SPRING BRANCH, Texas — Pat Moncus was cutting weeds in his yard with a weed wacker when he got too close to a cedar tree. A splinter the length of a thumb nail went into his wrist and broke off inside.
He couldn't get it out.
"I dug around with a needle but it didn't work. It was concerning me because of all the tendons right there," Moncus said.
Moncus then called Physicians Premier ER the next morning to find out if they accepted his insurance and went in shortly after.
He said the doctor saw him right away, used some local anesthetic and removed the sliver in a matter of minutes.
Moncus told KENS 5 the staff did a good job and the visit lasted less than 20 minutes in total. He said he was told they would send him the bill electronically.
"They put a band-aid on it and I was good to go," Moncus said.
But then, the bills came in.
The emergency room billed his insurance for a total of $15,765 for the services performed. The doctor had a separate bill for $5,000. Both bills listed "emergency services" and "remove foreign body."
His insurance did pay some of the bill, but Moncus was still on the hook for more than $1,200. When his insurance company wasn't able to explain it, he called KENS 5.
"For a twenty minute procedure to cost that much... To me, that was just mind blowing," Moncus said.
KENS 5 drove to Physicians Premier ER, spoke with a local staff member and sent multiple emails to the company's main office asking for an explanation.
The company didn't respond to KENS 5 for several days but Moncus got a call the very next day.
"The regional director contacted me and said, 'Hey, we are going to take care of this bill for you. We are going to clear it out and just write it off,'" Moncus said.
He later got confirmation in writing as well.
KENS 5 continued to ask Physicians Premier ER explain the two bills and the company later sent the following statement:
"In response to your questions about two bills: Professional billing is limited to the service provided by the physician or healthcare professionals. Facility billing is for services provided within a medical facility. Both of these are submitted to insurance.
The patient’s billing issue has been resolved to his satisfaction. He explained that he was pleased with his medical treatment," said Bobby Rankin, System Business Manager.
KENS 5 also asked if the billing was done correctly but the company never answered that question. One staff member told KENS 5 patients are welcome to call their ER location directly if they have any billing questions.
Still, Moncus said he is thankful to the company for addressing it and he's glad he called KENS.
"KENS 5 did an outstanding job, I'm telling ya. If it wasn't for them I'd still be paying out of pocket," Moncus said.
If you have a problem like this, we want to help you fix it! In our series, Call KENS, we do our best to solve problems for our viewers. The number to call is 210-470-KENS, or fill out the form on this page.
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