Hospital bill stuns slain student's parents

[Modbert]

Hospital bill stuns slain student's parents - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News | Sacramento Bee

On Saturday, 10 days after Scott Hawkins was beaten to death inside his dormitory at California State University, Sacramento, his parents got a letter in the mail.

It contained a bill from the UC Davis Medical Center for $29,186.50 along with a form letter addressed "Dear Patient" that implied they were indigent and stated that the hospital no longer could provide them services.

"UC Davis can no longer provide follow-up care or any other non-emergency care to you," it read. "Please go to a County clinic for all non-emergency care or to get a referral to another doctor."

I am appalled but not surprised by this story.

Contacted by The Bee on Monday, Carole Gan, a hospital spokeswoman, called the mailing "a mistake."

Damn straight it was.

But that did nothing to allay how disturbing he finds it that the hospital sent the mailing at all.

"I can't believe this can happen in a civilized country," Hawkins said.

And that about sums it up.

 

[xotoxi]

Hospital bill stuns slain student's parents - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News | Sacramento Bee

On Saturday, 10 days after Scott Hawkins was beaten to death inside his dormitory at California State University, Sacramento, his parents got a letter in the mail.

It contained a bill from the UC Davis Medical Center for $29,186.50 along with a form letter addressed "Dear Patient" that implied they were indigent and stated that the hospital no longer could provide them services.

"UC Davis can no longer provide follow-up care or any other non-emergency care to you," it read. "Please go to a County clinic for all non-emergency care or to get a referral to another doctor."

I am appalled but not surprised by this story.

Contacted by The Bee on Monday, Carole Gan, a hospital spokeswoman, called the mailing "a mistake."

Damn straight it was.

But that did nothing to allay how disturbing he finds it that the hospital sent the mailing at all.

"I can't believe this can happen in a civilized country," Hawkins said.

And that about sums it up.

From the perspective of a physician, this is the very unfortunate but sometimes inevitable problem with automated mailings. A letter like this is bound to slip through the cracks as hard as they may try to prevent it from happening...especially in a large organization like a University Hospital.

In my small practice, when someone passes on, we make doubly sure that all of their future appointment are cancelled and they are removed from the schedule. There is nothing more embarrassing than having staff call Mr. Jones's house to remind him of his appointment, then have his wife remind them that he had died 6 months earlier.

 

[Emma]

Hospital bill stuns slain student's parents - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News | Sacramento Bee

On Saturday, 10 days after Scott Hawkins was beaten to death inside his dormitory at California State University, Sacramento, his parents got a letter in the mail.

It contained a bill from the UC Davis Medical Center for $29,186.50 along with a form letter addressed "Dear Patient" that implied they were indigent and stated that the hospital no longer could provide them services.

"UC Davis can no longer provide follow-up care or any other non-emergency care to you," it read. "Please go to a County clinic for all non-emergency care or to get a referral to another doctor."

I am appalled but not surprised by this story.

Contacted by The Bee on Monday, Carole Gan, a hospital spokeswoman, called the mailing "a mistake."

Damn straight it was.

But that did nothing to allay how disturbing he finds it that the hospital sent the mailing at all.

"I can't believe this can happen in a civilized country," Hawkins said.

And that about sums it up.

Nah. We don't need no stinkin' healthcare reform.

 

[Modbert]

Nah. We don't need no stinkin' healthcare reform.

Course not. By the way Emma, I replied to that thread you posted.

 

[Emma]

Nah. We don't need no stinkin' healthcare reform.

Course not. By the way Emma, I replied to that thread you posted.

Thanks.

 

[eagleseven]

It seems the victim was murdered with a baseball bat...by his roommate. Not a healthy relationship, would you say?

 

[xotoxi]

It seems the victim was murdered with a baseball bat...by his roommate. Not a healthy relationship, would you say?

I'm guessing that they won't be roommates next year.

 

[xsited1]

It appears the murderer, Quran Jones, was jacked-up on the hallucinogenic drug DMT. Prayers for Scott Hawkins' family. How tragic.