A Desoto woman called NBC 5 after receiving $13,000 worth of hospital bills that she said had nothing to do with her.
One bill after another, Tonya White was in for a rude awakening that she never saw coming.
She received a $10,000 hospital bill, followed by an $800 ambulance bill, followed by $1600 medical services bill, all connected to Medical City Dallas.
White said she figured the bills must have been sent to the wrong address, until she took a closer look.
"I could not believe that they had all of my information," she said. "And I’m, thinking did someone use my identity?"
White said she called Medical City Dallas to let them know this was a huge mistake.
"The lady went and got her manager, and she said 'Ok this is you.' And I said 'No it’s not.' And she said, 'yeah it is,'" White explained.
"The more I tried to convince them, the more I sounded crazy," said White.
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White said a billing manager told her that on July 9, she was seen at Medical City Green Oaks, their psychiatric hospital.
"I guess that’s why I wasn’t believable. They were just blowing me off," she said.
White said she has never set foot in this facility. But somehow, the hospital had all of her information and was demanding payment.
"I literally cried. I lost a lot of sleep because I was tossing and turning at night because I was thinking what could I do," she wondered.
As a result of not paying the bills, White said she was eventually sent to collections.
"So now, not only is my name is in jeopardy, my credit, everything," she said. "That was the final straw."
White called NBC 5 Responds in a panic, so our team got to work.
We sent Medical City Dallas all of her bills, including the police report and identity theft report she filed.
We even sent them a copy of her ID, hoping they could compare her picture to whoever was treated at their hospital.
"Then, I received a call from the hospital," said White.
She said Medical City Dallas apologized for what she had to go through, and said the mistake was due to a patient portal mix-up.
"It wasn’t until you all reached out to them that they tried to resolve the issue," she said. "And I’m so happy!"
What started as a medical billing nightmare is now a problem solved.
"I am Tonya White. I am in good health, and I pay my bills," she said.
Her bills, and no one else's.
We still wanted to know how medical city got her information in the first place.
Medical City would not answer that question due to HIPPA laws, but did confirm that they were eventually made aware of a possible billing error and the problem has been resolved.
White said Medical City promised to inform the collections agency about the mistake so the unpaid bills shouldn't affect her credit.
She said she's getting identity theft protection as a precaution, and is happy those bills are no longer in her name.
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