Very weird telephone call

[CountAllVotes]

out there!

I've been having a very difficult time with health care as of recent. I'll spare you the details but yesterday, Saturday, I get this call from a muffled sort of voice that than cleared and this woman asked for me and said she was Darlene from Anthem Blue Cross and that she was an R.N. and that she wanted to know what my date of birth was and that she was with case management and that this call is being taped.

I told her that I was calling the sheriff and reporting her for attempting to collect data on me and hung-up.

The phone rang again a few minutes later and I let the answering machine pick it up (no message was left) and shut the whole phone thingy down and went to bed and it is still shut down so good damn luck getting a hold of me/us. We are exhausted around here, I'm sick with the shingles and my husband is pushing 80 and is beginning to fail I can tell so yeah, we just bagged it for the day/evening after battling with a water filtering system for two very long days . We both decided that the best thing to do is just go to bed and get some well-needed sleep!

I don't know if this Darlene, R.N. (who refused to give me here surname after I asked btw) was for real or if she a fraud but I was informed several months ago that I am a member of the Anthem/Blue Cross data breach that occurred. No one is available to speak to from Anthem/Blue Cross as it is the weekend so no one is around to speak with.

What is your take on this call? It upset me a lot needless to say. Thank you in advance for your perspective on this.

CountAllVotes

[MADem]

1. You poor dear!!! STRESS and SHINGLES--that has got to suck!!!!!

I know a friend of mine got some relief from lidocaine cream and sudocreme (it's like desitin, I think). I hope you feel better soon, truly.

I don't think ANY reputable business will ask you, unbidden, for your personal details over the phone--at least not the whole magilla like that. Usually they go for zip code when they're trying to be sure it's you.

If YOU initiate the call from a number that you've gotten from a piece of correspondence from Anthem, or from the back of a member card, or something, you can exchange information safely. But not on a call where they are calling you. I don't blame you for backing off, I think you were smart to do this.

Call as soon as you can to straighten this out, and don't stress.

Next time, if this happens again, play the "I'll have to call you back" card and see if they get flustered--e.g.

I'll have to call you back, my dog just ran out the door to the busy street...

I'll have to call you back, the explosive diarrhea is ruining my day today....

I'll have to call you back, there's a policeman at my door....

I'll have to call you back, I've got a bad water leak and the plumber is on his way.....

Then you ask for the eight-hundred number, and see if it matches the one in your files. If they're scamming, they'll get flustered or hang up.

Hope you feel better soon.

[CountAllVotes]

7. I never identified myself

I asked who was calling for myself and why and she kept asking for my date of birth! I almost hung-up straight off when I heard that muffled crap in the background. Who the hell knows these days?

[MADem]

9. That sounds terribly squirrelly! Who would assume that

you were you right off the bat like that, without even saying something like "Is this Mrs. CountAllVotes?" Hell, you could have been your own ladies' maid, for all that caller knew!!

And with HIPAA, health care providers are terribly concerned about confidentiality of data, so that just doesn't sound right at all.

[CountAllVotes]

10. They asked for me and I said "May I ask who is calling for her?"

and then they asked for my birth date. As said already, I could have been the maid, a person residing in the house or anyone at all!

Damn people like this anger me. It was likely data collecting which is a crime as I advised this "Darlene, an R.N." in a voice that made one think gee, its an R.N., I can TRUST her! Yeah right, when hell freezes over!

[MADem]

15. I've found--and I'll bet you have, too--that it's never a bad idea to follow your gut.

The times I haven't I've regretted it. I think we have a sense of when things are right, and when they're not. That common sense stands us in in good stead!


If it's not an RN on the phone, it's an actor in a white coat on TV pushing Big Pharma at us, while some voice over announcer who can speak three hundred words a minute tells us what kind of side effects we'll get if we take that crap~!

[Hortensis]

46. Umm-hmmm. I'd be surprised too if this call wasn't for

criminal purposes. Please don't let it bug you. though. After all, stress and irritation cause and worsen shingles flares (my husband gets it too). Professionals are working on this stuff, and our part is to foil the evildoers by hanging up, which you did.

BTW, I like your name, but don't dwell on those criminals right now either.

[Boudica the Lyoness]

50. The reason she asked you for your date of birth

was to confirm it was you. A few days ago I was talking to someone from our insurance co. on the phone and before she would give me the info I was after she asked me to tell her my date of birth and the last four numbers of my SS#.

They generally only give their first name. A scammer could easily give you a fake last name.

[CountAllVotes]

11. She cannot speak with you at the moment ...

She's out in the garage using the litter box right now ...

[MADem]

13. Ha ha ha ha~~~~~~~!!!!!!

I admit it--I DO put my pets' names on bullshit where you have to sign up to make things happen, like grocery store loyalty cards, and what-have-you. I'll also use the names of relations who have been dead for a good half century or more. It's amazing how much junk mail--to include offers for credit cards and all sorts of craziness--my pets, dead and living, and all my dead relations get!!!

[CountAllVotes]

16. Hello, this is Saint Andrew ...

Can I help you? She's gone now and I am her reincarnation you sorry sack o'shyte!

I swear to God Almighty, next time I get one of these "calls", St. Andrew or better yet, the pope himself will answer!

Hello, this is pope Francis, confess you son-of-a ....

[WillowTree]

29. What "whole magilla"? They asked for a date of birth.

Pharmacists in particular around here always ask for that as an identifier. Guess that I don't see asking that alone as a major thing. It's not as if she asked for their Social Security # or even their Blue Cross member ID. But due to HIPAA, they do have to be sure who they're talking with before they give out any information themselves. Seems as though there should be some kind of secret handshake that could be arranged between health insurers and their insureds to identify themselves to one another. Perhaps when an insurance company is calling and it's not a matter of ".......returning your call", they should just say "Hello, this is Darlene calling from Blue Cross to speak with Mary Smith. To protect your privacy, please call me back at XXX-XXX-XXXX to discuss your claim."

Failing that, if the call was unsolicited and I didn't have some clue as to why someone from Blue Cross would be calling, I'd just say that I don't give any personal info out over the phone and ask them for a number where I can call them back. But I sure wouldn't go directly to "I'm calling the police!!" and a hang up. That seems like a real overreaction right there.

[MADem]

34. The caller did not even ascertain WHO was on the phone, OR give her last name.

Would you give "Doctor Fred" any of your details if he didn't bother to verify it was YOU on the phone? I sure wouldn't!

I think that your "to protect your privacy" routine is a better option--but I'd also give the customer a website, or ask them to look on the back of their insurance card for the phone number. That kind of thing can be faked too.

Keep in mind, this poster's insurance has ALREADY BEEN HACKED. That's a known.

What's not known is who's calling (without verifying with whom they are speaking) on a weekend, and why.

[pnwmom]

47. You shouldn't give your date of birth to an unknown person who has contacted you out of the blue.

Date of birth IS one of those identifiers. It might be the last piece of the puzzle some ID thief needs from you.

[WillowTree]

48. I think I did say that I don't give any personal info and ask for a number to call back.

I was just a little taken aback by a single piece of information being characterized as "the whole magilla".

[patricia92243]

2. The fact they called on the weekend sounds suspicious. On Monday call you Anthem and find out

about it. I think you did the right thing, can't be too careful.

[trocar]

37. I just call the number

on my card and ask to talk to their nursing call enter. I got a call earlier this year, called back the number I have on file and received excellent nursing advice.

[notadmblnd]

3. Call your insurance on Monday morning and ask them if there is any information they need from you.

and let them know you are getting calls from someone claiming to represent them.

I got a call from someone who said they needed to verify my address. They said they were calling from a bank that I recently had some business with. When they asked me for my address, I told them I was uncomfortable giving it to them as there was no way I could verify that they were who they said they were. I requested that since they called me, that they tell me what address they had on file for me and I would confirm if it was correct or not. They said he could not do that. I told them I couldn't either and hung up. I haven't heard from them since.

[CountAllVotes]

4. Thanks for the tips

I'll call up Anthem/Blue Cross tomorrow morning. Who the HELL needs this anyway? Not me!

As for the shingles, I seem to have gotten lucky and appear to have a rather mild case as the sores have healed and the pain has diminished.

I cannot get the vaccine as I'm not old enough to get it and its a no-no if you have MS. So, I guess I got lucky but as for the rest of my problems with health care these days is all due to one thing known as GREED.

Thanks again! Glad I'm not cracking up!

P.S. I think there is a huge outbreak of the shingles but *psst* don't tell anyone now would you?

[murielm99]

5. That is a weird phone call.

You were right not to give out information. I would have been upset by it, too.

I would call Anthem/Blue Cross and see if they called you. Good luck.

[Downwinder]

6. If it was legit, they will contact you again.

I don't give information unless I initiate the contact. If they leave a message i do a reverse look up to check the number.

[CountAllVotes]

8. I hate telephones

I rarely answer and I don't have caller ID, etc. nor do I have a cell phone. I get 60 calls a month on a landline for $3.72. That's more than enough for me. If I had my way, I'd dump the whole thing!

[Downwinder]

12. I only get about 10% of a phone conversation,

but all the local offices have gone to call centers.

What can you do?

[CountAllVotes]

14. Yep, call centers

So much for the Bush thing whatever it was called ... "Do Not Call" list or some such useless, pointless, costly crap that obviously did nothing as all things that tend to go with pukes!

[leftyladyfrommo]

17. I have Humana

And they were calling all the time for one thing or another.
They wanted to send a home health nurse to my house. They wanted to sign me up for tests. They want me to get my meds from their mail order pharmacy.

I finally called them and requested to be on the do not call list. I'm perfectly healthy and don't need home visits or help with meds.

Now the only one who calls is their pharmacy and I just don't answer.

[CountAllVotes]

18. I've got CVS

and the robo calls never stop. Every day at 9:00 a.m. you hear that ring and yep, its good old commie job CVS that rat hole trap that it is on the phone!

[leftyladyfrommo]

21. I have Walgreens

and the only time they use robo is when I need to refill or when my stuff is ready. But I only have 1 pill that I take each day.

I have been really happy with my Walgreens.

[Ms. Toad]

44. CVS is the absolute worst - and I've tried virtually all of them.

They call, ask you to provide information to confirm who you are, and then tell you to please call back because they have an important message for you.

When you do call back, there is no obvious way to get through automation hell - like, for example, "Press 5 if you are returning a call from us."

Their emails are just as bad - they use imaginary case numbers that are not connected to anything that is in their database to identify any prescription that is not going to be mailed in the ordinary course of events. For "normal" folks, it might not be so bad - but we have more than 20 prescriptions coming to our house so I have to open each potential prescriptions, for 3 different family members, to see if there is anything there that gives me a clue which one has delivery issues.

[femmocrat]

39. We were also getting calls about that home health nurse from UPMC.

(That is one of the two main insurers in Pittsburgh.) Even after we told them we were not interested, they kept on calling. Very annoying.

[leftyladyfrommo]

43. Humana had contracted that out

To a couple of companies. Somehow they make money off it. The nurses find that patients need other stuff and they can run the amount they get paid up.

I'm not sure exactly how that works but it's all about the bottom line.

It might be a good thing for some really sick people or housebound but I sure don't need it.

[still_one]

19. First of all I am sorry for your situation, and hope you feel better. What I usually do when I

receive unsolicited calls, and cannot verify who they are, I would then ask them for their name, identification, in this case the case number, and then call them back to a Anthem/Blue Cross number. In that way I am initiating the call to a known blue cross number, and refer them to the case number during that call.

In all probability, the birthdate question is probably done for verification, and the call is most likely legit, but I would be careful about providing your full social security number. They may ask for the last four digits of your SSN, or other security question to verify it is you.

If it regards a claim, they should have sent you something in the mail I would think.

That is just my two cents. All the best

[CountAllVotes]

25. Yep thats where I'm at

If you want some info. from me, put it in writing. I don't know what this "case management" B.S. is all about. Suspicious as all hell and I'll call tomorrow to find out if it was/is legitimate on any level at all.

Thanks again!

[yourpicturehere]

20. BC/BS does that.

Husband just got out of the hospital, and an RN from BC/BS called. She had called my husband while he was IN the hospital and he sicced her on me. They are case managers that are supposed to "help" with whatever ails you (literally). Mostly she was pushing for us to get colonoscopies and flu shots.

The funny part was that my Hubbie had a VERY large septic abscess in his nether parts and she started asking about smoking. Does he smoke...no. Anyone in the house smoke...no. Any second-hand smoke...Well, maybe in 56 years. I guess second hand smoke caused the abscess in his ass??????????

Anyway, she was probably legit. Check the answering machine and see if she left a call back #.

As for the data breach, we got the same letter, and it was to inform us that BC/BS would correct any data breach of our personal information, make up for it, etc, etc. We'll see...

Hope this helps?

[marble falls]

22. Even if you were wrong, you did the right thing. I do not answer any sort...

personal information on the phone and I do not use the the "last four digits" of my SSI# number for any sort of ID. A name and a birthday is all a scammer needs and with those and your last four digits the rest of your social security number becomes much easier to figure out.

I have an online birth date I always use online.

[notadmblnd]

42. The SSN Numbering Scheme

Number Has Three Parts

The nine-digit SSN is composed of three parts:

The first set of three digits is called the Area Number
The second set of two digits is called the Group Number
The final set of four digits is the Serial Number

Area Number

The Area Number is assigned by the geographical region. Prior to 1972, cards were issued in local Social Security offices around the country and the Area Number represented the State in which the card was issued.

Group Number

Within each area, the group number (middle two (2) digits) range from 01 to 99 but are not assigned in consecutive order. For administrative reasons, group numbers issued first consist of the ODD numbers from 01 through 09 and then EVEN numbers from 10 through 98, within each area number allocated to a State. After all numbers in group 98 of a particular area have been issued, the EVEN Groups 02 through 08 are used, followed by ODD Groups 11 through 99

Serial Number

Within each group, the serial numbers (last four (4) digits) run consecutively from 0001 through 9999.
https://www.ssa.gov/history/ssn/geocard.html

The very last two number are separated by eleven

for example 60, 71, 82, 93. I know this because I have 3 sisters and the only number that separates our ssns is the last two digits. They are like that because my mother applied for all 4 at the same time. Now it's done at birth, so I would think it is more difficult but still with some effort one could figure it out.

[csziggy]

55. They must have changed that last part of the SSN since I got my card

My parents applied for cards for all four of us after my little sister was born in 1956. Our SSNs are consecutive with only the last number different. If I wanted to, I could steal one of my surviving sister's identity without any problem!

[notadmblnd]

56. me too. Trouble is-

I only have one sister who's identity would be worth stealing though. The other two are poor as church mice. That and the fact I'm honest to a fault.

[csziggy]

57. Same here - though I would not ever want to steal from the one who would be worth it

It's the other sister who deserves to have her identity stolen. But if I did that, I would be as much of a jerk as she is.

[notadmblnd]

58. Gotta love em

they're family.

[csziggy]

59. Actually one sister I will never love and never interact with again

Long story but she was unbelievably cruel to our mother while our father was dying. I guess it's a good thing for her that Mom's Alzheimer's is kicking in big time - Mom can't remember how horrific those days were. But I do and cannot forgive her.

[notadmblnd]

60. I'm sorry for your loss.

both your mother and your sister. My sisters have done some pretty rotten thing to me too but I refuse to let the anger build up in me and become as miserable as a couple of them are.

The stories I could tell you though...

[csziggy]

61. Thank you.

I've tried to not be so angry at that sister for years but she's pretty intolerable. One of her own children will not longer have anything to do with her so it's not just me.

Mom is still hanging in there. She has no short term memory but she is still together enough be fun to be around. We're going down Wednesday to spend a few days with her and I'm looking forward to seeing her.

[notadmblnd]

62. Enjoy your time with her

Merry Christmas

[csziggy]

63. Merry Christmas to you and yours! n/t

[rurallib]

23. Hope I would be smart enough to do what you did

well played.

Call the insurance company Monday and find out what's up if anything.

[Vinca]

24. I'm always suspicious of calls like the one you got. You did the right thing.

Unwanted calls of any kind drive me nuts and the "do not call" list is close to worthless. Sorry to hear about your shingles. Been there, done that. You'll get through it, but if the pain is too severe don't be shy about asking for serious drugs. I felt as if I'd been kicked in the side by a horse when I had it. It's a miserable experience, but it does end (although you might experience a little burning or tingling in the area every so often even months later - more of an annoyance than anything else).

[csziggy]

26. Anthem does has a nurse service that will call so it might be legitimate

For the years my husband's work supplied Anthem health insurance was in effect I talked with the Anthem nurse a few times. I had two operations while on that particular insurance and they called before the operations to help me understand what to expect. Then they called after to make sure I was doing OK. Since I had already had similar operations I was pretty well prepped but I was kind of glad that they were helping me get ready.

They also referred me to a nutritionist who I spoke over the phone (another free service) with but she was no help - we talked about the types of food I was eating, my eating habits, and what I could change. She said I was already doing what she'd recommend so I never called her back.

The nurse I talked with several times was able to intervene with the insurance company if I needed a on site nurse or other services. If my husband had not been able to take care of me that would have been very helpful.

To check if the call you got was actually from Anthem's nurse service, look on your insurance card for their Nurse Line and call that number. What they did with me was assign a particular nurse so they should be able to look up who called you and give you her contact number and extension. The Nurse Line is open 24/7 so you should be able to contact them today. That is, if they still do the Nurse Line and if it is not a special feature for some group insurance policies.

I am so sorry to hear about your shingles and your husband's problems. If you feel up to it, call the Nurse Line - they may be able to help you with additional services.

Edited to add: The first time the nurse called I was suspicious so I told her so. She suggested that I call the Nurse Line number on my insurance card and talk to them. That is how I got her call back information and was assured it was a legitimate call.

[CountAllVotes]

30. Thanks

Actually that Nurse Line saved my life I'll have you know.

I had serious abdominal pain and they told me to call an ambulance and I did just that. Seems I had 45 mins. to live as peritonitis had set-in! Yikes! When I told them of this months later they said, "Oh good, we got one!".

Will give them a call. Thanks again!

[csziggy]

49. Yes - and that is exactly what they are supposed to do

Advise people on health worries. Often it won't be anything to worry about in which case the insurance company saves the cost of an office visit or emergency room ordeal. But sometimes it is critical as in your case and can save lives.

I was sad when my husband's employer switched insurance companies and the nurse I had a relationship was no longer accessible. She'd talked me through two major operations and several illnesses and we'd gotten to know each other pretty good.

[leveymg]

27. I have to give my DOB and address when I call my provider, so it may have been legit.

I've never had them call me, so I don't know if that's routine if they initiate the call. Just call Anthem and ask if someone tried to reach you. Best of luck.

[R.A. Ganoush]

28. It's basic case and disease management

The carriers have RN's on staff whose job it is to follow up on claims data to mitigate future problems with an insured client. No matter if you're on a fully insured, self-insured or private plan. It's fairly common.

She has to verify DOB because of HIPAA privacy concerns. That she has bad customer service skills is a separate issue.

I understand your concerns but not everything is a conspiracy.

[CountAllVotes]

32. Maybe its because of the shingles

I was misdiagnosed at the ER and told I had an insect bite and to give it plenty of air (the very LAST thing one should do -- keep the sores covered at all times to avoid them spreading!).

I was advised to file a claim with Medicare re: this VERY serious misdiagnosis. I went to my PCP a few days later when another lesion appeared with fluid coming out of it and the PCP knew it was the shingles straight off. You'd think any doctor that took the time to LOOK at it would have known what it was but the idiot at the ER just blew me off.

Maybe that is what is was about?

Will call tomorrow to find out. She did say that calling me was "not the norm" whatever that meant. I've had this insurance for almost 20 years now so who knows?

Thank you!!

[R.A. Ganoush]

35. That would be my guess

Especially given the recency of your problems.

I hope it all works out for you and you make a quick recovery, I wouldn't wish shingles on my worst enemy.

Happy to help and get better soon!

[CountAllVotes]

36. Shingles suck

and I'm damn lucky it has been a mild case. I came down with them just before Thanksgiving. It is leaving me with some scars but nothing serious luckily!

Thank you!

[DirkGently]

31. Sounds like nonsense to me.

It's one thing if you contact a health care provider and they THEN ask for identifying information.

Someone calling you out out of the blue and asking your birthdate out of the gate is odd at best, and not being willing to give her last name is stranger still. And that is a piece of information helpful in ID theft.

If anything, as others have noted, just call Blue Cross directly and see if they need anything from you.

I've been getting a fascinating series of solicitation calls from a synthetic voice that "pretends" to be human. I like asking it questions until it self-destructs.

Robot: HI THERE THIS IS RANDY. WE'RE INSTALLING HOME SECURITY SYSTEMS IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD NEXT WEEK AND ...

Me: "Are you a robot, 'Randy'?

Robot (every time I ask): HA HA A ROBOT? WE MUST HAVE A BAD CONNECTION. I AM A REAL PERSON (TM)

Me: "Who is the President of the United States, 'Randy?'

Robot: I WILL REMOVE YOU FROM OUR CALL LIST. PLEASE DO NOT RECORD THIS CALL (*click*).

From what I've read, there usually is a real person on the line, likely out of the country, and they have a series of pre-recorded bits they can select. Does nothing but mask the person's accent, apparently.

Pretty funny though.

[CountAllVotes]

33. lol ...

Thanks, I needed that!

[Generic Brad]

38. You were being socially engineered

Kudos on recognizing it for what it was and refusing to cooperate.

[SheilaT]

40. What stands out to me

is that the call came on a Saturday. Outside of normal business hours. That raises my bs meter more than anything else.

[CountAllVotes]

41. That's what my husband said!

I asked him, "Why did they call on a Saturday? They aren't open on Saturday!". Reply: That is exactly why they called on Saturday!

[Ms. Toad]

45. Unfortunately, there are way too many legitimate businesses out there

that use what seem like phishing attacks when they initiate the call. I've been asked for my birthdate, my social security number, my credit card number, my mortgage company, etc.

Until I confirm that this kind of questioning is standard practice for the company (as it is, unfortunately, for Chase banking services - who routinely shut off my bank card for "suspicious" activity), I refuse to answer, and call a number I know is legitimate for the entity. I have been flabbergasted at how many times really inappropriate cold calls are legitimate, even with entities that should be extraordinarily sensitive to data breaches. Part of my confirming call is to request to speak with a supervisor to complain about the inappropriate cold-calling, and to explain to them that expecting me to answer such questions in response to a call out of the blue actually contributes to the data breaches they are theoretically trying to prevent because when legitimate companies use phishing tactics, it lulls some people at least into a false sense of security that such calls actually are legitimate.

[csziggy]

52. I've gotten calls from my credit card company and from the insurance company

As indicated above, I look on my card and use that to verify if the calls are legitimate. The nurse line was not as worrisome to me but calls purporting to be from my credit card are. Fortunately my credit card company changed their calls when there are "suspicious" charges. Now they ask if anyone in the family has made charges from such & such a place. I had given them a hard time since they wanted more information from me when they were calling my home phone - which is all they used as a verification when I activated the card.

I called my bank's security department when they were sending out emails requesting people use an embedded link to update user information. As I told them, with the phishing efforts out there, I NEVER click on an embedded link in an email. Banks should NEVER use that as a method for getting customers to update info. Sure, send out an email but direct the customer to go to the site and progress from there.

[Ms. Toad]

53. Even worse - I have had our mail-order pharmacy embed a link

that, when you hover over it, displays a link that has nothing to do with the pharmacy. (I quickly found out it was legitimate by doing a search for the link displayed when I hovered and the name of the pharmacy - not surprisingly, others were suspicious, too!)

Even worse than that, the reason I was exploring the email so cautiously was because it was from a mail-order pharmacy that we had not been associated with for more than two years, informing us that our medicine would not be shipped because we had an overdue bill, followed by an email that told us the bill was now paid, followed by an email that notified us the meds would be shipping, followed by the arrival of actual medications on our doorstep.

Turns out a new member had the same first and last name (but NOT middle initial) and birthdate as someone in my household and they had taken it upon themselves to find her "old" account and link the two. We still have not heard that the matter is finally resolved, and have not received the requested confirmation that they released none of our information to this third party, and that they did not report the overdue bill to credit reporting agencies, despite numerous phone calls and filing a HIPAA violation complaint (we know where the other person lives, and that she has a mental health diagnosis, based on (1) address information they gave us to "confirm" that the new member was not, and never had been, part of our family and (2) the medications that arrived on our doorstep).

[csziggy]

54. Just another reason I won't use online pharmacies!

I tried one once since the insurance company was pushing it and it was supposed to save a considerable amount of money. They ignored the doctor's directive for one medication to not substitute or use generics, shipped it and billed me for it. It took YEARS to resolve - I had to submit a complaint with the Texas Board of Pharmacies before I could get a refund.

Meanwhile I could not get the medication my doctor had prescribed for a month since the insurance company would not approve it since I already had a supply on hand. Neither the insurance company or the online pharmacy cared that the generic caused serious issues that aggravated the condition that required the medication in the first place. The doctor was kind enough to give me some of the samples of the name brand medication he had in the office so I could make it through that month.

I will not use an online pharmacy again. I want a local place I can go and pick up my meds and where I can check them before I leave the desk!

[Ms. Toad]

65. This is NOT an online pharmacy,

It was the mail order pharmacy through our insurance company, which provides maintenance medications at a 33% discount (3 months for the price of 2). Since we have several $125/month prescriptions, picking it up at the local pharmacy is not really an option because it would cost us thousands of dollars extra every year.

[roody]

51. It was a fraudster.

[Jesus Malverde]

64. We have gotten the same calls.

Just tell them to stuff it and stop answering your phone. All unknown calls should go to voice mail. If it's important call them back.

[Recursion]

66. As a rule, if they called me, they get zero information from me.

If Anthem wants your info, they can take your call on Monday at their publicly published number and get it from you then.

[dflprincess]

67. Most, if not all, the healthplans have some kind of disease and case management programs

Whether or not a member gets a call depends on what conditions the plan follows for intervention (most common are Diabetes, Asthma, Coronary Artery Dieses, COPD and Heart Failure, Cancer and maternity, and "Complex" - meaning comorbidities). These are the conditions that are often helped by a program where a nurse works with a patient to educate them and help them manage their illness. Some plans do look at other conditions or situations based on claims - lots of ER or UrgentCare use may send up a flag but I don't think many DCM programs would call someone based on that alone.

A person gets selected for a call either by claims data flagging them or sometimes a provider refers them to the program.

RNs do make cold calls to the patients who pop up and their spiel will include their names (usually first only) an explanation that this is a program that is part of your health plan and will not cost you anything (at least the ones I'm aware of). They normally ask for birthdate to help them confirm they've reached the right person and aren't about to spill all sorts of HIPPA information to the wrong person.

If this was legitimate she should have given you a phone number where you can reach her or the program -- you should also expect some kind of follow up letter about the attempt to contact you.