Collection Agencies, Formal Apologies

UIHC has turned my account over to a collection agency. The collection agency calls me most every day, sends me letters in the mail. Today I wrote them back. I wrote this letter quickly while I was at work (I returned to work today for the 1st time in weeks), it's not as complete or well written as it could be, but I hope it gets the point across.

June 24, 2013

To Whom It May Concern:

The fact that UIHC is billing me thousands of dollars for their flagrantly unethical, worse-than-useless practices is offensive & disgusting. I have filed numerous complaints about them, & will continue to file more. When an individual pays for products &/or services, that individual has the right to expect at least some semblance of said products &/or services will be delivered. I would quite literally prefer to die than to pay UIHC thousands of dollars for enduring the various forms of excruciating malpractice they have put me through this year. 

A. J. River
 ________________________________

Today I also received a letter from UIHC's Psychiatry Department, responding to the original complaint I filed weeks ago about Dr. Potash & his joke of a psych ward, "1JPW." The letter is less than a page long & basically says, "Thanks for your input." The 1st (tiny) paragraph says that UIHC "relies on feedback such as yours to continually improve upon the care and service we provide our patients."

The 2nd paragraph in its entirety reads "I have reviewed your concerns with Dr. Potash and he expressed his apologies for your less than satisfactory experience."

Less than satisfactory. Like I stayed at a 2nd rate hotel or something. No acknowledgement of the agonizing physical pain & utterly invalidating humiliations I suffered at their hands. Not even an admission of, "Oh, by the way, we were totally wrong about you not having M.S. & making the whole thing up. I guess you really were having constant, relentless nerve pain. Our bad."

Not that I'm surprised. The incompetence, lack of accountability, & complete disregard for their patients' well being seem to be integral parts of the University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics composition. Frankly, a brief, patronizing letter is more than I expected from them. Way to exceed my expectations, UIHC.