glenn shanks

Review of Cedar Park Regional Medical Ce...

UPDATE:

UPDATE:
Anyone who reads these reviews notices that the hospital staff responds to them, offering assistance. The did so to my review (see below) from a few months ago. I called, as the reply to my review requested. I told the same story. Again. She offered to "look into it." I was promised a call back. I did not get a call from the hospital. I did get a call from the Emergency Room Doctor's of Central Texas manager. They are no longer the sub-contractor used by Cedar Park Regional. Dr. Lee listened to my story and adjusted the fee to a more reasonable amount. Cedar Park Regional made no adjustment.

Avoid Cedar Park Regional Medical Center.

ORIGINAL POST:
My son clearly broke his collarbone. We took him to the emergency room at Cedar Park Regional Medical Center. We were escorted to an exam room within minutes. The nurse quickly asked what happened, then the doctor came in and sent my son for x-rays. The doctor was in the room less than three minutes. The x-rays took a few minutes and the doctor returned approximately 10 minutes later. He affirmed that it was a broken collarbone and recommended that we see a pediatric orthopedist. This interaction with the doctor was also less than three minutes. Our entire time with the doctor was approximately six minutes.

Then we got the bill. Over $4000. The two x-rays were over $800. The doctor's bill was over $2000. The hospital room charges were over $1000.

First, the doctor's bill. This hospital contracts their ER docs from a company called Emergency Room Doctors of Central Texas. They have a Better Business Bureau rating of a D. They rated my son's visit as a "Level 4." This is one level below gun shot wounds, stab wounds, and patients coming in with no pulse. I tried calling them. The person in charge of billing is Susan Potter. She does not take phone calls. She only responds through USPS mail. I got the run around. I reached out to the hospital folks for help. They verified the accuracy of the doctor's billing.

Next, the x-rays. Why were they over $800? I wanted to know. I called and was transferred to billing. They told me to talk to imaging. Imaging told me to talk to billing. Finally, a hospital administrator told me they must charge those rates to be able to have an emergency room open 24 hours a day with a trained person to operate the x-ray. There are at least 20 more x-ray machines in that hospital.

I spoke with Frances, who was incredibly kind about everything I asked. But there were no changes.

Scott and White is 4 miles east on 1431. We went there for our next sports related incident. We were there longer. We spent MUCH more time with the doctor. The room was messy when we left. x-rays were taken. The bill was under $1200.

Avoid Cedar Park Regional Medical Center.