Get access to a Digital Premium Subscription of the Washington Post and original storytelling by our award-winning journalists.The nursing profession continues to face shortages due to a lack of potential educators, high turnover, and inequitable workforce distribution.
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(“Scripps”).įollow John on Twitter ( up for John's free newsletter by clicking hereįor more consumer news and money saving advice, go to Click here for more consumer reportsĬontact John at can save on local dining, tickets and attractions with WCPO Insider. “Don't Waste Your Money” is a registered trademark of Scripps Media, Inc. We encourage every patient and customer who has any questions regarding billing to call our customer service number immediately so we can resolve the issue as quickly as possible." We value all of our customers and strive to provide the highest quality, most accurate billing service possible. In addition, we conducted a review to determine how the mistake was made so that it would not happen again. We also removed the charge from her account and cancelled the claim with her insurance company. When we learned of the error, we immediately reached out to the patient by phone and certified mail to extend a formal apology. We have taken steps to ensure this situation does not happen again. We inadvertently did not remove her visit from our tracking system when she left and a bill was processed when it should not have been.
"The patient registered for medical care at a TriHealth facility but ultimately chose not to receive care. Don't simply pay it, and assume you'll mention it to the office staff next time you visit.ĭemand they itemize the charges, let them know you are disputing it and then carefully detail the mistakes in writing.
There's a lesson here for everyone who ever gets a hospital or doctor bill that looks wrong. Burton said the hospital also sent her flowers to apologize. TriHealth removed the entire charge, he said. "We have taken steps to ensure this situation does not happen again." (Please see below for his complete statement). "We inadvertently did not remove her visit from our tracking system when she left, and a bill was processed when it should not have been," he said. It turns out, she should not have been billed $1,000 to sit in the waiting room, Kelly said. Sending two letters of complaint is vitally important if the hospital uses a third party biller.Īfter WCPO contacted TriHealth, which runs Bethesda Butler Hospital, spokesman Joe Kelly said Burton's situation was all a big error. Write a detailed list of the errors, with copies both to the hospital's customer service department as well as their billing department. Tell them not to send you to collections until the dispute is resolved. Tell the hospital you are disputing the bill. Palmer said if you feel you were overcharged during an ER visit:Īsk for a fully itemized bill, not just a summary, which is what hospitals typically send you. From the moment you check in, and they put a wrist band on you, costs can start accruing. Palmer said she commonly sees itemized bills for things ranging from $11 tissues to $50 latex gloves, which can send a simple visit for a stomach ache soaring well into the hundreds of dollars. "We are paying extreme costs that are not necessary," she said.
Pat Palmer, a nationally known patient advocate with ,said emergency room surprises are common everywhere. "The woman said you will be turned over to collections," Burton said. I never saw a nurse or a doctor, no vitals were taken. "She told me 'we can give you financial assistance.' And I said 'I'm not paying it. She said they would only offer a payment plan.
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She suspected Bethesda billed her for a full emergency room visit, not realizing she had left.īut when she called, Burton said the hospital would not drop the charges. "For sitting in their chair in the waiting room, and I never saw anybody," Burton said.Īt first, she didn't think much of it, figuring it was just a simple clerical error. This was in the form of a hospital bill for $1,059. "And I said 'I'm not going to sit here,' because I had no idea how much longer I would have to wait to see a nurse," she said.īut a couple of weeks later she was hit by a different kind of pain. "I signed in at the receptionist's desk, and she put a little hospital band on my wrist, and told me to go to the waiting room," Burton said.įorty-five minutes and a few magazines later, she said her pain subsided. So the Liberty Township, Ohio woman rushed to the emergency room at the new Bethesda Butler Hospital just outside Hamilton. Judy Burton said was feeling some pains on a recent Saturday night.
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