Wow.
You really have to watch these medical providers.
A few years ago, when my oldest son was about 14, I got a frantic call from my 18 year old daughter about 4 pm one Tuesday afternoon (I was at work). A police officer had come by the house to inform her that my son had been taken to the trauma center (ie, emergency room) in an ambulance. I nearly wrecked my car getting there in a state of panic!
Come to find out, this is what happened:
My son had been skateboarding down the street, and had wiped out on his skateboard -while wearing his helmet, God love him. Anyway, he was fine, but a bit shaken up, so he sat down on the curb to take a breather. An elderly neighbor witnessed this and called 9 1 1.
Here comes the ambulance! By now my son was back on his feet, and quite surprised to see the ambulance. They way-laid him and started asking him how he felt, and the next thing he knew he was strapped to a gurney! He told me later that he kept trying to tell them he felt fine, and that his house was less than 500 feet away, but they insisted that he come on to the hospital. He also gave them my phone number but they didn't call me. Meanwhile, I guess the police officer showed up and my son managed to point to our house before he was bundled off to the ER.
So the police officer showed up and scared my daughter to death, who then scared me to death.
Anyway, I ran into the ER, thinking my son was seriously injured, and there he sat, cool as a cucumber, in a wheelchair - not being attended by anyone, and waiting to be called to the back.
I said, "Thank God you're ok - and ARE you OK???" He laughed and said, "Mom, I tried to TELL them that I feel fine." He had his helmet in his lap, and I said, "Were you wearing your helmet? Did you hit your head? Is anything on you hurt at all?"
He stood up and said, "Mom, I feel FINE. I hit my knee. It's not even bruised. I'm not bleeding anywhere, and I told them I just wanted to go home, but they wouldn't let me, and they wouldn't even call you at work, even though I gave them your number. They MADE me ride here in the ambulance!"
Oh, I was mad. My son was not even LIMPING. He had no discernible injuries whatsoever. I told the person in the office, "I am taking my son home."
Then SHE got mad. "You can't do that - he has to see a doctor." Wrong thing to tell a mother.
I said, "Are you telling me that it's OK for paramedics to pick up a minor child who doesn't have ANY apparent injuries, and whisk him off to the ER without even calling his mother? Which, by the way, no one at this hospital has called me yet either. My DAUGHTER called me - and by the way, she's probably in more need of medical attention because she nearly had a nervous breakdown over all this!"
I took my perfectly fine son home. Then I called the ambulance/paramedic department of the hospital. They informed me that I wouldn't owe them anything, because my insurance information was already on file at the hospital and they would simply bill my provider - so don't worry about it.
I told them, "Don't you DARE bill my provider -not unless you want to end up on the local evening news. I did not authorize you to transport my son, and since he obviously has no injuries whatsoever and clearly told you so when you scooped him up off the curb, I absolutely refuse to be any part of you receiving any payment for this fiasco!"
I called my insurance company and told them the story and told them that if they received a bill from the paramedic service, to refuse payment.
