Alert: Mitchell Hustles Providers for Liberty Mutual
Providers, be warned: Mitchell International, a company offering “workers’ compensation bill review & claims management services,” seems to be playing the hustler on behalf of Liberty Mutual.
A Mitchell representative called daisyCollect to squeeze a reduced reimbursement rate out of a provider, with a promise of “expedited” payment from Liberty Mutual. Presumably, Mitchell was under the impression that daisyCollect, as our provider clients’ billing agent, could be convinced to give away our providers’ revenue. That presumption was 100% incorrect.
Read on to learn why providers should immediately hang up if Mitchell calls.
Mitchell Reaches Out for Liberty Mutual
As daisyCollect agents recently discovered, after providers submit bills to claims administrators, Mitchell representatives call the providers to negotiate payment amounts below Official Medical Fee Schedule (OMFS) rates. Mitchell calls from (888) 268-0695, a phone number associated with ‘National Health Quest, Inc.’
In 2010, Mitchell partnered with National Health Quest to “Deliver More Savings to Payers With Best-in-Class Out-of-Network Discount Negotiation Services.” What exactly does this mean — other than a promise to help claims administrators fleece providers?
Rather than paying a doctor that treated an injured worker, on April 12, 2022, a Mitchell representative called daisyCollect on behalf of Liberty Mutual to “see if” Mitchell could “settle a bill for a patient.” The Mitchell representative attempted to hustle daisyCollect into giving Liberty Mutual a 30% discount below the reimbursement amount owed per the OMFS.
Mitchell promised, in exchange for sacrificing 30% of the amount due per the OMFS, Mitchell would “expedite” payment within 10 working days — this especially galling because:
- California LAW mandates that Liberty Mutual must reimburse providers in 15 working days, if the provider chooses to bill electronically, and
- Our data show that Liberty Mutual pays daisyBill clients in 7 days on average.
Our agent patiently explained that daisyBill providers expect 100% OMFS reimbursement, barring any applicable existing contracts. From the transcript below, this seemed to make perfect sense to even the Mitchell representative, because why would a provider accept 70% of the amount owed for no discernible benefit?
The edited conversation is below, and worth a read for anyone interested in how Mitchell is attempting to snooker providers out of revenue in exchange for…nothing.
Tl;dr, the exchange that best exemplified Mitchell’s persistent, if blunt, approach was the following:
daisyCollect: Mm-hmm. Okay, let's see. I'm able to refuse [Mitchell’s discount] offer on behalf of the provider.
Mitchell: So what would be okay, sir, like a better pricing?
daisyCollect: Well, we billed this out at fee schedule and we expect to be reimbursed at fee schedule…
Mitchell: Oh, okay. That's, yeah, that's definitely right on it. So in that case, well that's totally fine. Is this the case where you wouldn't like to negotiate on just this bill or future bills as well?
daisyCollect: All future bills as well, being that we always bill at the fee schedule amount.
Date & Time |
Speaker |
Content |
2022-04-12 11:20:43.1 PDT |
Mitchell |
This is [redacted]. I'm calling with Mitchell International on behalf of Liberty Mutual. I'm looking to see if I can settle a bill for a patient. Is that something you can assist me with? |
2022-04-12 11:21:31.5 PDT |
daisyCollect |
Okay, got it. I have it pulled up in front of me here. And what is Mitchell's relation to Liberty Mutual in this case? I was under the impression that Liberty Mutual does their own bill review internally. |
2022-04-12 11:21:44.3 PDT |
Mitchell |
Yeah, we normally get bills from Liberty Mutual to have negotiated on behalf of them with providers. So in this case the bill that we got here is for this patient which is — I'm seeing a total of $638.25 — and we're looking to see if the provider will accept the initial offer, in this case would be $446.78 and payment would be expedited within ten business days. [emphasis added] |
2022-04-12 11:22:03.3 PDT |
daisyCollect |
Mm-hmm. Okay, let's see. I'm able to refuse that offer on behalf of the provider. |
2022-04-12 11:22:25.7 PDT |
Mitchell |
All right. So what would be okay, sir, like a better pricing? |
2022-04-12 11:22:30.3 PDT |
daisyCollect |
Well, we billed this out at fee schedule and we expect to be reimbursed at fee schedule. So that is the rationale, yeah, because we have the calculation, so we didn't use the Usual and Customary and the charge wasn't above the California fee schedule amount. [emphasis added] |
2022-04-12 11:22:37.7 PDT |
Mitchell |
Oh, okay. That's, yeah, that's definitely right on it. So in that case, well that's totally fine. Is this the case where you wouldn't like to negotiate on just this bill or future bills as well? |
2022-04-12 11:23:04.5 PDT |
daisyCollect |
All future bills as well, being that we always bill at the fee schedule amount. |
2022-04-12 11:27:15.9 PDT |
daisyCollect |
Some of the bills for this patient were paid in the interim, so do you know which bills get sent over to Mitchell and which stay with the payer and claims administrator? |
2022-04-12 11:27:20.3 PDT |
Mitchell |
All right, well, as far as I could see, you know, when we get them, if it's the case where the negotiation due date may have passed and we haven't gotten anybody, we would just send it right back to the insurance company so the bills do get paid out after that time. And there are cases where the patients have multiple bills, but we just get a few or maybe we get all of them but it's split between agents. So I may have a bill for one patient here but someone has another bill for that patient. So it's the case where you might get two separate calls in one day from different agents regarding the same person with two different bills. |
2022-04-12 11:28:15.9 PDT |
daisyCollect |
Oh, okay, got it. And do you know if it's at the discretion of the claims administrator which bills reach Mitchell? Like, basically, are bills sent to you or, or does Mitchell go and pick and choose? |
2022-04-12 11:28:24.5 PDT |
Mitchell |
Well, no, it's sent to us from the insurance companies. Yeah, it's normally sent to us. |
2022-04-12 11:28:35.1 PDT |
daisyCollect |
Okay. Got it. And my last question is -- from your system are you able to see the charge amount and how it compares to the state fee schedule amount? |
2022-04-12 11:28:44.9 PDT |
Mitchell |
Yeah, yeah, they're right beside each other. When you said you charged at fee schedule I was saying, yeah, you're definitely on point for that one, the $638.25.
These other two now I'm seeing for [redacted] and [redacted], along with [redacted] -- I can close all three of them out as you guys don't negotiate? |
2022-04-12 11:29:25.5 PDT |
daisyCollect |
Yes, all three with the same answer, please. Thank you. |
Providers, be careful out there. There are “Best-in-Class” sharks everywhere.
Protect your practice. daisyBill helps providers get fast, accurate reimbursement for treating injured workers, at state fee schedule rates. Reach out to learn how we can help.
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