In July 2023, I visited the Roper Hospital to see my father who had recently undergone open-heart…read moresurgery. On the final day of my visit, as I was leaving to catch my flight, I slipped on a large puddle of water on the third floor of the hospital. This fall resulted in a significant bruise on my hip that lasted for several weeks and a head injury from hitting the corner of a wall. The impact caused immediate swelling.
Concerned about flying after such an injury, I approached the nurse's station to inquire about the safety of boarding a plane. Unfortunately, no one was willing to assist me, and I was directed to speak with someone in the emergency department. Due to time constraints, I intended to submit a report regarding my fall and the puddle in the hallway. When I requested assistance from the security personnel, I was met with rudeness and informed that they did not handle such reports. Subsequently, I asked the nearby emergency department check-in staff, who kindly offered to find someone who could address my concerns about flying.
The emergency department was not busy at the time, so I decided to have my injuries examined. The triage nurse was very helpful and clarified that the security personnel were responsible for filing incident reports. However, when I was seen by another nurse, she exhibited extreme rudeness. Despite explaining my situation, the nurse indicated that while it would likely be safe to fly, liability concerns required a CAT scan, which would take approximately two hours. After confirming with her that if the incident had occurred outside the hospital, she would deem it safe to fly, I chose to decline the CAT scan.
My entire experience at the emergency department lasted around 15-20 minutes. Throughout this time, the security personnel and the nurse treated me as if I intended to sue the hospital. I was neither provided discharge papers nor a copy of the incident report. My primary concern was ensuring it was safe to fly, with no intentions of pursuing legal action. Nevertheless, I later received an emergency room bill for $964.80, which I refused to pay given that my injury occurred within the hospital premises.
I contacted Melissa Denham, Senior Claims Manager for the hospital, seeking resolution. She informed me that the hospital's insurance does not cover medical payments to settle my emergency room bill. I firmly believe I should not have been billed in the first place as the injury occurred within their facility. My sole intention was to ascertain whether it was safe to fly or if I should reschedule my departure until the swelling subsided.
Regrettably, the hospital has now turned the matter over to collections. Reflecting on this incident, it appears that being fair and decent does not yield positive outcomes.
