The bill arrived for $1,300 dollars. Payable now in it's entirety. She had 4 other invoices for smaller amounts ranging from $50 to $300. She came to me for help.
The largest invoice was for the Emergency Care Physician, an employee of Emergency Department Physician Service who contracts with the South Broward Hospital District to staff their Emergency Departments. She paid the hospital for their part of the services when she left the Emergency Department on the date of service.
I should disclose now that I'm a certified medical coder, trained risk manager, compliance director for hire (I'm between contracts) and healthcare administrator. Anyway, I also help patients negotiate paying their medical bills for a fee on the side. I often think about writing a diary like this one, but don't. This situation changed my mind. Details below.