I got billed for the emergency room but I went to Urgent Care

[kapeedmaro]

City/State : San Diego - California

About a month ago, I had really bad back pain and almost couldn't move. I didn't know what was causing it and needed to see a doctor. I have Anthem health insurance but just moved to the area and didn't have a regular doctor. I called around trying to get registered at a doctors office who could see me the same day but they all recommended that I just go to urgent care in order to get a same day appointment. When I called urgent care, they told me to come right over as urgent care wasn't busy. At the UCSD Medical Center, the ER and Urgent Care office are in a shared space and the triage nurse decides which you will go to. I waited there for over 14 hours surprisingly and was finally able to see a doctor in what I believed (and still believe) was urgent care - as that is what I requested. He diagnosed me with Kidney Stones after running blood and urine tests. I left that evening and filled my prescription.
I just received my bill and they charged me over $5,000 for my visit. Even with insurance, I am still being charged almost $2,000 out of pocket. I am planning on calling the Medical Center to let them know that I didn't go for ER services, but I am not sure what the best course of action will be. Has anyone ever run into something similar? I appreciate your help in advance.

[OHRoadwarrior]

Call the billing office. You may have been upgraded to ER services, due to your affliction.

[startedone]

Call the billing office. You may have been upgraded to ER services, due to your affliction.

Maybe.. a 15 hr wait ? "come-on in, we have no patients"..I wonder what it would be if some patients were there ..50 hr wait.

ERs are a scam...and the OP has a good case if asked for only urgent care.

I would check it out but ultimately, not pay anything unless a court orders it.

[FlyingRon]

Many of the "urgent care" facilities actually claim to be "stand alone ER's" rather than the "doc-in-a-box" that they are.
Yeah you'll get the ER facility bill, the doctor's bill, bills for the X-Ray and radiologist as well.

[Zigner]

Maybe.. a 15 hr wait ? "come-on in, we have no patients"..I wonder what it would be if some patients were there ..50 hr wait.

ERs are a scam...and the OP has a good case if asked for only urgent care.

I would check it out but ultimately, not pay anything unless a court orders it.

Your advice for our OP to not pay anything until she has a judgement entered against her is absolutely asinine. But, it is right in line with what we've come to expect of you.

[startedone]

Your advice for our OP to not pay anything until she has a judgement entered against her is absolutely asinine. But, it is right in line with what we've come to expect of you.

No, its the system we live under. Not happy with a bill? What do you do .. just pay. Sucker.

[lealea1005]

Some Urgent Care Centers meet specific criteria, such as seeing patients on an urgent basis, without appointments, and will treat an emergent medical condition. They permitted to code visits as an emergency room would. Therefore, the fee would be much higher (and possibly covered differently) than a Physician's office.

[Hot Topic]

City/State : San Diego - California

About a month ago, I had really bad back pain and almost couldn't move. I didn't know what was causing it and needed to see a doctor. I have Anthem health insurance but just moved to the area and didn't have a regular doctor. I called around trying to get registered at a doctors office who could see me the same day but they all recommended that I just go to urgent care in order to get a same day appointment. When I called urgent care, they told me to come right over as urgent care wasn't busy. At the UCSD Medical Center, the ER and Urgent Care office are in a shared space and the triage nurse decides which you will go to. I waited there for over 14 hours surprisingly and was finally able to see a doctor in what I believed (and still believe) was urgent care - as that is what I requested. He diagnosed me with Kidney Stones after running blood and urine tests. I left that evening and filled my prescription.
I just received my bill and they charged me over $5,000 for my visit. Even with insurance, I am still being charged almost $2,000 out of pocket. I am planning on calling the Medical Center to let them know that I didn't go for ER services, but I am not sure what the best course of action will be. Has anyone ever run into something similar? I appreciate your help in advance.

I find it really hard to believe that you weren't given a CT scan to confirm not only the presence of kidney stones but the location and number. If you aren't lucky enough to pass it/them, where is the doctor going to look for the stone/stones? You would have received more than one prescription.

The pricing sounds about right.

[Jendor]

Your situation is not unheard of. This link will take you to an article (that I recalled reading a couple of years ago so just now Googled it)
http://www.jsonline.com/watchdog/pi/110892474.html

One of the reasons I'm pointing the above writing is I'm wondering if your situation may have been like this with a subtle sign that you hadn't thought of to look for.

He missed the 18-by-24 inch sign in the lobby. Under the heading "Thank you for choosing us for your health care," the sign says services may be billed as a hospital charge, and hospital emergency room co-payments, co-insurance and deductibles may apply.