Disputing my medical bill
Posted: Fri Sep 28, 2012 4:08 pm
Employee Benefits Division Appeals & Howard Memorial Hospital. My daughter Mary suffered a seizure. My husband and I took her to Howard Memorial Hospital in Nashville for care. She received excellent treatment, and the facilities were first rate. Upon leaving the hospital, we were given a written prescription for Diazepam, a seizure-relieving drug. After going to a follow up appointment at Children’s Hospital in Knoxville Tennessee, we were informed this drug should only be used in the case of an extreme seizure that lasts longer than five minutes. We intended to fill the written prescription for Diazepam at our local pharmacy. However, as we were leaving the hospital, we were stopped by a nurse who brought us an un-packaged single dose of Diazepam. It was in a Ziploc bag with instructions for administration included. We were told the dose of Diazepam was found on site and if
we would take that one, it would save us a trip to our pharmacy. I received a bill from the hospital for a total amount due, but there was no itemization. Before sending any payment, I requested an itemized billing statement of the charges. When I received the itemized statement, I learned that the single dose of Diazepam handed to me on our way out of the hospital was charged to us in the amount of $966.25. Our part of the total bill after insurance to Howard Memorial Hospital for everything done during our visit (CT scan, chest x-ray, blood work, etc.) was $1690. The prescribed medicine accounts for almost half of that amount, $775.When I realized the disproportionate fee charged for this drug, I called my local pharmacy. The price of this drug BEFORE insurance is around $300 for a package of two. I am being charged $800 for one dose after insurance! I also called my local Wal-Mart pharmacy, and they said their price before insurance for a package of two ranges anywhere from $250-$300! I was shocked by the markup in price by Howard Memorial Hospital. I believe the hospital pushed this drug on me. The doctor had written a prescription to be filled, and then at the last minute, the nurse ran in to give me a single dose of it in a plastic baggie. The nurse said they found one on site, and it would save me a trip to our local pharmacy to have it filled. I told them it was not a problem to have it filled, but now I see their reason for wanting to send it home with me. The hospital’s charge is nine times the amount it would have cost at my pharmacy EVEN IF I DID NOT HAVE INSURANCE! I feel this is a major discrepancy and have tried to talk with Howard Memorial Hospital about this charge. They will not discuss it with me and simply say, “The charge is correct.” I am not disputing that I owe for the medicine, but I do dispute its price. I could have just as easily gone to my pharmacy and paid $300 for two tubes of the medicine. This price was before any insurance discount! I need help with this matter and do not know where to turn. Can you be of any assistance? Do you have any advice you can offer? If there is anything you can do to help, we would deeply appreciate it. Thank you so much for your kind attention to this matter.
we would take that one, it would save us a trip to our pharmacy. I received a bill from the hospital for a total amount due, but there was no itemization. Before sending any payment, I requested an itemized billing statement of the charges. When I received the itemized statement, I learned that the single dose of Diazepam handed to me on our way out of the hospital was charged to us in the amount of $966.25. Our part of the total bill after insurance to Howard Memorial Hospital for everything done during our visit (CT scan, chest x-ray, blood work, etc.) was $1690. The prescribed medicine accounts for almost half of that amount, $775.When I realized the disproportionate fee charged for this drug, I called my local pharmacy. The price of this drug BEFORE insurance is around $300 for a package of two. I am being charged $800 for one dose after insurance! I also called my local Wal-Mart pharmacy, and they said their price before insurance for a package of two ranges anywhere from $250-$300! I was shocked by the markup in price by Howard Memorial Hospital. I believe the hospital pushed this drug on me. The doctor had written a prescription to be filled, and then at the last minute, the nurse ran in to give me a single dose of it in a plastic baggie. The nurse said they found one on site, and it would save me a trip to our local pharmacy to have it filled. I told them it was not a problem to have it filled, but now I see their reason for wanting to send it home with me. The hospital’s charge is nine times the amount it would have cost at my pharmacy EVEN IF I DID NOT HAVE INSURANCE! I feel this is a major discrepancy and have tried to talk with Howard Memorial Hospital about this charge. They will not discuss it with me and simply say, “The charge is correct.” I am not disputing that I owe for the medicine, but I do dispute its price. I could have just as easily gone to my pharmacy and paid $300 for two tubes of the medicine. This price was before any insurance discount! I need help with this matter and do not know where to turn. Can you be of any assistance? Do you have any advice you can offer? If there is anything you can do to help, we would deeply appreciate it. Thank you so much for your kind attention to this matter.