ER Overcharges: Sicker Leaving ER Than Arriving

Boulder, COAndrea wound up in the ER with a respiratory issue but left with high anxiety and a severe headache along with a bill for outrageous emergency room overcharges. “Getting slapped with these ER costs just about caused me to hyperventilate,” she says.

Andrea arrived at her local hospital’s ER by ambulance after calling 911 with chest pains and trouble breathing. She is now on the hook for just under $15,000 and is still trying to appeal the charges, almost a year later.

“They conducted a total of 18 tests, 10 of which were not disclosed at the time, nor were they even relevant,” says Andrea, who adds that all the tests were ridiculously overpriced, including $789 for a CMP, or “comprehensive metabolic panel,” which is a group of blood tests that provides an overall picture of your body’s chemical balance and metabolism. According to her invoice, she was also charged $190 for “Description not on file.” Seven months later she received a bill from the hospital for $13,622, including $414 for a urine pregnancy test (she could buy a 2-pack at the drugstore for $12). “There was no chance outside of immaculate conception that I could be pregnant and I have no idea why I had a pregnancy test in the first place, except to perhaps make them more money.

“I saw the ER doctor for about 90 seconds and was billed nearly $1,800,” she adds. “Thankfully, my insurance paid for this visit and the chest x-ray, which was charged to me once through a billing company and a second time through the hospital itself. While all services were rendered on the same day for the same problem at the same place, I received three bills from two different providers.

“The most expensive of the three charges came from the hospital itself. They coded my charges differently for the procedures not covered by insurance - I was charged for everything except the x-ray and the doctor’s fee.”

Andrea has spoken with the administrators, but no one has been able to help or explain why she was charged these outrageous fees when she has discovered that the same procedures at other hospitals are about one-tenth of those charged to her. Andrea believes these charges would be decreased considerably if her insurance company was picking up the tab.

Adding to an even more confusing bill, she was charged for a “Level 5” emergency visit, but diagnosed with a “Level 1” condition. Andrea thinks that Superstorm Sandy contributed to her respiratory condition because she was breathing gas fumes after having been trapped in her apartment for a few days: she recovered soon after getting home from the hospital but it was pretty scary at the time.

“Adding insult to injury, the emergency room is dirty, understaffed with incompetent nurses, and I was left alone for hours in a hospital gown in a section of the ER that was exposed to the elements after the storm, with contractors who were more attentive than the nurses were to me,” she says with a laugh. “Seriously, I am hopeful that an attorney experienced with these ER overcharges can help me to appeal this invoice before the hospital sends it to a collection agency.”