked that you call her directly at 547-4246, so she can determine why some of your problems occurred. Part of the problem may be traced to the state's new medical records confidentiality law, but Lee said the collection agency, up front, should have at least identified itself and told you the nature of the call. Lee said this is the first time she has heard of such a complaint.
"Typically, we do not get involved once an account is assigned to a collection agency," she said. However, she stressed that your call to the billing department should have been referred to a supervisor. "It's too bad that we had to put (you) through this," she said.
Q: Why does the city require placement of the vehicle safety check decal on the rear bumper? This is not a secure place. I have had my decal stolen twice. Home remedies such as scoring the sticker on the bumper led one thief to simply carve the entire decal out of my $400 plastic bumper cover. To avoid this, I placed the sticker on one of those metal plates. Th thief took the entire plate along with the decal. In other cities, this decal is placed inside of the windshield. For the convenience of the police, we could place it on the rear window for better viewing. How can I get the law changed?
A: The safety decal can be attached to the outside of the rear window of a vehicle, said David Mau, assistant administrator of the Motor Vehicle and Licensing Division. Because so many vehicles have tinted windows, police were concerned that stickers placed inside the rear window could not readily be seen. At one time, state law required that safety decals be placed on bumpers, but that law was changed, allowing the decals just to be be visible to police from the rear of the vehicle. Previously, vehicle registration decals were placed on the passenger side of the front windshield. The law, however, was changed because police found it difficult to check those decals if the vehicle was moving, Mau said. Write to your legislator if you want to change the law.
Need help with problems? Call Kokua Line at 525-8686,
fax 525-6711, or write to P.O. Box 3080, Honolulu 96802.
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