Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Janice L Cotton on June 17, 2009 at 11:28am

This doesn't surprise me at all...I once get charged $18,000 (or my insurance did) for surgery that never happened. The insurance company thanked me for bringing it to their attention. The doctor simply refused to address the issue. I had severely broken my leg but since the breaks were aligned they called off the surgery...but not the bill, which included all of the supplies and doctors that they NEVER used.

They probably call themselves charging for over-seeing your use..ha ha...not funny!!

Permalink Reply by Rich Campbell on June 17, 2009 at 11:39am

This is funny. I was in the hospital for breaking my foot and cracking my tib and fib. They were going to do surgery on my foot but kept me in the hospital for three days then decided to wait two weeks. I go back on the 23rd to have them to decide about the surgery.

Chef

Permalink Reply by Janice L Cotton on June 17, 2009 at 11:41am

Now..this is indeed funny. The break that I had was on the upper end...tib/fib plateau fracture!!!

Permalink Reply by Linda on June 17, 2009 at 3:27pm

I'm sorry, but I am fuming after reading this! How dare they? They should be thankful that we are competent enough to take care of our own diabetes. Heaven knows they're not. (almost all of the time) I have yet to meet an RN or hospitalist that knows more than I do about T1DM. (Promise I'm not being cocky. I live with it everyday. They don't) There's no way I would let them call the shots (pardon the pun). I have been taking care of my IDDM father over the last 18+ months. We have been in and out of the hospital the entire time. My family respects my opinion when it comes to medical care and my dad's diabetes. He's old, *was* out of control, scheduled to have BK amputation, etc. The RN's weren't allowed to listen to me even though my parents have designated me as their medical POA. I told my dad to refuse the insulin they insisted they give him. ("MD's orders", you know...) They were going to give him 40 units of Humalog and he wasn't eating. He needed 3U. Right. THREE! Growing up in an era where you never question doctors or nurses, my dad found it difficult to refuse... but did. I proceeded to take a syringe and my Humalog out of my purse, draw up 3 units and hand it to him. He thanked me and took it. Four hours later, BG was 82. Next morning, we had him discharged and admitted to a hospital 45 minutes away. It's taken a long time and many hours on the road driving to visit him and/or take him to appointments, but with Hyperbaric O2 & RN's that are actually given some autonomy and have allowed me to "order" the correct dosages for his insulin intake, my dad has his leg and most of his foot. So he's missing some toes... He is "healthy", A1C down (13 to 7.4), 90 pounds lighter, and he can drive. (stay off our roads! lol) I'm sure I'm not the most liked person at any hospital, but my dad is important to me. And we won! Stink. Sorry, I got on my soapbox...

What a waste of your time to have to fight this absurdity. But you have to. How crazy! Makes my blood boil.

Permalink Reply by Mayumi on June 18, 2009 at 4:31am

Linda - I hope you stay on your soapbox for as long as it takes when it comes to your Dad. I would give everything I own, which isn't a lot, just to have one more day with my Dad who passed on 10 years ago because of diabetes complications due to a Doctor who didn't give a d---. You go girl......keep up the good work.

Permalink Reply by Alesha McElvogue-Calonkey on June 17, 2009 at 7:55pm

Have never been billed for such an absurd charge, but to go into the further comments on this discussion my Endo's I had when I lived in DSM, IA always argued with me when I was in the hospital about my care, so of course I refused lots of times! Pissed lots of people off, who cares? I did what was necessary! Now I live in Boone, IA and go to the hospital in Ames, see the docs there and no one seems to have a problem with me controlling my own diabetes care, I LOVE IT! The nurses always seem amused though when they read the dr's orders and it simply says patient will admister own diabetes management/insulin etc. They can't seem to believe it. Crazy world we live in

Permalink Reply by Cynthia F. on June 18, 2009 at 4:52am

Yes I sure have!!!

I just had emergency surgery 5/26 and an induced labor same day.

They charged me for Self Administered insulin pump management ... $756.97 I will be having a talk with them later!

Permalink Reply by Gina on July 9, 2009 at 2:24pm

What?!?!? Hmmm.... I should check my last hospital bill as they were so perturbed at the fact that my doc told them I would be the one managing my own diabetes. They would make me tell them every time I took insulin, and how much. I was supposed to call them into the room (but of course didn't always do so.) I'm thinking that b/c they notated everything, they may have charged me? I'll freak if they did. Bastards. Ha ha. That's my rant for the day :)