Lake Smit & Partners, unprofessional, *********/unfair practice

My dad had a scan completed (on 04/06/2018) at Lake, Smit and Partners Inc. (Located in: Busamed Gateway Private Hospital, KZN). Such was to be billed at normal medical rates from the special funds made available on the Medical Aid’s ‘Cancer care benefit.

When forms where given to complete, we were advised that all was normal practice, even though we had to sign forms which had spaces for amounts, yet were left blank, and that all would be charged at normal medical aid rates.

16/10/2018: I received an email from a Y. Moodley (Accounts: Lake Smit & Partners), advising that they were short paid by the medical aid.

16/10/2018: I rep**** to Y. Moodley in regards to the short payment / etc.

17/10/2018, Y. Moodley rep**** that all were billed at standard medical aid rates, and that they would query with the medical aid, in regards to the Short-Payment.

The communication received on 17/10/2018 was the last I received from Lake Smit & Partners (till now!).

08/10/2021: I received an email (which was found in the Spam box) from Colmed Debt Administration / Madeleyn Attorneys, along with an Attorney Final Demand Letter.

It’s taken Lake Smit & Partners 3 years, 3 months and 24 days [1212 days later] to communicate with me that the short payment dilemma was not resolved, and such is learnt through an unprofessional manner, of being “handed over”.

From this experience, it’s pretty evident that the accounts department at Lake Smit & Partners are NOT clued-up nor efficient with their designated duties / and that would be patients need to be made aware of such places where they advise incorrectly and gets one to sign off on documents without amounts being reflected.