Matthew Griffith

Review of Banner Thunderbird Medical Cen...

A few weeks ago, our son had croup, on 5/21 he wok...

A few weeks ago, our son had croup, on 5/21 he woke up at 4:00 in the morning having a hard time breathing. Our on call physician told us we should go to the ER. The staff including doctors and nurses were great, this is why Banner gets 2 stars as opposed to 1. We were there for an hour, they suctioned his nostrils and gave him a $35 medication. The amount they billed the insurance company? $1800. There is honestly no way those services should cost that much. Because we have a high deductible plan we were on the hook for over $1400. At no time was the cost of service transparent to us, the billing office has told us that the amount of time or services rendered during the visit are irrelevant, that the ER visit is based on a flat rate given the urgency of the condition. Our son was not rushed back, we had to wait, not a long time, but I would say of the hour we spent there, about 75% was waiting. Banner is a clear example of what's wrong with healthcare in America, lIt truly pains me to think of all the families that could have a similar experience and face the choice of seeking medical care for their child or taking their chances to wait for their physician or urgent care to see them. He was starting to feel better during our wait, how hard would it be for the staff to tell us, "Before we take you back, you should know that we will bill your insurance company $1800."? If what the billing department told me was true, that there is a flat rate, this should be possible. The lack of transparency is clearly intentional due to the hospital counting on the non elasticity of emergency care. It's bad enough to be scared for the health of your child, but to be financially taken advantage of adds to the negative experience. My advice? See if you can get into a 24hr urgent care, and avoid the extortion of all Banner hospitals if you can.