Holy cow!

newbee36

We are still dealing with hospital bills from pregnancy/delivery. We had ordered itemized bills...and now I am looking at them. Vitamin C tablet costs $7? Calcium tablet also...and all the vitamin tablets. In a grocery store for $7 I buy 100 tablets of vitamins. How do they even justify that cost??? I am not getting into rest of the items, but it is ridicules and it doesn't make sense. I was not as upset at the huge bills, but now I am staring at the itemized bills in disbelieve... 

robynlesley

While I only had a $500 copay for induction, labor & delivery, and maternity stay I did save the itemized bill (I paid off the copay in 12 months in payments of $41.67) and they charged me like $11 for ONE Colace pill.  A tucks pad was $18. I could buy about 500 pads for that amount. It's insane.

 

stever

IDK, but I had 2 Ibuprofen while I was in the hospital(didn't need the serious pain killers) and they were like $10 a piece. Lame.

Assembly_Reqd

It is redic but you are paying for more than the pill.

-You are paying the person who inventories & orders the meds

-You are paying for the person who refills all the med carts and the computers and software that manage the medcarts

-You are paying for the RN to login to the medcart, get out said pill, and deliver it to your bedside.

The more people that touch that damn pill the more expensive it gets..

newbee36

Assembly_Reqd:

It is redic but you are paying for more than the pill.

-You are paying the person who inventories & orders the meds

-You are paying for the person who refills all the med carts and the computers and software that manage the medcarts

-You are paying for the RN to login to the medcart, get out said pill, and deliver it to your bedside.

The more people that touch that damn pill the more expensive it gets..

All of the things on the list are billed separately though.

Piranha54

newbee36:

Assembly_Reqd:

It is redic but you are paying for more than the pill.

-You are paying the person who inventories & orders the meds

-You are paying for the person who refills all the med carts and the computers and software that manage the medcarts

-You are paying for the RN to login to the medcart, get out said pill, and deliver it to your bedside.

The more people that touch that damn pill the more expensive it gets..

All of the things on the list are billed separately though.

I know all of those expenses are built into room charges etc. at the hospital where I work. You may get a break down for general nursing care, physician care and therapy services (a nutrition consult, lactation specialist, the speech therapist that did the hearing test) but the pharmacy techs (those that pull the meds for the pharmacists to check and deliver to the units), the technology needed to deliver that pill etc. are not directly charged or itemized. Can't legally do it. Not saying $7 is appropriate but...

newbee36

Piranha54:

newbee36:

Assembly_Reqd:

It is redic but you are paying for more than the pill.

-You are paying the person who inventories & orders the meds

-You are paying for the person who refills all the med carts and the computers and software that manage the medcarts

-You are paying for the RN to login to the medcart, get out said pill, and deliver it to your bedside.

The more people that touch that damn pill the more expensive it gets..

All of the things on the list are billed separately though.

I know all of those expenses are built into room charges etc. at the hospital where I work. You may get a break down for general nursing care, physician care and therapy services (a nutrition consult, lactation specialist, the speech therapist that did the hearing test) but the pharmacy techs (those that pull the meds for the pharmacists to check and deliver to the units), the technology needed to deliver that pill etc. are not directly charged or itemized. Can't legally do it. Not saying $7 is appropriate but...

Thanks for the explanation. I get that the pills should be more expensive in the hospital, but it is still crazy. I don't want to sound like a complainer all time, but this huge hospital bills I have not seen in my entire life. In Europe transplanting heart might be cheaper then the whole pregnancy/delivery cost here in the States... But, I promise I won't discuss this anymore:) 

benoitfan

wow...that's nuts.  Say what you want about Canadian public healthcare, but I tell you it's a great feeling to walk into the hospital of your choice, have your baby and walk out and pay absolutely nothing.  Well, they said it was going to cost me $20 for a phone in my room, but they never came to collect and didn't mail me a bill!