Medical Bills...

I fell down some stairs in March of 2012, and went to the ER at Central Maine Medical Center, a few days later, as my left wrist was very very painful. What I want to write about are the bills I received, both from Central Maine Medical Center, and from the company that supplied the soft hand splints to Central Maine Medical Center--Surgi-Care Inc.

Surgi-Care Inc. sent me a bill for  a "comfortform wrist-lt, xs" for $66.19.

I discovered I could have bought the exact same product for $25.00 online, and, since I'd paid for wrist supports for both wrists about 6 months earlier for the total price of $42.00, at CVS, the half price of $25.00 seems about more accurate. So, I called Surgi-Care Inc, at their number: 1-888-290-8905. The representative I spoke to indicated that for Surgi-Care to provide hospitals their products, they can't get paid until their products are delivered to patients, and therefore they aren't paid up-front for their products, and they "wait"...

I negotiated a 25% discount to Surgi-Care's bill... which still seemed outrageously high... I paid $49.64 for a product that sells for about $25.00 at the retail market. The physician at CMMC/ER  NEVER suggested to me I could get the same product for 1/3rd the price his business was going to end up charging me, through its products' deliverer.

Then I reviewed my hospital bill, and there were the following "coded" charges:
Descriptive Code/ Batch: Service Description  CPT-4 / Qty / Charge
762 2010 / Level II Room Charge 99282 /  1 /  $171.25
767 0120 / Phys Short Arm Splint  29125 / 1 /  $104.00
778 1210 / Phys Level II Ed W Proc 99282 / 1 / $204.75
779 0120 /Fac Short Arm Splint 29125 / 1 / $160.75

997 0243 / Uninsured Patient Disco / / 128.15-

It does appear, unfortunately, that the hospital has charged me $160.75 for the "short arm splint" that Surgi-Care also charged me for. The hospital representative I spoke with suggested that PERHAPS the charge was for the doctor APPLYING the splint, which is frankly ludicrous. The doctor handed me a box, in which the splint was. I opened the box and put the apparatus on myself.

Hospital codes are generally (insurance-wise) coded, so I should be able to check the codes, and figure things out myself. When I spoke to the hospital billing representative, she was a bit confused and said she'd get back to me. That was on 05/23/2012. I still haven't heard from her or any representative at the hospital billing office.

Best regards, Elizabeth M. Burke

It does appear the hospital has charged me $160.00
779 0120 / Fac Short Arm Splint