Thursday, May 18, 2006

early evening

Arm & Hammer & Kitten & Hammer

Oh, she loves to pose, she does.  Rory was taking a little break and decided to rest on top of the kitty litter box, where Leigh-Ann had rested her hammer.

We found her at the front door and we’re looking for a home for her.  Know anyone?

late afternoon

I Give Up

Every day there’s a new bill.  One for the hospital, one for the surgery center, one for the pre-op doctor, one for the pain injection doctor, one for the lab, one for the surgeon (which I haven’t gotten yet) I’m sure.  Hell, why don’t all of you send me a bill just for reading this, because that would make as much sense as all of the double-billing going on here.  My suggestion if you have a large disc herniation, skip the damned $7,000 injections.  It’s a waste of your whole day, it doesn’t do much good (yet they manage to set you up for a series of three right away…at $7000/each), the doctor doesn’t give a shit if they help (I haven’t heard one word from that doctor’s office - Pain Institute of Nevada , in case you were wondering), and you’ll end up having surgery anyway.

I’m so damned tired of getting bills with ridiculous charges.  Fine, if you want to screw my crappy insurance company, go ahead.  I, personally, don’t have the money to pay the $500 markup on $12 stockings.  Or the five billion percent markup on Percocet or Valium.  The insurance paid a lot of your stupidly outrageous charges, leave me alone.  Also, if you don’t have the final charges, quit sending partial bills that don’t make ANY sense.  I went to college, my IQ is higher than average, but I still don’t understand what I’m supposed to do with all of these half-assed bills/not bills.  It’s a full-time job to attempt to figure out who is charging for what, and then who is charging EXTRA for what.  I don’t care anymore. 

Wednesday, May 17, 2006

late at night

And MORE Medical Bills

This should really be in the “Idiot of the Day” category.  Today, I got my itemized bill from the hospital. * $13 for each of two Percocets.  What I paid for 120 Percocets before I went in for surgery, $10.  Each Percocet cost me less than TEN CENTS.  What do you think they cost the hospital?  OVERCHARGED * Celestone Soluspan 3mg (Schering) - hospital charged $497.00.  I found a pack of TEN 6mg (double my dose) for $56.97.  Even forgetting about the fact that what I was given was half the dose, I was still OVERCHARGED $491.30. * Vancomycin Hcl 500mg inj - hospital charged $783.00.  Medicare reimburses $3.25.  Retail price - $167.  OVERCHARGED $616 * Cefazolin Sodium 500mg - hospital charged $143.00.  Actual cost - $17.36.  OVERCHARGED $125.64 * Midazolam Inj per 1mg - hospital charged $70.00.  Actual cost for 5mg (five times what I got) - $13.41.  OVERCHARGED $56.59 * Thrombin 20,000 unit kit - hospital charged $1,361.00.  Actual cost - $268.15.  OVERCHARGED $1092.85 * Charged for two different kinds of anti-embolism stockings, $116.00 & $378.  Actual cost - $17 for one pair, $12 for another.  OVERCHARGED $465 * Diazepam 10mg tab - hospital charged $6.00.  Actual cost 35 CENTS.  OVERCHARGED $5.65 * Metoclopramide 10mg tab - hospital charged $3.00.  Actual cost 14 CENTS. OVERCHARGED $2.86 * 1 Gelatin Sponge Size 100 - hospital charged $346.  Actual cost - $269…for a SIX pack. OVERCHARGED $301 * Bipolar Forcep Disposable - hospital charged $179.  Actual cost (don’t know the type, but picked the most expensive one) $106. OVERCHARGED $73 * 2 Electrolytes PH7.4 1000ml bags - hospital charged $522.  Actual cost - can’t find it for people, but for pets, it’s less than $10/bag. OVERCHARGED $500 * ZEMURON 10 MG/ML VIAL (Rocuronium Brm) - hospital charged $268.  Actual cost - $16.64. OVERCHARGED $251.36