I called to get the cash price for an urgent care visit. And they pulled the ole’ Abbott and Costello “who’s on first base? And yes, these ladies I spoke with were rude and condescending to me.
1. Sanford Family & Urgent Care Clinic call – “what’s your cash price for an urgent care visit?” Answer: I don’t know. Me: “Really, you have never seen a patient before?” Answer: We have but that’s up to billing. Me: “Do you know the price of a gallon of milk or does the grocery store have to check with billing?”
2. Sanford billing dept. Me: “what’s your cash price for an urgent care visit?” Answer: I don’t know. “Me: Oh, good. Since you don’t know what to bill it must be free. And the lady at the urgent care clinic said you would know. How silly of me to think someone in the billing dept would know the price of an office visit” Response: I would have to send you to financial services.
3. Financial services call “what’s your cash price for an urgent care visit?” I don’t know. That would be billing dept. Me: “Pretty funny, they said they have no idea what an office visit costs and you would know.” Them: I don’t know. That could be had by calling our price estimation team.
4. Price estimate team call – “what’s your cash price for an urgent care visit?” Answer: What’s your date of birth, location of service and date of service ETA? Answer: “Do you get asked this when you ask for the price of something on Amazon, or a restaurant” Them: Pam said “we are only permitted to give a price estimate to a patient and no one else.” Me: “that’s a federal violation of the ACA, Section 2718, and HHS ruling 9915, and FTC, Section 5 and piss poor customer service. Give me the price. I am not even saying please.And this is supposed to be published on your website but it is not.” Answer: I will have Amanda, my supervisor, call you back. FYI – Amanda did not call back.
5. Stephanie from price estimator team a day later calls me. Me: “what’s your cash price for an urgent care visit?” Stephanie, we most commonly use CPT code 99124 (like a real patient would know what that means) and the cash price is $346. FYI – national average is $150 to $200 for a new doctor visit. Me: Heh Steph, 99214 is a follow up visit code. Are you sure you didn’t mean to use 99243 for a new visit? Steph: No, we use 99214, a follow up visit code for a new visit and charge $346 cash price
CPT 99214 (complicated follow up visit code they use for an urgent care new visit) price per Sanford chargemaster:
Blue Shield $83
Aetna $83
Cash $346
Hospitals that violate price transparency mandates should be paid by Medicare or Medicaid. Federal law states they must be in compliance with the ACA, and they are not. No cash pricing was published either. It’s common that the cash price is higher than the Blue Shield or Aetna price for hospital care.
Solution: Don’t use the hospital for non-emergency care ever. Don’t be bullied. Be the bull or hire the bull, CareGuide.
