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So, it was my turn to get in touch with ripping off disaster what health care has become.
I noticed a small painful lump, looked up info and since an infection was a strong possibility I went to an emergency room, Friday evening. I was there for about 4 hours, I was the only patient, there were no lines of the uninsured and illegals waiting for an $700 aspirin pill. They had all the time and no pressure. They did ultrosound, told me that I have hernia and referred me to a surgeon. Looking back, I don't really know why I didn't question that, probably because of ultrasound. Most importantly the guy advised me to put hot compress on the area, and prescribed pain and anti inflamatory pills that didn't do a squat. I was so stupid, I was convinced he gave me anti biotics to the point I didn't even check the med name.
Saturday, Sunday infected area quadrupled in size to the point where I couldn't do much, not speaking of going to work. I thought my guts were popping out and waited for Monday. I went to hospital again, that is where surgeon they referred me to sees patients. They took me through emergency room again, ultrasound, x ray, and from bit and pieces I've heard this shift was surprised at hernia diagnosis. I was given antibiotics and referred to urologist, 4 weeks later I am not completely healed but operational, long term/permanent damage is a possibility.
I would have been much better off by just staying at home on Friday, no hot compresses at least. I don't feel I received any service worth of anything. The Friday' doctor was obviously ignorant of that condition, he didn't care enough to ask around, and ultrasound imagery was rather creatively interpreted to fit the only condition (hernia) the doctor was aware of. The question is - how to fight that bill. It is a matter of principle, in competency and lack of concern do not deserve obsene amounts they charge . Is small claim court a possibility. What are the option in a case of permanent damage?
Last edited by RememberMee; 12-20-2014 at 09:59 AM..
You certainly have a valid reason to not want to pay the bill!
Although it seems to me the medical profession is one where you pay for them to cause damage to you (say cause liver damage with prescription drugs), then you pay again for them to fix that damage!
Anyway I would suggest writing a letter to the billing department and saying why you feel you should not have to pay that bill. They do have the power to "adjust bills". And they have been reasonable with me in the past. I don't need to make a big deal of it, just state my case over the phone and they are happy to make things right.
Also I would be concerned about not paying a bill, then later having them deny me service or not give me full service because I was [in their mind] a non-paying deadbeat! I imagine they have a list somewhere of "those who pay" and "those who do not pay". And no reasons listed for why the bill was not paid.
Basically they missed the condition but doctor would have done the protocol anyway. That they didn't go further was the real problem in elimination. Likely doctor relied on the person who read the ultra sound and reported back. Often its a process of elimination in finding any problem and perhaps hospitalization was better option to monitor.
I feel for your frustration at not getting the problem treated sooner, but I don't agree that getting an incorrect diagnosis and discharge instructions means that you should not have to pay your bill. It's called "practicing" medicine for a reason: Sometimes the diagnosis is not obvious when the problem is first being reviewed. Unless the physician was grossly negligent and did not follow appropriate protocol (and that's not what it sounds like from your post) I don't think you're going to get very far with this. Having said that, it might be worth complaining to the billing department and seeing if they might be willing to adjust things (doesn't hurt to ask!). You could also consult with an attorney, who will be happy to pursue the matter as long as he/she can get an equally obscene amount of money.
Also to respond to Billy's post above, I work in an emergency department PRN and I assure you, there's no list of patients who haven't paid their bill and should therefore get less than appropriate services. Frankly, the physicians, mid-level providers, nurses, etc. could not care less about the billing piece of things; they are interested in what is clinically going on. There are pretty clear-cut protocols for just about every presenting problem, and that is what is followed. When a patient comes in, we clinicians have no idea if the patient has an outstanding bill or not. Everyone I work with takes pride in providing quality, appropriate healthcare to their patient, and would be insulted if it were insinuated that they gave less than quality care because their employer didn't get reimbursed for a patient's previous visit.
I think the answer is simple. You received a service, so now you have to pay for the service. It doesn't matter that you didn't like the outcome of the service because you still received it. I'm sorry that you were not diagnosed properly, but you have to pay for the treatment they gave you. I don't go to the ER for treatment unless absolutely necessary for that reason. My husband and I have both had bad experiences being misdiagnosed by ER doctors. Next time maybe you should try a GP or urgent care first.
This is why emergency department patients are always told to follow up with someone. Things change. You still need to pay your bill. A small, painful lump isn't necessarily an infection.
ED docs don't have to interpret ultrasound reports. A radiologist provides an interpretation, which is then passed along to you.
I am so sorry about your experience, but I have had similar experiences. You won't get anywhere refusing to pay the bill on the grounds they didn't diagnosis/treat the condition. They will respond that "professional services were rendered", which, in fact, they were.
I would NOT suggest contacting an attorney. They could go after them for malpractice, but then you would be "blackballed". You still have a condition you need to have treated, and who will treat you then if in the treatment chain someone is facing possible legal charges? Of course, they won't refuse to treat you based on such grounds, they will just gloss things over and you won't get the treatment you need.
I'm afraid this is something you just have to suck up. Pay them $10/month, don't make them your financial priority.
This is why I opt to go to an Urgent Care type place if at all possible. They aren't open 24/7, and it depends on the severity of your symptoms. I've actually waited and postponed care for that reason. Unless you are in actual danger of your life, I would suggest an Urgent Care over an ER, you can lose your life savings in an ER, even with insurance
Doctors have a legal license to practice, and they will practice and practice until they get it right, and then you get it right in the you know what even if their practice is incorrect. They carry malpractice insurance for that, which is part of your high medical fees.
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