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      02-27-2020, 09:26 PM   #1
///M///
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Drives: 2016 Manual AW F80
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Angry Seriously What the F!@#$% is wrong with cost of Healthcare in this Country?

Some brief background:
So I work for pretty good company with good benefits and I consider my employer provided Blue Cross Blue Shields PPO insurance to be pretty decent considering what else is out there. I have a 3k deductible (me and 2 kids) with a 20% coinsurance after deductible is met.

Was in a motorcycle accident many years ago where I broke my ankle and now it is getting arthritic so my doc advised we should try some Synvis shots in the joint.

Okay no biggie, just three injections just like getting Cortisone....or atleast that's what I thought

Now the ranting….

I made the appointment late last year for the three shots, a week apart in Jan 2020 as they have to be administered 3 weeks apart. Went there is Jan this year 3 consecutive weeks and today I get a bill for $2,895 for those 3 visits Never in the last 20 years have I gotten such a ridiculous medical bill. I was like “what the fuck”? This can’t be right.
So here is how they billed me….

Note: Please bear in mind the below charges are agreed to rates with the insurance and not what they billed the insurance which was even higher. You don't even want to know that number

Physician Bill:
Doc Medical Visit : $80 (normal)
Doc Surgery (yes, they call an injection "surgery". WTF?): $65 (normal)

Hospital Bill:
Medical visit: $55 (Yes, they double bill for the same fucking reason, one for physician and one for the hospital. Talk about double dipping.okay but the billed amount is still normal)

Operating Room (Fake): $765 (This is freaking seriously insane)

So looking at this bill, anyone outside of the US would probably pass out just looking at the first 3 lines but since we have been so normalized in this country, the first 3 lines are no big deal and that’s what we expect to pay more or less.

It’s that fucking operating room charge that blew a fuse in my head. For starters, I was never in a frickin operating room. I was just getting a shot, like a fucking flu shot. It was a non-sterile doc office, you know that little room they put you in with or without a window while you wait for the doc to arrive?:m and rotate multiple patients through the day for consultation: When I called the billing department and challenged them on it, they stated that per the billing, when an injection or anything that involves breaking the skin is administered in that room, the charge is considered that of an OR . Whoa?
Are you serious????????
What in the world classifies that small room where people walk in with shoes sneezing coughing all over the place, as a OR? What the fuck? The billing folks insisted that’s how it is billed and I checked with my insurance and it’s all legal. They can call it whatever they want as the medical coding allows it per their agreed to contract. I am so fucking mad because this is a serious rip off. How in the world is an average everyday citizen supposed to know that the small doctors office can be considered an OR for billing purposes?

Now I know some of you might say I should have done my due diligence and gone to an outpatient facility or if I was going to the hospital, I should have checked what they would charge, etc. And yes I do that but for actual serious procedures like a surgery or something that involves a real OR, anesthesia, etc. not a frickin shot. . I was okay if it came out to $300-$400 pre visit even though that's over the top but almost 1k per visit is mad.

Planning on calling their risk management division tomorrow and seeing if I can negotiate with them. Any of you more familiar with how this works care to provide some input?

Any guidance is much appreciated.

Thanks.

End of Rant
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Last edited by ///M///; 03-05-2020 at 06:38 AM..
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