Am I Stuck with This Bill?????

You may qualify for an income sensitive waiver - call the hospital's billing department. Talk to a medical malpractice lawyer and see if you have grounds for a suit based on medical negligence (diagnosing without tests) and pain and suffering. I don't know if you do or not - but if you might, and they start paper work, odds are good that the bill will go away.

Definitely call the billing office to talk to them. They'll work out an arrangement. Hospitals lose money right and left, so they'd much rather negotiate than not get anything. And, if your husband was seen, he did benefit from some services, so you should owe something, even if it's just room fee or test fees. If he was seen in an ER, you will most likely receive two bills - one from the ER and one from the doctor. Negotiate the bill for the ER and contact the doctor's billing group to see if you can have that fee waived. If possible, make sure you have a written diagnoses from the correct doctor to prove that he was misdiagnosed.

I have worked in the medical field for a while and unfortunately what happened to your hubby is all too common. Another option you have is to contact the hospital administraition and ask for their patient advocate/liasion. Explain to them the situation and tell them you will be happy to pay for a fair portion of the bill. Be aware that you are going to be billed seperately by the physician who treated him. That is really where your grievance lies, not so much with the hospital itself. They are not charging you for the doctor's care in itself. Once you get that bill from the doctor contact their billing dept. and ask for a supervisor. Have ALL of your documentation on hand to explain to them that he was misdiagnosed and therefore you had to seek a second opinion, yet again out of pocket, and what the final diagnosis was. Be prepared to have a struggle. Doctors/hospitals don't like to lose money in any way. I also agree that you need to ask the hospital for an itemized statement. Go through it and anything you believe he did not receive you can ask that it be removed. I have had many surgeries and several hospital stays and I can tell you that nearly every single time there was something on there that I did not recieve. Good luck and hope this helped.

I remember vividly when I was 18, I was in the hospital for a good amount of time. I had a gigantic bill and only 18 years old and in college with a minimum wage job. They forgave me about 90% of the bill. Just try calling and asking (begging, crying, pleading)if any can be knocked off. If that doesnt work, tell them you can only afford $25 a month or something really low. As long as you are paying something, you wont be turned in to the credit bureau. Good luck.

I'm not sure it matters if it is out of pocket or insurance. Just because you don't have insurance doesn't mean you shouldn't have to pay. I am almost certain (from experience) that they will not disregard the bill because of the doctor's ignorance. However, you can ask for an itemized bill, go through it and almost always, they have charged you for something you didn't use. Ask for the bill to be audited after you itemize it. It will more than likely be reduced. If you are paying for the bill all at once, they will more than likely give you a discount for that.

Hello There,

I agree with Steph S. You should talk to the billing office first about the situation, but also seek a lawyers point of view as this could be considered medical malpractice. If you tell the hospital that you will be seeking advise from an attorney, it is likely they will be more cooperative.

The first reponse of medical assistance is true. Seek an application for income based assistance from the human resources dept. sometimes they can waive some or all of the bill based on finacial situation.

Good Luck,

HB

Since he was at the ER and he did see a Dr., it is unlikely that the entire bill would be waived.

If you approach the billing dept for the hospital and Dr. you might be able to negotiate the bill down since you are a cash paying customer.

I would tend to stay away from the lawyers and such. There are too many people out there coming up with any reason whatsoever to sue somebody for something.

I'm glad your husband found a Dr. and got the second opinion and diagnosis corrected. I hope everything works out for your family.

I'm sorry to hear this happened to you. I would also avoid lawyers, as you're not likely to find that a cost effective solution either. The suggestion to call the hospital and negotiate is a good one. I personally would also consider reporting this doctor to the Texas Medical Board as it sounds to me like he did not follow the appropriate "standard of care" since he did no testing and seemed to give your husband a diagnosis that had what it sounds like a fairly serious emotional impact. Typically, I do not like the TMB because they are not required to talk to patients before pulling a doctor's license or restricting their practice. BUT, if they were to go through this doctor's records, it could well be that this doctor is ripping off a whole lot of other people.

That all said, if the doctor was aware that you did not have insurance he may have been trying to save you money - but he still did not do his job IMHO.

You have learned a very valuable lesson about the American medical system - these doctors make money whether they're good or bad (remember x number of doctors graduated at the bottom of the class). If only our medical system was such that doctors only got paid when they helped us get well ;)

I work in benefits and I get lots of calls about claims people think they should not have to pay but they have benefits. Def. call the hospital and let them know you are willing to pay but on the other hand your hubby was given wrong information without any tests. Most bill dept are willing to help if you say you are willing to pay but they have to be willing to work with you and realize a mistake was made and you shouldn't be responsible for the entire bill. Do not just ignore this bill. I have had two people from the state call me stating they are suing one of our employees for an unpaid hospital bill. Just an FYI.. Contact them and see what if they are willing to work with you. I would also put a letter in mail maybe certified putting your requests in writing as well as talking to them over the phone. Document all your conversations with them as well just in case you have to get a lawyer.