OT - finally got the first bill from my horrendous hospital visit in November

I'm glad you filed a complaint. I was going to suggest contacting an ombudsman. It is complete bull that you had to go through that. Pain meds are around for a reason and you shouldn't have been tortured like that. They should pay for your therapy at the very least.

(((hugs))) I'm sorry that happened. I don't have anything helpful to add, but I am mentally dragging that doctor through a stadium full of used cat litter.

I neglected to mention how bad I felt for you in this horrible situation.  I had to have an abcessed tooth removed with no anesthesia.  I guess they heard me screaming in the waiting room.  In any medical situation these days, it is important that you be your own advocate.  You have the right to say NO.  You have the right to ask for another doctor.  No matter what, if you are conscious, you need to always need to ask the questions every time.  What are you planning to do?  Will there be pain?  What pain meds will you give me?  The same holds true of meds, in or out of the hospital.  You have to ask, every time.  I was in an ER a long time ago with my back (which is a mess).  As I was sitting there, wearing a RED bracelet with my allergies, including Demerol, here comes a nurse with a syringe telling me "Doctor has ordered Demerol."  REALLY?  A little later they gave me something else that did not help but then came the dreaded bill.  I called the hospital and gave them the scenario and told them my attorney said that I did not have to pay the bill.  I never heard from them again.

As a former hospital worker, I can tell you that these things happen on a daily basis.  I once got into an argument concerning an EKG on an ICU patient.  After the third one, she told me that I was not catching the a.fib and I was doing something wrong.  NO.  The day before, two ICU patients were brought over for a stress test and when the ICU staff hooked them up to their telemetry, they switched patients!!!  So, the one with a.fib got no attention and the one that was fine was getting billed for a lot of extra EKGs.  Mistakes happen.  Be vigilant and try not to be one of those.

Your posts are invaluable and provide so much excellent information.  Thank you!

I am usually very good at advocating for myself.  In this particular instance, I felt too threatened to try to refuse treatment.  I did ask for something to numb the area prior to the procedure and was told it was not necessary.  I asked repeatedly for pain medication afterwards and was ignored.

When you go to the ER for a psychiatric issue (I have PTSD), you don't always get the right to say no.  You should have that right.  But when I initially refused to change into a hospital gown (because why would I need a gown when the injury was on my forearm?), I was told that if i did not cooperate and get undressed right now, I would be placed in restraints.  After that, I did not think I would be allowed to refuse treatment.  I did ask to see a supervisor and a patient advocate and was not allowed to see either until the next day, when I saw a patient advocate who basically said all he could do was put a note in my chart that I was was unhappy with the treatment I had received.

I am sorry you had to go through this. I wouldn't pay either.

I am going through the same thing after a hospital ER visit in November. I thought I was having a heart attack (in hindsight, figured out it was medication reaction). My BP was extremely high, my pulse was rapid, I was feeling very anxious, and I have a history of heart problems. It was 5 PM on a Friday and I figured I would get the best care at the ER. The triage nurse made me wait my turn and I could tell she didn't think anything was wrong. After waiting 2 hours (and having the waiting room empty a couple of times) she told me it would be several hours before they had a bed for me. I decided to go home and call an ambulance if it got worse.

I sent them a letter and refused to pay the bill (my share is about $50). They sent me a bill back and said it was my responsibility. I just had bypass surgery at the beginning of the week and don't want to deal with it.

BTW, when I did see the cardiologist I had 2 abnormalities on my EKG. These ERs can really suck.

I would call the hospital, they should have a customer care number where you can report it. And yes I would call billing after you call and have it reported. Tell billing you refuse to pay your copay for the service and the reason why, give them the persons name your reported it to. If they dont do anything about it you can report the behavior to the medical board in your state. Yes it seems like alot but they didnt follow protocol. I would also write a letter to the hospital and have it documented about the fear of hospitals now, your therapist should be able to help with that.

I would also call other lawyers, It would be more for medical suffering, due to lack of care.

http://www.med.ohio.gov/consumer-complaint-info.htm  Im guessing the hospital was in OH.

Kelly, have you thought to contact NAMI for information on this?  Because of your PTSD, I would sure investigate what my rights were under this situation, along with the legality of your treatment in the ER.  I don't care what the attorney you consulted said, there really should be some recourse for you, after having been treated the way you were.  Also, does your state have an advocacy group for people with disabilities (mental or physical challenges is more PC, I guess)?  Here in Texas, we have such a group, and they're really bulldogs about fair, equitable, and compassionate treatment.

So sorry this happened to you.  In the 21st century, this should be happening to anyone.

Beth 

Kelly,

I worked in a hospital for many years and the folks that got the most attention to their complaints/concerns were the ones that wrote directly to the CEO/Chairman/Managing Director - whatever they call the head honcho at that hospital.  Be sure to find out his/her name.  The customer service reps really don't have much authority or discretion with problems.  Be sure to cc your letter to the state medical board, AMA, NAMI and anyone else you can think of.  It will get some attention.  Be up front about why you were in the ER, your state of mind, your problems with PTSD and the difficulties this experience has caused you, including ongoing therapy.   I would point out that you are not planning to sue at this time but want to ensure this type of treatment never happens to another patient......and that you are not paying that bill.  You're a great letter writer (I follow your blog about Isaac) and I'm sure you will be successful.  For me, it's easier if I cool off long enough to write a coherent letter than try to wrestle with some clerk on the phone.

Wishing you success,

Kathy

I would not pay it, either.  I would, however, contact the patient care coordinator or whatever they call their "ombudsman" and let them know why you will not be paying it, and that you believe you were refused pain medication of ANY kind (seriously... staples without so much as a Tylenol?!?) solely because of your mental health issues.

As you said, they cannot get what you do not have, but I think it is important for your own healing to raise the issue with them again. It may also help so some in a similar position in the future. 

When I had the spontaneous bruising and internal bleeding 2 years ago and sat in the ER waiting room while they took NON-elderly people with the flu back, and then took a woman with a cough and a ONE DEGREE fever back before me (even though I showed the intake person the huge bruises on me (including on the palms of both hands), told her i was taking blood thinner, and told her I was having abdominal pain and was afraid I also has internal spontaneous bleeding), and I then left and drove myself to their sister facility  and was admitted as soon as they found that my INR could not even be determined by their machine... I talked with the Patient Advocate's office on several occasions, and although they didn't really do anything very tangible, they did contact the head of ER services (once they pulled my records from the other hospital to verify the seriousness of my condition) and made him aware of what had occurred.  It didn't change anything for me (they did nothing for me so there was no bill from them), but I felt SO much better knowing that at least someone in authority was made aware of the fact that there was a HUGE error made in their triage procedures and that, if something had happened to me while driving to the other hospital, they absolutely would have had a lawsuit on their hands. My HOPE is that perhaps someone else benefitted from them knowing about the failure in my case and perhaps addressed it with the staff involved.  

I think that you might benefit from advocating for yourself even after the fact since their treatment of you rendered you somewhat powerless at the time.

Lora