Dr. Sara McLin thought she made the right choice by going to an in-network emergency room near her Florida home after her 4-year-old burned his hand on a stove last Memorial Day weekend.
Her family is insured through her husband's employer, HCA Healthcare, a Nashville-based health system that operates more hospitals than any other system in the nation. So McLin knew that a nearby stand-alone emergency room, HCA Florida Lutz Emergency, would be in their plan's provider network.
But McLin said a doctor there told her she couldn't treat her son, Keeling, because he had second- and third-degree burns that needed a higher level of care. The doctor referred them to the burn center at HCA Florida Blake Hospital, about a 90-minute drive away.
McLin, who is a dentist, said the doctor told her the stand-alone ER would not charge for the visit because they did not provide treatment.
"I don't remember exactly how she phrased it, but something along the lines of—we won't even call this a visit, because we can't do anything. " McLin said.
At Blake Hospital, a doctor diagnosed Keeling with a second-degree burn, bandaged his hand, and sent them home with instructions on how to care for the wound.
"I didn't think anything more of it. " McLin said.
Then the bills came.
Total Bill: For the emergency room visit, Envision Physician Services billed $829 to insurance and about $72 to the family. HCA Florida Trinity Hospital billed Keeling about $129, noting it had applied an "uninsured discount. " A list showed the original charge had been nearly $1, 509 before adjustments and discounts.
She said she called her insurer, United Healthcare, and a representative told her not to pay the bill.
After being contacted by KHN, Aliese Polk, an Envision spokesperson, said in an email that Envision would give up the debt, apologizing to Keeling's family "for the misunderstanding. "
