In January of 2018, Tonie Murray was involved in a minor car crash in Atlanta. A truck ran a red light and smashed into the side of her car. Wisely, she went to the emergency room at Atlanta Medical Center. She was there for about 8 hours. When she left, she was diagnosed with nothing more than minor strains and a severe headache.
When Murray got to the ER, she checked off the box letting the hospital know she had been involved in a car accident. Weeks after the crash, Murray got a bill from Atlanta Medical Center for over $80,000.
The bill was broken down, in part, as follows:
- Base charge – $22,000
- MRI – $25,000
- Ibuprofen – $1,200
- Private room (which she never got) – $1,830
There were other various and incredulous charges as well.
When Murray’s car accident attorney saw the bill, he reached out to the billing company immediately. They demanded the bill be paid in full. For more than 2 years, her lawyer tried to negotiate the bill down to a fair amount. He even offered, at one point, that his client pay $8,000, about 10% of the bill. The hospital refused.
Patient advocates in Atlanta explained that when you’re involved in a car crash, the hospital will increase their charges significantly. Apparently, they don’t offer the same discounts to auto insurance carriers as they do health insurance carriers. She said that when they see you’re been in a car crash, they expect a big pay day and pad their bill.
Finally, more than 2 years later, Murray reached a settlement with Atlanta Medical Center. The details of the settlement will not be disclosed.
If you’ve been involved in a car accident in Atlanta, make sure to call our car accident lawyers in Atlanta right away.
Source: https://www.cbs46.com/investigations/atlanta-medical-center-settles-patient-s-er-bill/article_f2557190-591b-11ea-b575-1f918279d54d.html
