07-03-2019, 05:00 PM
(07-03-2019, 03:11 PM)Belsnickel Wrote: What goes into the costs for something like that? The equipment used, the devices and medicines, but also the licensing costs, education costs, liability costs, etc., etc., etc. There are so many factors not just in direct costs, but in overhead and other things that make up the labor costs involved. I'd have to really see a good analysis on the costs to suggest policies and this isn't something I have researched a ton, just some surface level things. This is, of course, not taking into account the need for hospitals to build in a buffer with their costs to help offset the uncollectable amounts from patients lacking insurance.
I will tell you before I agreed to have the surgery I asked for my total out of pocket expenses and was quoted $1054. Just one bill was almost $5000. That wasn't the only bill for the surgery. Eventually I stopped paying because they couldn't explain the charges. They sued me. I counter sued them. Their billing department was so complicated their lawyer sued on behalf of the wrong client for the wrong amount. Eventually they agreed to settle in exchange for me signing a NDA. After the lawyer collected his fee I was left in the red for a surgery I didn't need.
They tried to claim I should have asked my insurance company for the total out of pocket expense. I answered, but I asked you. They replied they couldn't give me an accurate quote because they didnt know what the surgeon was going to do before the surgery. I answered how could I ask my insurance company for a quote if you can't tell me what you're going to charge me for? And what are the charges to not to repair a labrum and rotator cuff which aren't torn and don't even require surgery?
Where I work we were purchased by a larger hospital group. Billing and electronic medical record keeping is different. I can't even tell a self pay patient how much something costs before I do it and it gets entered into the EMR.
Can you imagine going to the grocery store and not knowing the prices until after your items are scanned? That's what our healthcare system is like only everybody pays different prices for the same item.
