Patient says dental bill spiked $10K when transferred from outpatient center to hospital

A North Carolina patient claims she received a surprise bill of $13,000 for six tooth extractions after she received an estimate that the procedure would cost $3,000, according to Kaiser Health News.

Kathy McCracken visited Hickory, N.C.-based Viewmont Surgery Center after experiencing aches in her teeth. The dentist said had two teeth with exposed roots, holes in two teeth, one tooth with a cap with a cavity underneath and a piece of a tooth left from a tooth that had been previously pulled.

Viewmont Surgery Center estimated that extracting the six affected teeth would cost $3,000. Although Ms. McCracken is covered by Medicare Advantage, she still did not have the money to cover the procedure. Her church, Monticello United Methodist Church, stepped in to cover the bill.

However, weeks before her surgery, the dentist at Viewmont Surgery Center told her to visit Catawba Valley Medical Center in Hickory. After the 45-minute procedure at the hospital, Ms. McCracken received a bill for $13,000.

Still unsure why she was transferred from the outpatient center to the hospital, Ms. McCracken could not understand why she was hit with a $13,000 bill. Her dentist did not respond to multiple emails and calls from KHN.

Ms. McCracken and the church contacted the Catawba Valley Medical Center for assistance. However, the hospital informed her that she did not meet the qualifications for financial assistance. Ms. McCracken's bill had been sent to collections.

The Monticello United Methodist Church, however, was determined to fight the bill. The church had already paid the dentist at Viewmont Surgery Center $1,427 and a $700 fee to the anesthesiology group involved in the procedure.

After negotiating, the hospital agreed to resolve Ms. McCracken's bill if they received a $3,000 payment. In total, the Monticello United Methodist Church paid more than $5,000 for the tooth extractions.

When contacted by KHN, a spokesperson for Catawba Valley Health said the hospital could not respond due to patient privacy concerns.

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