Hospital Charge 4 yrs later.

Payton

My wife received a hospital bill for €600 for a minor procedure in 2007 and she stayed over for 1 night. My point is what happened for the last 4 yrs? When we rang the hospital accounts they said that they were trying to get in touch with a health plan through Quinn Health which we dont have. They said that my wife "asked" to be treated as a private patient which she said she didnt, so we asked for some type of proof thats she request private treatment. €600 is a hell of a lot of money and we were told we have 3 months to pay it and then its handed to a debt collector.
Can anyone throw some pointers our way on where we stand?
Thanks.

Sponge Bob

If she had no insurance in 2007 then she was a public patient and is liable for nothing. This is the sort of crap that TDs can be good at sorting out.

January

Sponge Bob wrote: »

If she had no insurance in 2007 then she was a public patient and is liable for nothing. This is the sort of crap that TDs can be good at sorting out.

Not entirely true, you don't have to have insurance to go private.

Paulw

Sponge Bob wrote: »

If she had no insurance in 2007 then she was a public patient and is liable for nothing.

Even public patients are liable for charges. It might be up to €200, but it will depend on what was done.

emo72

why quinn health? did you mention quinn health to them? where exactly did that come from?

I'd be asking about that before going any further. they ask if you have insurance when you present yourself at the hospital.

Payton

Thanks for the replies. As for the TD angle I might just try it. My wife recalls going in as a public patient, as for the Quinn healthcare that's where we are at a loss as we never had any dealings. We have asked for proof of where my wife asked for 1. Health insurance 2. To be a private patient.

looksee

I got a note from VHI to say that they had paid a bill from Waterford Regional Hospital from about 4 years previously, for a one night stay. I could not remember the incident, I have been in since and the accounts have been settled quickly.

I checked with VHI as to why this had only just come up and they said that sometimes hospitals send out bills late. There was no problem about the bill being paid, but it did seem strange that the hospital should just find a bill -you don't even have to sign to say you have been in hospital these days, just give the number, so it is impossible for anyone to be sure when and even whether the admission occurred.

ssbob

Having worked closely with patient accounts in the past in an unnamed hospital, it was clear to me that they were not very good at chasing up outstanding bills and when they did send items to the debt collectors, they really didn't get much out of that as their fee's were so high.

Because of everything that is going on at the moment I would say that the HSE has instructed all of it's hospitals to clear up their bad debts as soon as possible(should have been done in the past) and maybe your bill may have slipped into this pile by accident, however unless they have your wifes signature saying she got private care then they really can't pursue this.

Bella mamma

This is not my area, but I always see staff from The Admissions Department going around confirming the status of a patient and having the patient sign the forms, if possible.

If your wife was an elective admission, she would have gone to The Admissions Department (except usually at the weekend) and signed her status there.

Did your wife see her consultant first in his/her private clinic? If so, unless she specified that she wanted to go on the public waiting list, she would have been put on the private list and her consultant should have done the procedure.

Was she on a public or a semi-private or a private ward?

BostonB

I've noticed the last few times in our family, two different hospitals have sent a bill for semi-private care, when the person was seen as a public patient. Had to ring them and correct it.

Many times theres little difference between semi-private and public, the only different seems to be how they bill it. Which seems wrong.

BostonB

Bella mamma wrote: »

...

Did your wife see her consultant first in his/her private clinic? If so, unless she specified that she wanted to go on the public waiting list, she would have been put on the private list and her consultant should have done the procedure.

Was she on a public or a semi-private or a private ward?

You can be shifted to any ward, depending on the demand for beds on the day.

Also as public patient, you might get one of the team or the consultant.

Thats our experience.

Bella mamma

BostonB wrote: »

You can be shifted to any ward, depending on the demand for beds on the day.

Also as public patient, you might get one of the team or the consultant.

Thats our experience.

It is VERY unusual for a public patient to be on a semi-private or private ward. Can barely think of even one patient.

As a public patient AND as a semi-private or private patient, you will always (not "might") get a team member in a public hospital. You may never see a consultant in person, depending on that consultant's schedule and the lenght of admission (i.e. short). Typically in public hospitals consultants do their rounds twice a week.

BostonB

That hasn't been our families experience over the years. I've seen it often enough that I didn't think it was unusual tbh.