A woman was charged $847 for an online medical consultation for her 3-year-old son.
Local outlet KDVR reported that Colorado children’s hospital made a high-priced consultation fee which was intended as a “facility fee” despite having the consultation via “Zoom call.”
Mother Brittany Tesso said she received the bill from Children’s Hospital after an initial $676.89 charge for a two-hour speech therapy examination.
Colorado Hospital Charges Woman $847 For ‘Zoom Call’ With Doctors https://t.co/4k2Sa5pxcg
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Tesso said that the charge “thought was extreme,” but nonetheless paid.
“I can tell you right now I would’ve gone elsewhere if they had told me there was an $850 fee, essentially for a Zoom call,” she said.
The mother questioned the “facility fee” considering she and the doctors were just at home.
She said a hospital representative told her she would be charged the same amount regardless through virtual or face-to-face.
Adam Fox, deputy director at the Colorado Consumer Health Initiative, questioned the fee.
“This sounds like essentially gouging, it’s really charging for a facility, i.e., the hospital, which they are not even accessing,” Fox said.
Moreover, Legislators has introduced Colorado Option which is a form of state-backed insurance to help residents by providing them affordable healthcare. However, many criticized the plan, claiming that it will place too much power in the hands of state politicians, in which they believed it could pose a risk for consumers.
Children’s Hospital Colorado, in a reply to KDVR, did not address the $847.35 charge, but it claimed that it seeks “affordable and accessible care” for all patients.
“This is not exclusively a Children’s Colorado issue, and we suggest that you speak to other providers, insurers, and legislators to provide a broader perspective on the system that governs how we all operate,” the hospital told KDVR. “We want affordable and accessible care for all of our patients, and we continually look at our practices to see where we can adjust and improve while at the same time, we work to build a functioning system of care for kids.”
