- Report: #478230
Complaint Review: University Medical Center - Lebanon Tennessee
-
Author Confirmed
Why?
University Medical Center
1411 Baddour Pkwy Lebanon, 37090 Tennessee, U.S.A.
Phone:
615-443-2581
Web:
N/A
Categories:
Business Rating:
(0)
Tell us has your experience with this business or person been good?
University Medical Center patient neglect, discrimination of uninsured, unfair treatment of uninsured Lebanon Tennessee
With the current state of the economy and the issues this country is having with our healthcare system I would like to share my own recent personal experiences with our local hospital in Lebanon Tennessee at University Medical center called UMC for short, because I feel it is a shame and people need to know. Like millions of americans, I and my husband are both uninsured.
Yes we both work full time jobs but can't afford health coverage and our jobs do not offer it.We have gotten used to suffering with illnesses and sickness. For years we have suffered through our colds,pains,fevers and infections on our own with no doctor's vists and no medication to help us through because the cost is too much and it is financially impossibe for either of us to miss a day of work to see a doctor so we go to work sick despite the chills, fevers or discomfort never missing a day.
The last time my husband had to have medical care (until recently) was 4 years ago.We thought he had a broken arm and rushed him to the UMC ER for care.Being uninsured at that time also they took him back to a room, took his blood pressure and vitals did an x-ray on his arm and afterward told him he had to pay $200 right then before they would show him the results of the x-ray.We were floored! This is how they treat their patients? Is this even legal? My husband was in pain and all they could do was demand money?
We were stunned,angry and very upset but my husband was in pain and needed those x-ray results so we used a credit card and paid what they demanded only to find my husband had no broken arm but only a bad sprain.I later recieved the rest of the bill in the mail and was shocked to see that it was even more outrageous than the $200 I had already paid.I requested an itemized statement for that bill and it's funny how they lowered his bill amount just because I asked to see what I was actually paying for.
I paid the rest of the bill off in the months that followed a little at a time and vowed never to return to UMC after that. Recently however both of us have found ourselves in situations that required medical attention again.First there was my husband yet again.He had a bad tick bite and developed a bullseye rash and thought he had lyme's disease. Being unable to miss work he opted to return to the UMC ER for treatment.It had been 4 years since his bad experience and we heard UMC had made a lot of improvements so we took a chance and went there. This time nobody demanded money upfront for his care.
He was only there maybe a total of 30 minutes and once he was taken back to a room the doctor was in and out in less than 10 minutes and we were able to leave. We did'nt find out what was wrong with my husband, but he did get some antibiotics for his tick bite and we were satisfied with that until the bills came a week later in two seperate enveIopes.One for the UMC ER care and one bill for the UMC ER doctor seperately. He saw the doctor for maybe 10 minutes and the bill for 10 minutes of that doctor's time was over $500! How outrageous!
We have been faithfully making payments on the ER bill after getting an itemized statement of the costs.However, when I called to get the ER doctor's bill itemized and requested an uninsured discount they told me I would be mailed a new bill reflecting the discount and a lower bill amount and It has been over three months and I have yet to recieve it. Its ironic that my sister has experienced the exact same thing and she too has never recieved a bill reflecting the uninsured discount.
Recently I suffered severe back pain for two weeks before finally at the urging of my husband, went to UMC emergency room for treatment because the pain was so bad. My treatment was less than satisfactory. After being given a urine test to rule out kidney infection I was taken to a room and a student doctor came in and asked me several questions which took all of 5 minutes of his time before telling me I had a pulled muscle.No test, no x-rays, just a postive diagnosis of a pulled muscle after only 5 minutes of questioning! He told me to see a doctor if the pain did'nt get better in a few days.Thats what I thought I was seeing him for yet he is telling me to see another doctor in a few days? If I could miss work to see another doctor instead of going to the ER I would have done that to begin with!
He left the room when he was done and then another lady came in and told me I was required to pay them $200 right then for my visit because I was uninsured.She made me feel as if I had no choice and insisted I must pay.She was firm but I did not have that amount of money on me and declined to pay.I know my rights now and I know I can be billed for my services and can not be refused treatment because I am uninsured. She left my room and another lady entered to give me some presciptions and told me I was free to go.
I was already upset that I was only worth 5 minutes of a student doctor's time and yet he felt sure I had a pulled muscle despite the fact that no x-rays were given and I was not given a shot for my pain.I still felt something else was wrong and did not feel I was properly diagnosed,and asked to see the student doctor again before I left.He returned to my room and repeated what he said earlier (that I had a pulled muscle) but still did not want to give me an x-ray to confirm that. At that point I was told I could go so I left the room and began my exit from the hospital.
I was already out the door when I was rudely flagged down like some sort of criminal and told I could not leave because I refused to pay $200 and I must sign papers and agree to make financial arrangements.Wow! Money is all that matters to these people, certainly not a person's health I told my husband.I signed their papers and my husband and I left the hospital even though I was still in excruciating pain and went to fill my presciptions that have not helped my pain one bit.
The motrin I bought at wal-mart seems to offer more relief than the prescriptions I was given and I am still in pain to this day. Those doctor's and nurses may have been unable to refuse to treat me because I am uninsured but they sure were intent on charging me the most money they could for the least care possible and even told me I did'nt need x-rays to save money when I know I did. My back has continued to feel worse since my ER visit and all I can think about is that I was not even worth an x-ray to find the true cause of my pain because I am uninsured.No care or time was given to properly get to the cause of my pain.
Five minutes and a student doctor thinks he has my problem pegged and he has the notion to tell me to see another doctor?This is proposterous! No I am not insured but does that mean I am not worth being properly diagnosed? I got the itemized bill for that visit in the mail and they charged me the uninsured rate of $116.00 for a simple urine test and $51 for the cup that held my urine! What an outrage! I knew it would cost me more money in the longrun to go to the ER, but missing a day of work would cost me more and I knew I could pay the bill a little at a time until the bill was paid off and that was worth it to me at the time I went to the ER because I was in terrible pain.
I thought I would be treated like a person and they would do everything possible to uncover the cause of my pain and help me but I was wrong.I was treated with a coldness and an uncaring nature.I felt like they were treating me like an animal not a person.I have lived with my back pain for 7 weeks at the writing of this letter.It continues to feel worse. I am unable to stand up straight at times and I have a severe pain that runs down one leg when I put weight on it.I am finding it extremely hard to do my grocery shopping because my back locks up in pain and I have to find a place to sit down every 5 minutes.
I made a huge mistake thinking I could get care at UMC ER and would have been better off staying home in pain because I am in no better shape now then before I went and yet have these huge over priced bills and nothing to show for it.I recieved nothing for my time and nothing for the money. I have to make a living and am unable to miss a day of work to see another doctor and thank God I am self employed and can sit down because everyday is getting harder and harder.It is impossible to find a doctor who has late or Saturday appointments,does their own x-rays and is affordable or makes payment arrangements in this town.
Everyone is so untrusting and this world is so selfish and uncaring. I am stuck with medical bills from UMC even though they did not help me at all and it is very unfair that because I did not get properly treated and my back pain properly diagnosed with x-rays at UMC I now have to try to find another doctor who can give me the care UMC billed me for but did not provide in the first place and I did'nt get.Because I can't afford to pay a big bill all at once to see another doctor and the one's I can afford close too early I have to suffer day after day.
I was not given the simple x-rays that would properly diagnose the real cause of my pain so it could be correctly treated by UMC or else I might be well on my way to recovery instead of getting worse each day. I feel I was discriminated against because I am uninsured and they just assumed I would not pay so they refused to x-ray me because they did'nt want to lose money. Money really is all that matters to these people in my opinion and that is reflected in the over priced hospital bills and their additude towards you when you tell them you have no insurance.
As mad as I am about my own negative experience with UMC I am even more upset over how they recently did my husband. My husband has recently had health problems that required him to find a general practicioner to seek treatment.This doctor (who I will leave nameless) came as a referral from a friend and has been a Godsend.After several visits and detailed bloodwork my husband was found to have one of two conditions that may or may not be cancerous.His doctor ordered him to have ultrasounds and other tests performed at UMC to rule out any chance of growths that could be cancerous or not.
The day before the tests I recieved a phone call from UMC and spoke to a woman named Cindy confirming my husband's appointment for his test and was told that since he is uninsured he would be required to pay the full amount to have the tests performed or they would not do them.The amount required would be $463.12 and after telling Cindy I could not come up with that amount all at once I asked if we could make payment arrangements.She said she would check and later called me back to let me know the full amount would be required and no payment arrangement could be set up despite the fact that we paid my husband's prior hospital bill from 4 years ago completely off and were making payments on his current one.
My husband could have cancer and yet we would never have known because UMC refused to give him the tests that would tell us! After explaining all of this to my husband's doctor he was kind enough to take the time to find another lab to perform the tests my husband needs in Nashville at an even cheaper rate of only $162.00 for both tests! I feel blessed to have found such a wonderful doctor who actually cares and puts his patient's care before the almighty dollar.
I do understand that everything comes at a cost including health care and there are people who simply don't pay their hospital bills and UMC probably feels they have to be mean to people and give less care to uninsured people in an attempt to save money or not give good care to someone who "probably" won't pay for it anyway because they are uninsured.I guess this is why UMC is so worried about treating uninsured people and why they feel they need to take steps to get paid before treating a patient by demanding payment before they reveal your test results (if your lucky enough to get a test).
I understand to an extent but the rude way they handle it and the timing when they demand payment while your in pain and then making you feel like you "have to pay on the spot or else" is not nessecery and is downright bullying.When a person is in pain they need help and are trusting the ER to help them ease that pain and thats not the time to bully them into paying as they did to my husband 4 years ago and to me during my July visit there. It's so sad and such a huge wake up call to experience the uncaring treatment by UMC.
I am also appalled at UMC for refusing to make payment arrangements with us on tests my husband needed so badly and for refusing to do the tests my husband needed without full payment upfront. I have heard many others tell of negative experiences they have had with UMC but feel it is a waste of time to come forward and share their story.These negative stories have been going around this town for years but yet nobody ever does anything about it.
UMC is the only hospital we have in Lebanon and most of us have no choice but to go there when we need care and I personaly feel serious steps need to be taken to improve the way people are treated as patients and the care they are given regardless if they are insured or not. Money should not be the most important factor in deciding what kind of care a person gets when they come to UMC for care but sadly this seems to be the case as I have personally experienced.
When you are desperate for care and live In Lebanon you have little choice in where to go for care in this town so I guess UMC feels they can treat you anyway they choose,especially if you are uninsured and unimportant.I feel saddend that money is more important than people and proper care and that the uninsured take a back seat and get treated so poorly by the healthcare system in general as well as UMC.Just because some uninsured people don't pay does'nt mean we all don't pay and we all should be given less than perfect care simply because we are uninsured.
It seems useless to speak out, what can one person do? My hope is that by sharing my experiences others will share theirs as well and our feedback will be used to make the improvments UMC so desperately needs.I feel my bill should be discharged since I recieved nothing for what they charged me except an overpriced urine test.I am so mad and will continue to spread my story everywhere I can so people will know what kind hospital UMC really is.
Daphane
Lebanon, Tennessee
U.S.A.
Yes we both work full time jobs but can't afford health coverage and our jobs do not offer it.We have gotten used to suffering with illnesses and sickness. For years we have suffered through our colds,pains,fevers and infections on our own with no doctor's vists and no medication to help us through because the cost is too much and it is financially impossibe for either of us to miss a day of work to see a doctor so we go to work sick despite the chills, fevers or discomfort never missing a day.
The last time my husband had to have medical care (until recently) was 4 years ago.We thought he had a broken arm and rushed him to the UMC ER for care.Being uninsured at that time also they took him back to a room, took his blood pressure and vitals did an x-ray on his arm and afterward told him he had to pay $200 right then before they would show him the results of the x-ray.We were floored! This is how they treat their patients? Is this even legal? My husband was in pain and all they could do was demand money?
We were stunned,angry and very upset but my husband was in pain and needed those x-ray results so we used a credit card and paid what they demanded only to find my husband had no broken arm but only a bad sprain.I later recieved the rest of the bill in the mail and was shocked to see that it was even more outrageous than the $200 I had already paid.I requested an itemized statement for that bill and it's funny how they lowered his bill amount just because I asked to see what I was actually paying for.
I paid the rest of the bill off in the months that followed a little at a time and vowed never to return to UMC after that. Recently however both of us have found ourselves in situations that required medical attention again.First there was my husband yet again.He had a bad tick bite and developed a bullseye rash and thought he had lyme's disease. Being unable to miss work he opted to return to the UMC ER for treatment.It had been 4 years since his bad experience and we heard UMC had made a lot of improvements so we took a chance and went there. This time nobody demanded money upfront for his care.
He was only there maybe a total of 30 minutes and once he was taken back to a room the doctor was in and out in less than 10 minutes and we were able to leave. We did'nt find out what was wrong with my husband, but he did get some antibiotics for his tick bite and we were satisfied with that until the bills came a week later in two seperate enveIopes.One for the UMC ER care and one bill for the UMC ER doctor seperately. He saw the doctor for maybe 10 minutes and the bill for 10 minutes of that doctor's time was over $500! How outrageous!
We have been faithfully making payments on the ER bill after getting an itemized statement of the costs.However, when I called to get the ER doctor's bill itemized and requested an uninsured discount they told me I would be mailed a new bill reflecting the discount and a lower bill amount and It has been over three months and I have yet to recieve it. Its ironic that my sister has experienced the exact same thing and she too has never recieved a bill reflecting the uninsured discount.
Recently I suffered severe back pain for two weeks before finally at the urging of my husband, went to UMC emergency room for treatment because the pain was so bad. My treatment was less than satisfactory. After being given a urine test to rule out kidney infection I was taken to a room and a student doctor came in and asked me several questions which took all of 5 minutes of his time before telling me I had a pulled muscle.No test, no x-rays, just a postive diagnosis of a pulled muscle after only 5 minutes of questioning! He told me to see a doctor if the pain did'nt get better in a few days.Thats what I thought I was seeing him for yet he is telling me to see another doctor in a few days? If I could miss work to see another doctor instead of going to the ER I would have done that to begin with!
He left the room when he was done and then another lady came in and told me I was required to pay them $200 right then for my visit because I was uninsured.She made me feel as if I had no choice and insisted I must pay.She was firm but I did not have that amount of money on me and declined to pay.I know my rights now and I know I can be billed for my services and can not be refused treatment because I am uninsured. She left my room and another lady entered to give me some presciptions and told me I was free to go.
I was already upset that I was only worth 5 minutes of a student doctor's time and yet he felt sure I had a pulled muscle despite the fact that no x-rays were given and I was not given a shot for my pain.I still felt something else was wrong and did not feel I was properly diagnosed,and asked to see the student doctor again before I left.He returned to my room and repeated what he said earlier (that I had a pulled muscle) but still did not want to give me an x-ray to confirm that. At that point I was told I could go so I left the room and began my exit from the hospital.
I was already out the door when I was rudely flagged down like some sort of criminal and told I could not leave because I refused to pay $200 and I must sign papers and agree to make financial arrangements.Wow! Money is all that matters to these people, certainly not a person's health I told my husband.I signed their papers and my husband and I left the hospital even though I was still in excruciating pain and went to fill my presciptions that have not helped my pain one bit.
The motrin I bought at wal-mart seems to offer more relief than the prescriptions I was given and I am still in pain to this day. Those doctor's and nurses may have been unable to refuse to treat me because I am uninsured but they sure were intent on charging me the most money they could for the least care possible and even told me I did'nt need x-rays to save money when I know I did. My back has continued to feel worse since my ER visit and all I can think about is that I was not even worth an x-ray to find the true cause of my pain because I am uninsured.No care or time was given to properly get to the cause of my pain.
Five minutes and a student doctor thinks he has my problem pegged and he has the notion to tell me to see another doctor?This is proposterous! No I am not insured but does that mean I am not worth being properly diagnosed? I got the itemized bill for that visit in the mail and they charged me the uninsured rate of $116.00 for a simple urine test and $51 for the cup that held my urine! What an outrage! I knew it would cost me more money in the longrun to go to the ER, but missing a day of work would cost me more and I knew I could pay the bill a little at a time until the bill was paid off and that was worth it to me at the time I went to the ER because I was in terrible pain.
I thought I would be treated like a person and they would do everything possible to uncover the cause of my pain and help me but I was wrong.I was treated with a coldness and an uncaring nature.I felt like they were treating me like an animal not a person.I have lived with my back pain for 7 weeks at the writing of this letter.It continues to feel worse. I am unable to stand up straight at times and I have a severe pain that runs down one leg when I put weight on it.I am finding it extremely hard to do my grocery shopping because my back locks up in pain and I have to find a place to sit down every 5 minutes.
I made a huge mistake thinking I could get care at UMC ER and would have been better off staying home in pain because I am in no better shape now then before I went and yet have these huge over priced bills and nothing to show for it.I recieved nothing for my time and nothing for the money. I have to make a living and am unable to miss a day of work to see another doctor and thank God I am self employed and can sit down because everyday is getting harder and harder.It is impossible to find a doctor who has late or Saturday appointments,does their own x-rays and is affordable or makes payment arrangements in this town.
Everyone is so untrusting and this world is so selfish and uncaring. I am stuck with medical bills from UMC even though they did not help me at all and it is very unfair that because I did not get properly treated and my back pain properly diagnosed with x-rays at UMC I now have to try to find another doctor who can give me the care UMC billed me for but did not provide in the first place and I did'nt get.Because I can't afford to pay a big bill all at once to see another doctor and the one's I can afford close too early I have to suffer day after day.
I was not given the simple x-rays that would properly diagnose the real cause of my pain so it could be correctly treated by UMC or else I might be well on my way to recovery instead of getting worse each day. I feel I was discriminated against because I am uninsured and they just assumed I would not pay so they refused to x-ray me because they did'nt want to lose money. Money really is all that matters to these people in my opinion and that is reflected in the over priced hospital bills and their additude towards you when you tell them you have no insurance.
As mad as I am about my own negative experience with UMC I am even more upset over how they recently did my husband. My husband has recently had health problems that required him to find a general practicioner to seek treatment.This doctor (who I will leave nameless) came as a referral from a friend and has been a Godsend.After several visits and detailed bloodwork my husband was found to have one of two conditions that may or may not be cancerous.His doctor ordered him to have ultrasounds and other tests performed at UMC to rule out any chance of growths that could be cancerous or not.
The day before the tests I recieved a phone call from UMC and spoke to a woman named Cindy confirming my husband's appointment for his test and was told that since he is uninsured he would be required to pay the full amount to have the tests performed or they would not do them.The amount required would be $463.12 and after telling Cindy I could not come up with that amount all at once I asked if we could make payment arrangements.She said she would check and later called me back to let me know the full amount would be required and no payment arrangement could be set up despite the fact that we paid my husband's prior hospital bill from 4 years ago completely off and were making payments on his current one.
My husband could have cancer and yet we would never have known because UMC refused to give him the tests that would tell us! After explaining all of this to my husband's doctor he was kind enough to take the time to find another lab to perform the tests my husband needs in Nashville at an even cheaper rate of only $162.00 for both tests! I feel blessed to have found such a wonderful doctor who actually cares and puts his patient's care before the almighty dollar.
I do understand that everything comes at a cost including health care and there are people who simply don't pay their hospital bills and UMC probably feels they have to be mean to people and give less care to uninsured people in an attempt to save money or not give good care to someone who "probably" won't pay for it anyway because they are uninsured.I guess this is why UMC is so worried about treating uninsured people and why they feel they need to take steps to get paid before treating a patient by demanding payment before they reveal your test results (if your lucky enough to get a test).
I understand to an extent but the rude way they handle it and the timing when they demand payment while your in pain and then making you feel like you "have to pay on the spot or else" is not nessecery and is downright bullying.When a person is in pain they need help and are trusting the ER to help them ease that pain and thats not the time to bully them into paying as they did to my husband 4 years ago and to me during my July visit there. It's so sad and such a huge wake up call to experience the uncaring treatment by UMC.
I am also appalled at UMC for refusing to make payment arrangements with us on tests my husband needed so badly and for refusing to do the tests my husband needed without full payment upfront. I have heard many others tell of negative experiences they have had with UMC but feel it is a waste of time to come forward and share their story.These negative stories have been going around this town for years but yet nobody ever does anything about it.
UMC is the only hospital we have in Lebanon and most of us have no choice but to go there when we need care and I personaly feel serious steps need to be taken to improve the way people are treated as patients and the care they are given regardless if they are insured or not. Money should not be the most important factor in deciding what kind of care a person gets when they come to UMC for care but sadly this seems to be the case as I have personally experienced.
When you are desperate for care and live In Lebanon you have little choice in where to go for care in this town so I guess UMC feels they can treat you anyway they choose,especially if you are uninsured and unimportant.I feel saddend that money is more important than people and proper care and that the uninsured take a back seat and get treated so poorly by the healthcare system in general as well as UMC.Just because some uninsured people don't pay does'nt mean we all don't pay and we all should be given less than perfect care simply because we are uninsured.
It seems useless to speak out, what can one person do? My hope is that by sharing my experiences others will share theirs as well and our feedback will be used to make the improvments UMC so desperately needs.I feel my bill should be discharged since I recieved nothing for what they charged me except an overpriced urine test.I am so mad and will continue to spread my story everywhere I can so people will know what kind hospital UMC really is.
Daphane
Lebanon, Tennessee
U.S.A.
1 Updates & Rebuttals
Jeanski
Hamburg,New York,
U.S.A.
help
#2Consumer Suggestion
Tue, August 11, 2009
Daphane, I empathize with your situation, I truly do. I am one of the lucky ones who has insurance, but its the high-deductible. So I have to pay the first $3000, and then it kicks in. Needless to say, I don't go to the doctor unless I'm desperate. As for your back, Have you considered seeing a chiropractor? It sounds a lot like my sciatica. My chiropractor only charges $30 for an office visit and I feel like a million dollars afterwards. He's better than all the doctors and drugs. I've had my problem (lower back disk degeneration) for 20 years, and I've seen a lot of chriopractors. I've never been charged more than $30 for a treatment, and they always tell me what they can and cannot do for me in terms of pain relief. I've never had a bad chiropractor, either. Lots of bad doctors though! As for your other health care needs, see if there's some type of urgent care in your area. It's much cheaper than going to the ER, and they will often bill you. I've had a lot luck using them for those Sundays when I throw my back out and need immediate pain relief (drugs), broken wrist, etc.
