can a doctor do this?

i recently had my gallbladder removed and after surgery i was told that "since we were there we repaired a minor ambilical hernia you had, it might never had caused you any problems but since we were in the area we repaired it for you". i don't have insurance and i never would have givin them permission to do this because it wasn't causing me any problems and that is not what i had surgery for.(idon't even know what this ambilical hernia is)i just got my surgery bill and they charged me $1043 to repair the hernia! can they do this without my permission and then charge me? if they are allowed to do this please tell me why and how! that's like taking your car to a repair shop for a specific problem then going to pick it up and the mechanic tells you "i found another minor defect that might not have ever givin you any problems but since i was in the area i repaired it anyway, now you owe me more money" if they are not allowed to do this please tell me who to contact about this, also do i have any case at sueing them. Pennsylvania

[HomeGuru]

Refuse to pay the bill for this "in the area" work.
You may have been taken advantage of because at the time, you were not in a position to approve or disapprove.

I am going to refuse to pay the bill but i still don't know if they are allowed to do this and who i can complain to about this. i have talked to 2 other people that have had their gallbladder removed and their doctors did the exact same thing, so this must be a widely practiced scheme to get more money, but i want to know if doctors are allowed to do this without your consent because if not then i want to report this to an authority. this is one of the reasons health insurance is so high and people like me can't afford to pay their medical bills, these are unessesary "repairs" and should be stopped. somebody please tell me. i just don't want to let this go unless their isn't anything i can do about it. thanks!

[JETX]

First, you need to get a copy of all the forms you signed before the surgery. One (or more) will be 'consent forms'.

Read the consent form and see what you actually consented to. If it is specific to only the gallbladder, then you have a possible case of malpractice. A physician can't just go 'searching' for things to play with while in the operating room.

However, if your form gives some ambiguous terminology about 'ancillary problems', etc. then you may very well have given some type of permission for 'other required surgery'.

In any case, I would suggest that you talk with an attorney with experience in medical malpractice. He will best be able to advise you on your options. Call your local Bar association and ask for a lawyer referral with that specialty.

[pele]

It's called an umbilical hernia.