m. fiasco ([info]spitfirehussy) wrote in [info]damnportlanders,
@ 2008-01-20 03:15:00
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Legal Help?
As a follow-up to a prior post about filing a complaint about a doctor, I'm now hoping I can get some guidance on how I should go about fighting the bill I just got from them. Somebody advised talking to an attorney. I don't know anything about attorney's fees- but that seems like it may be a bit much to be worth fight a $400 hospital bill. I'm not sure where to go with this kind of issue- can anybody direct me to a good person to speak with? I don't figure I'll get far on my own disputing this with his office on my own.
I know there's some legal-folk up in here. What would you recommend?

Signed,
An overwhelmed, seriously injured, broke student who would rather light money on fire than pay this worthless doctor.
Thanks.

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[info]kornmonkie
2008-01-20 06:24 pm UTC (link)
I know you're not going to want to hear this, but you should pay him. If you dispute the cost, it'll go against your credit. If you go to court, the costs of a lawyer, court fees and time can often exceed the initial cost of the bill. By paying him, you can still dispute the cost later. Send a strongly worded note of dissatisfaction when you send the check.

If it's more of a principal thing, you should do what you want, but most small claims courts wont help unless you can prove you were re-hurt or the service was REALLY crappy. If you're just dissatisfied with his bedside manner and his service didn't help you, I'm seriously doubtful you'll win. It's kind of like going to Burger King, realizing the food is crappy and the service sucks, and then demanding your money back after you eat all the food.

Good luck.

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[info]purestylee
2008-01-20 06:36 pm UTC (link)
agreed.

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[info]spitfirehussy
2008-01-20 11:55 pm UTC (link)
I would rather pay an attorney $1000 than pay this asshole a penny.

The service was beyond a little-bit crappy.
And I wasn't going to a doctor that wasn't well qualified to take care of me, so while I get the point you're making, the Burger King example doesn't really apply here. He's a neurosurgeon for Providence, not some free-clinic family-practice random guy. He dismissed me to a pain clinic based on my appearance rather than help me, and what I needed was major back surgery. His indifference set me back several months in receiving proper care for my really serious injury and only amplified the pain I was already in. This isn't a small complaint, and I'm not prepared to just suck it up and send a complaint letter which will go directly into their shredder into his office with my payment.

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[info]rachel_edidin
2008-01-20 08:02 pm UTC (link)
You might want to check with the Lewis & Clark legal clinic - it exists to provide free legal services to low-income Portlanders. I don't know whether this is the kind of case they'd take - their scope is pretty limited - but it's at least worth a shot.

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[info]spitfirehussy
2008-01-20 11:56 pm UTC (link)
Thanks, I'll look into it!

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[info]supamisty
2008-01-20 08:20 pm UTC (link)
Heya, Josh mentioned something about students being able to use the lawyers at PSU for free. I could be wrong, but its something to look into. Next time you see him, ask him about that.

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[info]spitfirehussy
2008-01-20 11:57 pm UTC (link)
Duh! Why didn't I think of that? I'll go talk to them this week. Thanks hon!

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Helpful?
[info]peach_bruises
2008-01-22 07:37 pm UTC (link)
Below are three organizations who can assist anyone who believes that they have been overcharged by a medical provider, clinic or hospital. #2 has advocates who can review a bill to identify errors in billing. I have not actually used any of the organizations yet, but thought I'd pass the info. along.

1) National Health Care Anti-Fraud Association (www.nhcaa.org www.nhcaa.org OR 202-659-5955)

2) Medical Billing Advocates of America (www.billadvocates.com www.billadvocates.com OR 304-645-6389)

3) Health Grades (www.healthgrades.com www.healthgrades.com OR 303-716-0041)

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