THR cost by numbers!

[Sofa King]

Hey All!

I just unpacked my new laptop, (some of you know what I mean), and I was online in about 3 minutes! Sweeeeet! I don't deserve it though...

Anyway, just got my itemized cost report from the hospital in the mail today, and some of you may be curious to compare. I paid a $300 deductible the day of surgery (20 days ago), and this is just the list. My insurance, or the hospital, has yet to bill me for my share, (I was told I'd be liable for 10%? I HOPE thats all!).

As follows: LTHR, cross poly cup, ceramic ball, titanium post:

Room and Bed Private General Class ~ $3,050.00
Pharmacy ~ $585.22
Medical/Surgical supplies ~ $684.00
Non Sterile supply ~ $117.00
Sterile supply ~ $1,366.00
Supply/IMPLANTS ~ $9,315.00 (WOW! My prosthetics cost that much!?!)
Laboratory ~ $1,159.00
Radiology/Diagnostic ~ $322.00
OR Services ~ $5,491.00 (Sheesh! Jo, I'm starting to wish I was a Brit!)
Anesthesia ~ $855.00
Physical Therapy ~ $552.00 (they visited 3 times in 5 days while in the hospital, for 30 minutes total!!!)
PT eval/Re-eval ~ $347.00 (they visited 2 times for a total of 15 minutes!)
Occupational Therapy ~ $240.00 (they visited once, that I can remember!)
DRUGS REQUIRE DETAIL CODING ~ $4,057.35 (what's that? the Morphine S.?)
Self administered Drugs ~ $399.48 (or is this the M. Sulphate? What's above?)
Recovery Room ~ $804.00 (was there about 15 minutes, while I ranted and raved "what in the heck did you do to me!?!?!? Was a 14 on the 1-10 pain scale, and didn't even know where I was or where I'd been!)
EKG/ECG ~ $125.00
Peripheral VASCULAR LAB ~ $310.00 (guess this was the dopplar ultrasound)

TOTAL CHARGES: $30,126.05 (OF which, I think I'm going to pay for 10%? I hope that's all! Haven't received the bill yet...)

Anyway, hope that was interesting and informative to you guys, and something you can compare your bills with. Jo, it would be so nice to be a Brit or Canadian having this done! American Health care is exorbitant, and woe unto anyone who doesn't have good health care insurance! (Unless you're an illegal alien, it's free to you, but those of us who are working class, it's absorbed into OUR costs!) Let me know...

~Dalton

 

[JudyS]

Dalton,
I did not get an itemized bill from the hospital just an insurance statement. My hospital bill totalled $94,533.26l. I'll request an itemized one it will make for interesting reading.
Blue Cross PPO paid $13,496.25. They disallowed (or whatever they call it $80,293.36)

My share will be $743.75.

I read online today at my insurance site about the surgeons fee. It was apx. $10,000. Insurance paid apx. $2,000.

Crazy stuff
Judy

 

[Sofa King]

Judy,

Your total bill was $94K? I stayed 5 days, how long for you? And what was your surgery? THR, right? I wonder why yours and mine were so different. I thought mine was expensive, but $94K!?!? Also, you said your total cost was about $750.00. I think I'll end up paying over $3 grand. I guess it all comes down to where you had your surgery, and your insurance coverage. Either way, health care in the U.S. ain't cheap. Talk to you tomorrow.


~D.

 

[JudyS]

Dalton,
My surgery was right THR. I was also in for 5 days. That is a huge difference. I have blue cross PPO.
I will call for the itemized bill on monday. I did use 2 tooth brushes!!!!

Actually the study I was in paid for day 5 so my hospital bill was for 4 days.
I had better get to bed.
Judy

 

[Josephine]

 

[sunshine]

Gee I got a bill for the three days in the hospital and it was 30 grand. I now have lots of other bills floating in from rehab facility and meds, x rays so I am not sure what I have to pay yet except $500.00. That is an ASSUME so we all know how that works.LOL
Ummmm The implant is pretty costly...WOW More then the anesthesologist got paid???
To me he is the guy that holds your life together ......

 

[westexas]

Dalton,
If I threw in all the numbers back from Feb 26th, including the before visits, xrays, fllights and driving to and from Dallas, hotel stay for hubby on top of hospital , I would say about 35grand for the doc, operation, five days in hospital and then throw in about another 5 grand or more for everything else. We have United Health Care and they did pay pretty good. I go back for the 5 month checkup July 10th...Another plane flight, car rental, etc...And just think the other hip is also arthritic. GEE......I think I better go sit down....Patty

Oh and Judy, I did bring everything home from the hospital room including the two toothbrushes....lol.....

 

[1jt@atime]

Dalton, You are going to have more bills from the surgeon, at least. Maybe you will only have to pay 10% of the insurance companies' agreed upon rate rather then the total amount actually billed. The agreed upon rate is probably about 1/3 of what was actually billed. Hopefully that will be true for you.

 

[JudyS]

Patty,
I usually bring everything home too. Jeff came and said lets hurry up as my 19 year old was mad that she had to wait at college to get picked up!!!!
Her car had broken down the day before. I needed my CRV to get home in and husband would not let Jamie drive his car!!!
It was a typical crazy time. I was kind of in the mood of lets just get me out of here so I did not take any thing home with me!!!
Judy

 

[Josephine]

I recently got a copy of "Your Complete Guide to Total Hip Replacements" by Jennifer Frantin, P.T. - it was recommended elsewhere on here. Now remembering that I have little or no clue about American Health systems and hospitals so the following was a bit of a surprise to me but upon reflection, I thought it was commensensical!

She said ...

"To make the most of the time you spend in hospital, there are a few things you should know.

First, almost everything in that room (excluding the furniture and TV) from the water pitcher to the egg crate under the sheets has been bought and paid for by you (or at the very least, by your insurance company). Make sure you take all of it with you. Some of these pieces of equipment, like a urinal or bedpan, may come in handy later on when you get home. Be sure to take the abduction pillow, the egg crate mattress cover and anything that they will likely dispose of once you have gone. They are yours, bought and paid for in full. Check with the nurse if you have any questions about what you can and cannot take. "

I got to tell you, here in the UK we'd have a hissy fit if any of our patients did that!

Q. What on earth is an egg crate!

 

[JudyS]

Josephine,
I think the egg crate is a type of mattress pad made of foam and shaped like an egg crate. I did not have one.
When I had my first child almost 23 years ago, I developed an extremely high fever the next day.
While figuring out what was causing it, I was put on a cooling blanket. It was under me and basicaly circulated cold water. I remember the nurse at the end telling me they had only used one bottle of distilled water and to make sure the insurance co. was not billed for the second.
I thought, they cost about 50 cents, what is the big deal. On the bill it was about $30.00 for each gallon!!!

That was my introduction to hospital billing
Judy

 

[Josephine]

Crikey! Could have had a half decent bottle of wine for that!

 

[1jt@atime]

Here's a picture of one Jo. An egg crate mattress pad supposedly makes an uncomfortable mattress more comfortable. I don't see them as much these days as I did 10-20 years ago.

 

[Josephine]

Curious - are they really that comfortable? I'd prefer a nice overlay of PressureFoam myself.

 

[Eeyore346]

Egg create- it is kinda like a matress. It is called that because it looks like the egg holders do. It has indentations in it that looks like you could put an egg in each one. It is used to prevent bed sores. People use them on their wheelchairs too.

Here is a web site that shows a picture.

broken link removed: https://www.allegromedical.com/hospital-discharge-favorites-c5000/foam-eggcrate-mattress-overlay-p191439.html

Hope this helps.
Sandy

 

[1jt@atime]

Same result. I would prefer a flat piece of foam too. I never liked the feeling of lumpiness across the top of the sheet and never could understand their popularity.

I've noticed with my recent hospital stays in two different hospitals that air beds have become the general rule around here. They are much more comfortable.

 

[Sofa King]

While in the hospital, I had a very nice bed that would mechanically move into any position, (raising or lowering the legs or head), I could want. The pad I layed upon, (not an egg crate) was motorized, and alternately in different sections, inflated, deflated, and vibrated. It was very nice and comfortable, and helped greatly in preventing bed sores and lack of circulation. As it was integrated with the bed itself, I didn't assume that I could take it home, but would have liked to! The bed was far more comfortable than spending 23 hours a day in my recliner, which I've done for the last 15 days. As far as the egg crate, I used to use them, but about 4 years ago switched to one of the 1.5 inch thick memory foam pads purchased for about $100 from Wal-Mart, which are identical to the expensive Swedish mattresses you see on tv, but perform the same for a fraction of the cost. If any of you DON'T have one yet, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THEM! They stay cool, and mold to your body, distributing pressure equally among body parts, and I wouldn't sleep without one now.

~Dalton

 

[sunshine]

I have an egg crate on my bed but only because my bed is super hard. I never feel the lumps or anything it is comfty. My daughter also bought me a memory foam for my bed in the hospital as I could not sleep. It is nice to bu I prefer the crate and when I bought mine it was like $20.00 for a queen size. The memory foam is nice but is was for a single bed so I will put it on my raised blowup bed when I can sleep on that again.

 

[Josephine]

wow, Dalton! Sounds like you had the Rolls Royce version! I have an electric bed at home and have done for some years as I found it helped with my rotator cuff problems and my bad neck. And I have a MemoryFoam (not pressure foam!) overlay on the mattress. Wonderful!

 

[2hips]

Thought I would join ya'll in this conversation. Don't post much but do read and try to keep up.


I live in Western NC and I had both my surguries in Asheville at Mission Hospital. My 1st hip was $26,509.52 and the 2nd surgery was about $200.00 less. I have PPO with Blue cross/Blue shield. My deductible is $350.00 and the hospital wanted $100.00 up front. So I had met my deductible before getting to the hospital. After meeting my deductible I had to pay a co-insurance deductible which was $1250.00 which I started receiving credit for after the deductible was met. Now the $1250.00 could be meet through payments to various drs. for various services. So didin't mean the hospital received the entire $1250.00.
It was paid to my surgeon, anesthesia services and the hospital.

Dalton (just a thought) I'm wondering if maybe your insurance works the same way as mine.
Make sure the hospital submits everything to your insurance company. They had a separate bill of $646.00 they had failed to bill to the insurance. The hospital was trying to force me to pay it after I called Blue cross/Blue Shield the hospital got that corrected immediately.

Deborah