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Patients sue Seattle hospital for overbilling

Patient Financial Services Weekly Advisor, January 28, 2005

Two patients of Virginia Mason Medical Center in Seattle sued the hospital, claiming they were overbilled for routine procedures done at its downtown clinic, the Associated Press (AP) reported.

The lawsuit was filed January 12 in King County Superior Court on behalf of Lori Mill and DeLois Gibson. The women allege unfair and deceptive practices by the hospital, charging patients more at one clinic than another, and not telling clients beforehand.

Both plaintiffs, who are friends and co-workers, are covered by insurance plans that require they pay 20% of medical costs.

Mill said she was charged $1,133 for a 30-second procedure to have her toenail clipped and sent to a lab for tests. She questioned the charge and discovered that if she had the same procedure done at a Kirkland clinic, it would have cost $418 less.

Gibson had a similar experience involving the same downtown clinic. She was billed $1,451 to remove a small bump on her neck. Charges included $846 in miscellaneous hospital charges, the lawsuit states.

To read more, click here.

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