Same issues as every other person in these reviews. Started receiving what looked like spam text messages so I ignored them. Then after a few texts over a couple months I received another notice that it was going to collections. After I contacted them I was told a physical bill would be coming in the mail. To my surprise (not) I never received a bill in the mail but the text messages started up again. I never consented to receiving texts from them. I was never told of their existence during my hospital visit. Based on my interactions with them and another connected company called 'Collaborative Imaging' I still do not believe they are a legitimate company. As others have said, if you want your money send a real bill in the mail. Sure, electronic communications are preferred ONCE A PHYSICAL BILL IS SENT, but no one in 2022 is going to believe it when a random/shady company starts sending texts claiming you owe them money. I have also filed a complaint on EPPA and Collaborative Imaging with the Minnesota Department of Commerce. You absolutely need to change your practice - if not just for your "clients" but also for your employees who have to put up with our complaints.

If zero stars was an option, it would be more appropriate. EPPA's supposed text based billing system is asinine, and doubt the legitimacy of it. I knew nothing of the text system until receiving a threat of collections for a bill I'd never seen. No detail. No indication of whether the charge had been billed to or modified by insurance. Just a demand for payment and threat of collections. If any texts were sent, they likely would have been blocked by a spam filter. I just can't believe that anyone believes this is an acceptable way to communicate a financial obligation. What's next? A tweet? Now, over the course of 4 phone calls and more than a month, they still haven't been able to send me an actual paper bill showing just the basic details of the service provided, initial charge, and insurance response. Shame on the doctors who use this company and believe it's an acceptable way to treat patients, or don't care enough to demand changes.

I had the same experience as pretty much all the other reviewers. I received a text for an additional bill for an emergency room visit that contained almost no detail and a link. It looked just like every other scam text I get on a regular basis so I ignored it. Eventual my bill became overdue and I did the ground work on my own to determine this bill was legit. I still didn't feel comfortable paying via the text link, so I tried to use their website. However, the website required me to enter information from my statement. But I did not receive a statement, only a text. I called their number and was told they couldn't give me the information to pay my statement unless I first verified my personal information. Not sure why they need this security, I don't think someone would try to pay a bill they didn't owe. Ridiculous! The customer service agent was very short with me and not very helpful. Eventually I gave up and paid with the text link so it didn't get sent to collections. I decided I'd rather get scammed out of $500 than destroy my credit. It's unbelievable that hospitals are willing to work with a company like this with such abhorrent business practices. If I had any choice in the matter, I would never deal with EPPA again.

No idea what this text message is about that I am being sent. Flagged as spam and never saw it. It now says that I am going to be sent to collections. As so many others are saying, I have never received a bill and don't know what this supposed charge is about. Maybe a hospital stay some months ago... not sure. I have never received anything from this company other than a text message or two with a link saying to pay here. Yeah, that's not scammy at all!!! Get real. Reporting to the Attorney General and at a Federal level, they are breaking Fair Debt Collection laws. I have paid all my bills and have excellent credit. They better not screw this up or I will take action against them. Edit given today's response by them: No. I do not need to go enter a bunch of my personal data to a website I do not know of from a random text message telling me to pay a bill I have never seen. This is illegal. You are violating a couple of federal protection acts here. Send me a bill indicating what this supposed charge is in order for me to match it to my explanation of benefits and see that the information is correct. That is how every single other bill got paid for the last 30 years...

Needs 0 stars. Received a random text after hospital visit, separate from any bills received just like everyone else leaving these reviews. ZERO paper statements sent which I believe is unethical and/or protected by law unless you specifically opt for paperless billing through a services portal. I called all contact phone numbers listed and there’s “no one available to answer call” and to try back later. Looks like their responses to these reviews have been saying they’re going to change their system for over a year and haven’t. Whoever created this company as well as who is in charge of billing decisions and/or making changes should be ashamed and know that karma is real. The amount of people that it seems have been sent to collections is sad and absurd that a company like this wouldn’t make changes for the quality of their customers lives. Know that you anre making a large negative impact on customers lives due to your own laziness. Absolutely horrible business. And any hospital should be ashamed of being associated or involved with a company like this.

Would be awesome if they had sent a bill or called. My cell provider flagged them as spam. I only saw the texts because i was clearing out some folders. Horrible phone experience also. Was forced to get my info from the link which, given it was marked as spam, did not inspire confidence. Thinking they probably pay as much or more for collection agencies as they would for a proper paper billing statement. It was a legitimate charge. Just the billing process bites.

I had an ER visit in January 2022. Never once heard anything from this company, what they do, who they are, etc until TODAY, nine months later. You send me a bill for...what, exactly? and you expect me to pay it? Why am I only hearing about this now? I have stellar credit and so help me if this company takes me to collections over a charge I was not aware of for nine months. Shady, shady people. I had an excellent experience in the ER but man, why are you waiting nine months to bill me? And the way your bill is structured the text/explanation of what the charge is cut off so I have no clue what you're billing me for other than "emergency dept visit level 4". No wonder there are so many one stars here.

What a ridiculous company - look at the never ending sea of 1 star reviews. SEND your bills in the MAIL! Nobody wants random text messages from this company with threats of being over due with collections. I’ll be reporting this company to the MN Attorney Generals office. Was never told that this was a group that worked with Southdale and wasted hours of research and calls making sure it’s legitimate. Have your HR rep or someone in leadership actually look at your horrible horrible reviews and try to advocate for the patients that already have over paid enough for services. Just ridiculous- please don’t respond to me with your cooperate nonsense.

Same as everyone else. Got randomly texted for an "overdue bill" I didn't even know existed in the first place. I'd rather be robbed at gunpoint than deal with this. Hope whoever came up with this system gets their karma. Don't go here unless you want to be scammed. And to whoever is writing these awful replies. Let's get one thing clear; the issue IS NOT that these are sent via text. The issue is that the text message itself is written like every other scam message trying to collect your money. There's NO information given about the visit. Not the time/date of when I was there, why I was there, which doctor I was seeing, why I was being charged this, Nothing. My name wasn't even listed in the message. It's very clear that this is an intentional scam used to overcharge people who are smart enough to not fall for scam texts. I shouldn't have to call someone, just to know why I need to make a payment. It's ridiculous. To whomever writes these replies, don't even bother. I don't want to hear excuses. I want real change. I'm never going back to this hospital, even if I'm dying. I'd rather die on the way to a different hospital, than give money to a bunch of greedy wastes. (Who literally did nothing more than give me Tylenol)

Same experience as everyone else except for the 5 star review which SURPRISE they are physicians for EPPA. Went to the ER for shortness of breath in March 22. Received no diagnosis or care but still paid the hospital $3k. 7 months go by and I receive a bill from EPPA for $980. I asked what this is for and they refused to provide detailed information. I asked for the insurance codes and they gave me 3 diagnostic codes I’m being charged for. 1) Covid, I’ve never had Covid nor was I even tested 2) anxiety disorder, I do not have anxiety disorder and my heart rate was resting at 40 and 3) shortness of breath, which is the reason I was there. I’ve waited 2 months for the itemized list and instead I received a letter saying they completed a review of my bill and are sending me to collections. I called today just to be told they’ll send me the itemized bill soon and they would gladly cut the bill by 50%. This raised a lot of red flags that they’d rather take a hit than have me dive further into their billing process. I’m going to be contacting my attorney when send me back to collections. If you’re dealing with this, stay on top of it. Don’t let them get away with this. *Edit because of response from Eppa* I have gone to the highest levels to do a review of the charges. It has been 30 days since a woman named Molly Watson told me it’s her #1 priority and I’ve yet to hear back. As far as I’m concerned, they will be speaking with my attorney. *Second Edit because response from Molly Watson* It turns out they completed the review of my charges and then sent it to my previous address after I told them many times my address change and even WATCHED Molly Watson write down my information. Now somebody has all of my medical records which I did not permit. Not obtaining an attorney to seek emotional damages, loss of wages, and most importantly violating HIPPA regulations. Beware of Nate H. and Molly Watson.

I've had same experience as others. I received a text and spam filters blocked it. There's no way of getting any information off your website about a bill. I ended up calling your number and the person I spoke with was rude and would not send me a statement. I ended up paying less than a month of when I got an EOB and the elusive text. You sent me to collections? What kind of business are you? All for $168!! Please work with your collection company to clear my name.

I am absolutely flabbergasted at the billing practices of this outfit! I received a mysterious text and deleted it, as I do with all the unsolicited scam texts I get. Then I got another one and it didn't even say who it was from. I received a third text and called the hospital we had been seen at recently to ask if this might be legitimate. After talking on the phone to three different departments, I was assured this must be a scam and I would have received a paper bill from any legitimate third party. Well, after another text stating their name and that our bill was overdue, I looked them up and discovered this was legitimately the bill I had been waiting for (I hope, as I still haven't received the receipt I requested in the mail). The associate on the phone told me they will only send a paper bill if I reply "STOP" to their text, but my phone carrier sends me a warning that I could be charged for replying to to a text from this number. I also could not opt out of text bills in the future. You have to opt out again for each bill. This is beyond ridiculous!

A couple of months ago, Emergency Physicians is suddenly telling me I have to pay my whole bill at once and can't make monthly payments, unlike in the past. When I contacted them, they said they have been transitioning to a new payment company system FOR THE PAST YEAR- so in the mean time they won't let you make monthly payments. They were also threatening to send my bill to collections and ruin my credit if I didn't pay the whole bill at once. After being on hold for 2 hours, I finally got through to someone who said I could call every month and be on hold for hours to make a monthly payment. (Also, their phone system is messed up- it offers to but won't let you get a call back- you have to stay on hold endlessly.) Then, when I called the number I was given to make the monthly payment, I only got a voicemail box and then no response or call back. I have never seen an organization that treats their patients and clients so badly. Truly shameful.

If i could leave zero stars I would. Next time we need emergency services we’ll be going to the next town over. Figure out a way to send PAPER BILLS like everyone else, it’s not that hard. Give the option of opting out of paper rather than sending texts or emails that just look like spam. Or maybe let people know thats how they will be receiving their bill? So ridiculous. The bill wasn’t even submitted to insurance. We just happened to figure out what this was all about when we started receiving notices from collections. We would have happily paid right away with our HSA would we have received a proper bill. And please don’t respond with some lame prewritten copy and paste response and think that makes up for it.

Definitely has to be a scam company.. I called Mercy hospital for where I received help for an issue. I receive multiple messages about this company EPPA sending my “past due” balance and that they were giving this to collections. I have not received any type of bill in the mail for this.. only from my own insurance. Just called mercy hospital billing department and asked them if they used EPPA and what it was, they clearly stated “ I do not know anything of this company.” Just tried calling the EPPA phone number from google… line is dead.

I had worst experience with EPPA. I have not received bills from EPPA or Insurance and suddenly in 15 days I received a SMS saying I have past bill due and it is going to recovery agency soon. I got shocked that my discussion regarding ER visit is still going on with Dr. and Hospital and they are willing to wait. Normally they usually gives 90 days of time before it goes to recovery agency. But EPPA is horrible. Me and My family was waited whole day from 10 am and 7 pm for their service which could be done in Urgent care in max 2 hr. where I visited first. I am still not able to understand why my wife refer to ER where as all lab work could be done in Urgent care itself. for 2 Hr. work we have waited without food for more then 8 hr. in ER and finally I received big bill for that day service and worst part is no one telling why?? ER service normally done when patients can not sit more than 15 mins, or bleeding not stopping any criteria where more then 30 mins patients can not wait. But for 9+ hr. patients keep waiting for lap work and Dr. evaluation. Is this Emergency???

Same story as the other 1 star reviews. Some time after an ER visit, I started receiving shady looking texts with a link that I promptly ignored since it looked like every other phishing/scam text out there. PLEASE update your billing system like you say you have been working on for the past year and change. I waited for any sort of other communication confirming that this bill was a real thing. An email, a physical letter in the mail, a phone call, but nothing. Once I received another text from the same number claiming that my bill was now overdue, it finally included the name of an organization for the first time in their texts (EPPA). I decided to look them up, and it brought me here. I was not surprised to see a lot of other people frustrated and rightly upset. This is ridiculous, and you are setting people up to fail. I ask that you please update your billing system, even though you clearly have no real intentions of doing that since you're still getting paid one way or another. I would rate zero stars if I could.

Just like everyone else, I never received any information about this bill. Just a text message saying I owe someone money. Apparently, after more than 7 years of complaints, the people at this company still don't understand why this leads everyone to believe their bills are a scam attempt. I assure you, the problem is not that "billing for emergency services can be confusing." The problem is that we received a text message saying that we owe someone money. I'm struggling to figure out how I can put that more plainly...

All of a sudden in the last 6 months I start getting these text messages saying from eppa that I owe money. Then when trying to contact these people to find out what is going on over the last 6 months I got through to one and they needed my building information AKA my insurance and they have all of that as well as the medical facilities I have been to have all of that so that being said start sending out actual bills or emails not just random texts because this sounds very illegal and wondering if I should go to some higher up authority in regards to that. I am wondering if a class action lawsuit should be in the works

This company shouldn't be in business with these billing practices. I never opted in for text message billing during an Emergency Room visit. I called Fairview Southdale just to make sure this was a real company after I happened to stumble across a text message in my spam folder letting me know I'm going into collections for a bill that was never even mailed to me.

The billing and the website. Please don't tell me it "may be confusing", it just doesn't work. Like so many other reviews on here, I thought it may be a scam when I got the text messages. And then I got the letters from collections. I double checked the company as best I could and called in. Two bills, not from the hospital, for the same surgery. I paid them and asked if I was all good and paid up. The person on there phone, who I'm assuming was looking at my file, assured me that I was fine. A month later, I get a FINAL NOTICE for a third bill. I went online to pay this one, logged in, and clicked on the link that says "see statement." The website brought me to a blank page. I click around and see I'm not logged in. Log in again, exactly the same thing. Close and try a different browser, and get the exact same loop. I'm going to have to call in again tomorrow. It's fine; I love spending time debating multiple surprise medical bills.

Emergency Physicians Professional Association (aka Emergency Provider Services) has the worst billing processes and technical implementation I've encountered. The company cuts corners by texting consumers with vague messages. In my case they messaged a minor to collect the bill. Our assumption was that it was a scam text and it was ignored since all legitimate invoices for medical are sent via mail and include enough details to determine legitimacy. The only paper bill we received was sent more than 3 months after the service and was mailed more than a week after the date on the letter and included language indicating it was being sent to collections and was passed due. Their site requires inputting information that is not included on the invoice to view the bill. Additionally, the site requires you to allow them to maintain a copy of the credit card used to pay for future billings. The only way to opt out is to directly contact them through their customer service channels. Given the implementation of their site and customer interactions documented in reviews that seems to be unlikely to be handled correctly. If you are a provider that utilizes this company for billings please switch to another company that follows industry standards. There implementation is certainly costing you more in missed collections then any cost savings they could be offering.

I'm not if this is a scam or if it's the actual doctor trying to charge extra fees through this organization. The hospital where I went to the ER provides a document called "Your Rights and Protections Against Surprise Medical Bills" -- "These providers can't balance bill you and may not ask you to give up your protections not to be balance billed. If you get other services at these in-network facilities, out-of-network providers can't balance bill you, unless you give written consent and give up your protections."

Doctor was great ....BUT you have to know your rights as a patient as their billing operation is horrible. I have insurance and they sent me a bill for the entire amount. Threatened me with collection on the bill. I made myself very clear that their threats would result in legal action from my side. Then THEY finally sent the required information that my insurance needed. Send e-mails and record your phone conversations. I know my stuff but they got me rattled up.

The doctors these people represent are borderline criminally incompetent. Once they commit malpractice, you'll be on the hook for what ever ridiculous amount of money they feel like charging for their genuinely terrible services, unless you're lucky and have a good case because they caused permanent damage. After that, paying the scam artists will be a nightmare. They have it set up to be as frustrating as possible unless you're able to pay up the total amount online.

The EPPA Dr that stitched up my wife's hand in the ER was kind, friendly, and good at putting my wife at ease even tho it was clearly a busy Friday night. Yes, ER Drs are often (unfortunately) a separate bill, and I wish the ER would tell people that. Our EPPA bill was emailed and text notifications were sent. Personally I like getting the reminders on my phone. I paid easily using the online option. No problems, text confirmation of payment was sent shortly after. Overall good experience for us.

I have not received a bill yet so I cannot attest for everyone else’s concern. I do know that my service was top tier. I was checked in and waited maybe 10 min tops to get in. I was in immense pain and was seen by a nurse right away. Both my doctor and my nurses were delightful and worked quickly to get me feeling more comfortable. I would recommend going here instead of a hospital if it’s an emergency. They were very quick to get me in and taken care of. As for the bill, I will update this review if I have issues with it.