Dallas hospital bills woman who waited 19 hours and never saw a doctor

[NYC Liberal]

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/chronicle/6069722.html

DALLAS — A woman says she waited 19 hours at Parkland Memorial Hospital's emergency department for treatment of a broken leg and never did get to see a doctor — but still got a bill for $162.

Amber Joy Milbrodt, who said she broke a bone in her leg while playing volleyball, received the bill two weeks after her Sept. 24 visit.

Parkland officials say the bill was appropriate because a nurse spent time checking her vital signs to assess her level of need.

...snip...

The assessment by the nurse, which lasted a few minutes, established her place in line that night. By that time, Milbrodt said, she had already been waiting about 3 1/2 hours.

But "socialized medicine" is evil! The current system works fine! Vote McCain! :sarcasm:

[undeterred]

1. Maybe she had "virtual" care.

They saw her but she didn't see them seeing her.

[Crunchy Frog]

2. Yeah, but if she was in Canada, she would have had to wait.

:sarcasm:

[no_hypocrisy]

3. I knew a woman who was billed as a "consult" by an MD who just asked her "How are you?"

That was it. She was hospitalized and no examination by this doctor. No more questions. Over $1,000 for a solicitous inquiry.

[dixiegrrrrl]

5. I can vouch that is true.

Same thing happened to Mr. D. whilst he was hospitalized for 2 days.
We got a bill from a 3rd doctor who Mr. D. did not even know, who never examined him or looked at the chart, but who stuck his head in the room, asked "how are you doing" and left.
Fortunately, our insurance company refused to pay the guy after I complained.

[Ilsa]

4. Parkland Hospital is a zoo. It had four emergency rooms back in

the 1990's when I was there, and each one was bigger than most emergency rooms. (The four ERs are one for trauma, one for psychiatric, one for medical, and one for OB/GYN.) On a bad day it could take hours to see the doctor. Maybe a day.

$162 for getting her BP, pulse, respirations, heart rate, and pain level assessed. Seems outrageous to me, not when there was no treatment.

[EFerrari]

6. Essentially, that woman is paying for their malpractice insurance. n/t