Centro Medico Cabarete & Sunbelt Medical International

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Chareena

Guest
Does anyone on this forum know if CMC and Sunbelt Medical International in Fort Lauderdale cooperate? Sunbelt is claiming that my husband owes them a substantial amount for services provided on a certain CMC account. He received medical care there in April, and the only information according to the hospital management and the travel insurance company, is that the travel insurance promised to pay for his stay in the hospital and nothing else. Nobody has informed us that things would have changed.

The payment terms are also a bit odd (for a European). Payment should be made by phone via credit card or electronic funds transfer by contacting Sunbelt.

The letter is dated on May 23 and it arrived a few days ago. Payment should be made within 30 days of the date of the letter. That's June 23 (Sunday).

Any insight on this? Is it a real invoice or a scam?

Thanks for any input.
 
B

Big

Guest
Does anyone on this forum know if CMC and Sunbelt Medical International in Fort Lauderdale cooperate? Sunbelt is claiming that my husband owes them a substantial amount for services provided on a certain CMC account. He received medical care there in April, and the only information according to the hospital management and the travel insurance company, is that the travel insurance promised to pay for his stay in the hospital and nothing else. Nobody has informed us that things would have changed.

The payment terms are also a bit odd (for a European). Payment should be made by phone via credit card or electronic funds transfer by contacting Sunbelt.

The letter is dated on May 23 and it arrived a few days ago. Payment should be made within 30 days of the date of the letter. That's June 23 (Sunday).

Any insight on this? Is it a real invoice or a scam?

Thanks for any input.

Not 100% sure, but it smells of a scam for sure.
 
D

Derfish

Guest
Does anyone on this forum know if CMC and Sunbelt Medical International in Fort Lauderdale cooperate? Sunbelt is claiming that my husband owes them a substantial amount for services provided on a certain CMC account. He received medical care there in April, and the only information according to the hospital management and the travel insurance company, is that the travel insurance promised to pay for his stay in the hospital and nothing else. Nobody has informed us that things would have changed.

The payment terms are also a bit odd (for a European). Payment should be made by phone via credit card or electronic funds transfer by contacting Sunbelt.

The letter is dated on May 23 and it arrived a few days ago. Payment should be made within 30 days of the date of the letter. That's June 23 (Sunday).

Any insight on this? Is it a real invoice or a scam?

Thanks for any input.

I would throw it away if they cannot give any serious information. Last year I was in the hospital 5 times and started to get bills and invoices from everybody. I called one for example and the woman said I had been to Hattiesburg Clinic. I assured her I had not been to any clinic in Hattlesburg. She said they had 8 clinics and I must have been to one of them. But she was unable to tell me which one. I started getting bills from cardioligists, as far away as Phillidelphia. I am convinced that some of these entities have a way of finding that one has been in the hospital and sends out bills. Cardialogists, radiologists, bacteriologists and maybe a few archiaologists. There were bills from 18 entities in all, about half of which I nor my home care nurse could identify. These bills come from third party billing companies, not direct from the clinics. The government thru the varioius insurance companies pays them without question many times and the billing company may or may not pass on part of what they collect to some medical service provider.
Derfish
 
C

Chareena

Guest
When it comes to CMC, it is my understanding that they won't give you any medical attention before you can prove that you have money to pay for the medical attention or that you have insurance which pays. That's my experience from visiting the hospital.

Furthermore, the patient account number is not mentioned anywhere on the documents we received from the hospital.
 
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william webster

Guest
I have had the same letter from SunBelt.

Yes , They collect for CMC - no scam - repeat - no scam.

I petitioned my insurance... they accepted my procedures at CMC and paid the bill.

Talk to CMC - that's what I did.

If you are paying a portion personally--- credit card is the way to go... to Sunbelt or CMC
whichever CMC prefers
 
C

cavok

Guest
When it comes to CMC, it is my understanding that they won't give you any medical attention before you can prove that you have money to pay for the medical attention or that you have insurance which pays. That's my experience from visiting the hospital.

Furthermore, the patient account number is not mentioned anywhere on the documents we received from the hospital.

That's my experience, too. I went to see a doc at CMC about a month ago. I was told my insurance was inactive and had to contact the insurance company and straighten things out before they would see me. Aparently, the gal entered the wrong number.
 
C

Chareena

Guest
Just a thought, but could this issue have something do with which insurance company the patient use? We changed to another company last year, but nevertheless, for Europeans when something happens SOS DK is always the hospital's contact.

We haven't experienced anything like this before, neither in CMC or Bournigal.
 
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hammerdown

Guest
Sunbelt is a billing agency, when your insurance company doesn't pay they contact you.....contact the insurance company and have them contact Sunbelt....I had the same problem and after contacting the insurance company it was resolved....
 
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william webster

Guest
Sometimes the insurance needs more information - from CMC or SunBelt.

In my case , I talked to both to straighten things out.

The first time around with CMC is when these things happen - then they have you on file
For me anyway.

I would start with a call to either
 

Eric Sandmael

New member
Aug 9, 2019
1
0
1
CMC and Sunbelt

Not 100% sure, but it smells of a scam for sure.

Must be a big scam organized by both Sunbelt and CMC or somebody in their organization.
I was there last year, and everything were covered by my insurance company.
However, short time after I also got a bill from Sunbelt to my address in Norway. Of course I didn't pay, and never heard back from them.
Obviously they try to scam patients, and give up if you don't pay.
 

Chareena

Member
Apr 3, 2004
182
2
18
janssoncarina.blogspot.com
It seems like a scam, but I don't think it is. Sunbelt becomes involved when the insurance company doesn't pay soon enough. My husband was hospitalised at CMC in March, the invoice from Sunbelt (dated in June) arrived around mid July, the insurance company paid the hospital invoice in late August/beginning of September. Naturally I didn't pay the Sunbelt invoice.
 

william webster

Platinum
Jan 16, 2009
30,247
4,329
113
Exactly--

When I had a payment issue I had to prod Sunbelt to talk to my Insurance.
I doubled back to CMC to keep them informed.

It's not a scam but these payments can take time to process.... frustrating
 

jd_mine

Active member
Sep 24, 2003
166
101
43
It seems like a scam, but I don't think it is. Sunbelt becomes involved when the insurance company doesn't pay soon enough. My husband was hospitalised at CMC in March, the invoice from Sunbelt (dated in June) arrived around mid July, the insurance company paid the hospital invoice in late August/beginning of September. Naturally I didn't pay the Sunbelt invoice.
Yes, This.
Same thing happened to us when my wife spend 2 nights at CMC when we were on vacation.
Like half a year later Sunbelt send a huge bill (over 5K dollars) to my mother in law in Santo Domingo. She panicked of course. I guess that was the address we gave CMC.
I called the insurance company and they informed me that Sunbelt needed to be more patient and that they would handle it. Never heard from Sunbelt again.
 

Chareena

Member
Apr 3, 2004
182
2
18
janssoncarina.blogspot.com
Yes, This.
Same thing happened to us when my wife spend 2 nights at CMC when we were on vacation.
Like half a year later Sunbelt send a huge bill (over 5K dollars) to my mother in law in Santo Domingo. She panicked of course. I guess that was the address we gave CMC.
I called the insurance company and they informed me that Sunbelt needed to be more patient and that they would handle it. Never heard from Sunbelt again.

Same here. My invoice was 6500 USD for three nights, and the insurance company said that my husband was not sick. He passed away in June last year! A person who is not sick, does not die.
 

lifeisgreat

Enjoying Life
May 7, 2016
3,271
1,162
113
Doesn’t matter which insurance company you use takes up to yr to pay hospital...many times it was stupid mistake on paperwork that stalled payments..call insurer to rectify or hospital or insurance might not cover you next time..
 

william webster

Platinum
Jan 16, 2009
30,247
4,329
113
Hard to say if CMC is slow to bill or SunBelt is slow to react or the insurance company drags its feet

One thing is certain... I had the same experience as being stated here
 

cobraboy

Pro-Bono Demolition Hobbyist
Jul 24, 2004
40,964
936
113
Yes, This.
Same thing happened to us when my wife spend 2 nights at CMC when we were on vacation.
Like half a year later Sunbelt send a huge bill (over 5K dollars) to my mother in law in Santo Domingo. She panicked of course. I guess that was the address we gave CMC.
I called the insurance company and they informed me that Sunbelt needed to be more patient and that they would handle it. Never heard from Sunbelt again.

Same here. My invoice was 6500 USD for three nights, and the insurance company said that my husband was not sick. He passed away in June last year! A person who is not sick, does not die.
Two nights for US$5k? Three nights for US$6.5k?

Incredible!

Mom CB spent 24 days at Coraminas, 11 days in ICU with 8 days on a ventilator, all doctor fees, tests, tomography, xrays, medicines, etc, for around US$23k.

Screw CNC and Sunbelt. You guys got taken big time! No way they would *ever* charge a Dominican or Dominican insurance company those kinds of fees.