My experience

I been to the ER twice. Similar issues both times, but different locations. I was in NYC the first time. Went to a hospital in Queens and was there for about 10 hours. Was properly diagnosed and treated. Total bill was around $100 with insurance. I was very impressed.

Second time I went to the ER room in Hoboken. Total out of pocket bill was over a couple thousands with insurance and they didn't even solve the issue! I had to go to a walk in clinic in Manhattan the next day to receive proper treatment and the doctor was perplexed why the ER doctor prescribed the medicine they did.

I'm never ever going to another hospital in New Jersey. Overbilled for inferior service. I have no doubt in my mind that if I complained I would have had a reduced bill, but was extremely busy period in my life at that time, so I just paid it.

Sorry to hear about your experience. Healthcare bills suck.

My experience was a bit different but I had some radiology tests that I felt the costs were lied to me about - I wrote a letter explaining my situation (at the time I was a college student, limited income) and my bills were reduced.

It takes some effort but it is worth a try. Good luck.



Not to pile on but for any other readers I want to emphasize not going to the emergency department for similar reasons. Jersey City Medical Center is also a trauma center so it is important for them to be able to concentrate staff into those critical patients and emergencies when they happen.

It is indeed flu season but the ER can do little to make you not feel horrible. The flu just doesn't feel good! See your primary for a Tamiflu script and ride it out at home with some fluids and tylenol and save yourself an expensive bill.

I got really sick in the middle of the night, and none of the urgent clinics I knew were open at that time, thats why i went to ER.

Anyone here have any personal experience with Jersey City Medical Center bills? Any successes?

Yes any of the various emergent clinics around would have been a better choice. I've had several great experiences with wounds to be stitched at the one on 1st in Hoboken.

But here's a little known fact: even though the for-profit CarePoint hospitals (Hoboken, Christ, Bayonne) have unbelievably larcenous billing, they don't use collection services.

Quote:

Not necessarily true and it certainly can't hurt to try. Some years ago, I was given unsatisfactory treatment by an emergency room after literally falling on my face. They discharged me while I was still bleeding, unknown to me at the time. I did exactly as I advised in my previous post - wrote a strongly worded letter and that was the end of it.

Quote:

The CVS Minute Clinic in Hoboken is a great resource for non-emergencies. My partner had a severe throat issue this fall - it was in total about $150 for the exam, tests, and meds. The doc even called to check to make sure all was well. (59 Washington St, Hoboken, NJ 07030)

In terms of your bill, you should contact the hospital to negotiate it down, or apply for charity care if you are eligible (low income, etc). In some cases, you can reduce the cost of your services if you are uninsured. Unless you can prove malpractice (meaning you sustained physical damages as a result of their diagnosis), you're not going to get much from them in terms of a reaction.

Additionally, unless you are in a life or death situation, and I know this is not as simple as it seems, look for 24 hour medical clinics for dealing with such treatments. Their rates are significantly lower than the ER, and these types of situations are exactly what they are designed for.

Obviously, a chest pain (potential heart issue) or broken bones, severe wounds, etc., head right to the EF. But pain that you've been living with, fevers, and other stuff that don't feel life threatening, then the clinics are a better choice.

Send a succinct letter via certified mail to the executive office explaining what happened, including your doctor's reaction. Indicate that if they pursue collection that you will consider legal recourse.

You're better off takung a taxi to nyc than goto a Jersey hospital, cost wise. Say your broke amd offer to pay less.

My advice is not to go to the emergency room when you have a sore throat, the clue is in the name.

Robin.

Hi,
I am seeking some advice on how to dispute my medical ER bill? or ask for some assistance. See below for details - The ER couldnt even diagnose me with Strep Throat (totally stunned about this). It turned out to be totally useless to go ER, but I am stuck with a bill in the thousands.

Details:
I recently had to visit ER, after I had a severe sore throat, and very high fever. I suspected it was strep which i was very upfront about. The initial rapid strep test came out negative, and the doctor just gave me lbuprofen (which I had already been using before coming to ER) and asked me to drink lots of water. After 3 hours of wait, and 4 hours in ER, I got discharged with a prescription for more lbuprofen.

It was after a full week of getting discharged, that the ER contacted me back, saying that my culture came back positive for strep. I went to my doctor with this new information, and he was quite stunned that the hospital took a week to get back to me, when it should be a 24-48 hour thing.