Sierra Vista hospital and a questionable bill

While playing in the surf with my children last summer, a wave unexpectedly threw me down, dislocating my shoulder and earning me a trip to the emergency room at Sierra Vista Regional Medical Center, where I spent approximately 3 1/2 hours.

The doctor sedated me and then manipulated my shoulder back into place. Although I know that emergency room treatment is an expensive form of care, I was not at all prepared for the total charges: $10,660.99 — about $3,000 per hour!

Friends and family members who are physicians in California and around the country have unequivocally stated that a charge of nearly $11,000 to deal with a dislocated shoulder is beyond exorbitant and deeply unethical.

I have written repeatedly to the billing disputes department of the hospital and to Mr. Joseph DeSchryver, CEO of Sierra Vista, but as of this writing, they have not reduced the charges to a fair level. We have all heard stories of the skyrocketing cost of medical care. I now have my own story to tell and intend to continue telling it, in the hopes that others will not be exploited as I have been.

This story was originally published February 7, 2016 at 4:35 PM with the headline "Sierra Vista hospital and a questionable bill."