SAN ANTONIO – One mother's been waiting five months for a refund from University Hospital. On Thursday, she was told that check's in the mail.
Dora Tijerina said she's owed $143 from the medical care facility after overpaying a bill she received last year.
"I have been calling since December for my refund," Tijerina said.
Tijerina did what a lot of people do to pay medical bills. She set up smaller, weekly payments through her bank's online bill pay. When she realized she overpaid, she contacted the hospital's billing department right away.
"I have called at least 10-15 times. I'm given different excuses. I've even been told that the refund was mailed to me on two occasions," Tijerina said.
She was tired of the runaround and said the money she's waiting for could be used to buy her family groceries for a week.
"I am extremely frustrated because we all know when you owe somebody money -- a hospital, a business, they are relentless and if you don't pay in a timely manner, you're sent to collections," Tijerina said. She wants to know why she was the one who noticed the overpayment while the hospital kept collecting.
The mother hopes her story helps others keep close tabs on their finances so they don't end up in a similar situation.
A spokesman for University Hospital sent the following statement after looking into the incident:
University Health System works to maintain the trust of those who come to us for care, and keeping that trust also includes processing payments and refunds in a timely manner. A review of our records show that this family is due a refund after making monthly payments of varying small amounts towards a balance since May 2015. The overpayments came to our attention on March 18 and the refund request has gone through our standard review process. That review is complete and the refund is being issued today. We apologize to the family for the delay.