Sutter Davis Hospital

I was the victim of unnecessary and grossly inappropriate medical care at this facility that resulted in an exorbitant medical bill I cannot pay. When I voiced my concerns to the hospital's quality control department, not only did I not receive any compassion or concern as a patient going through cancer treatment, but I received a threatening and accusatory voice mail by the hospital's quality control representative, Vincent Smith. I saved his voice mail for legal recourse and I shared it with my health insurance company. I will not be silenced nor intimidated. I take this threat very seriously and it has motivated me to pursue medical malpractice regarding my entire ordeal at Sutter Davis Hospital.
I have a case for multiple HIPAA violations and falsification of medical records in addition to undue financial hardship. I have learned, in this process, that the Sutter Davis Hospital is quite threatened by educated patients who know their rights and self-advocate. The hospital's response to my concerns has been so juvenile in nature that has has almost been comical. At times, I feel as though I am dealing with a defensive teenager caught coming home after curfew rather than a medical facility.

I've also informed my friends, family, and colleagues of my treatment here since they are making decisions about their own health care options during the open enrollment season. Sutter is forcing me to choose between paying this bill (that should have never been accrued in the first place) or affording/pursuing life saving cancer treatment. Is this the type of facility/care/health system you want for you and your family?

Since this incident, I have managed to successfully persuade many in my social circle to avoid the Sutter Davis Hospital. To date, I have cost the hospital a thyroidectomy, a tonsillectomy, two cataract surgeries, a colonoscopy, and a birth (I convinced my colleague to have her baby elsewhere). I work in the field of mental health and education where medical topics arise frequently. The Sutter Davis Hospital has come up at work on more than one occasion and I have been able to have a strong influence in the Davis community.

To the Sutter Health System, money is what matters and what is ultimately important; therefore, I have and will continue to use my sphere of influence in my community to impact Sutter Davis Hospital's profit. I estimate the loss of the aforementioned procedures to total well over $500,000. I also have the peace of mind knowing that my friends and loved ones will not have to endure what I did at this facility.

Sutter Davis Hospital was recently fined $50,000 for infections and avoidable injuries at their facility. This was not their first fine, either. For any prospective patients who have read to this point in my review, I urge you to seek medical care elsewhere. Sutter Davis Hospital has also twice deleted my attempts to post this information directly on their Facebook page. I suppose they do not want any prospective patients to to be aware that they knowingly left a 6.5 inch piece of tubing in a patient after a surgery in 2012 and then refused to report it and remove it. The patient ended up with a blood clot in her lung as a result and had to have a second surgery to remove it.

Review: This complaint is with regards to physical therapy services received from Sutter Health, and the subsequent outrageous billing for these short sessions.On July 24th 2015, Ms. [redacted] sought physical therapy services from Sutter Physical Therapy following a knee overuse injury. Without being fully informed or being clearly made aware of the potential costs upfront, she attended 2 sessions from Sutter. Subsequently, she was billed an unbelievable amount first, $460 for the initial 30-minute consultation and then $198 for the second session of only 15 minutes, which totals almost $792 per hour. This is an utterly unreasonable charge considering services were performed by a physical therapist and not by a medical doctor, and also considering the much lower average rate for similar physical therapy services in California.After realizing the outrageous costs charged by Sutter Health, Ms. [redacted] had no choice but to immediately cancel her remaining sessions and to stop using Sutter Physical Therapy as an option for treatment of her injury.When Ms. [redacted] contacted Sutter Health customer service to inform them over the phone of the unreasonable charges and lack of upfront disclosure of financial details and communication before services were rendered, the response she received was merely that $198 for 15 minutes is lower than usual and that prices often total well above $200. This response by Sutter Health is unacceptable. Unfortunately, evidence of additional questionable charging practices by Sutter Health can easily be found in various complaints and reports filed by other former patients and published on the Internet. As a result, Ms. [redacted] has decided to also pursue restitution for these egregious fees charged, by filing complaints regarding Sutter Health with California state health management authorities and both state and federal consumer protection agencies, and to raise consumer awareness of Sutter Healths questionable practices and unclear communication.Desired Settlement: To expedite the resolution of this situation, Ms. [redacted] is willing to pay 30% of the overall charges unfairly demanded by Sutter Health, for a total of $200 to cover the less than 45 minutes of physical therapy that Ms. [redacted] actually received. This is more than fair. Ms. [redacted] will only tender this payment if Sutter Health agrees to adjust the bill and send her a new statement reflecting this adjustment on Account #: [redacted]

Business

Response:

Sutter Medical Foundation offers one of the most state-of the-art clinical environments available in health care today. In addition to its modern facilities and complex diagnostic and therapeutic service offering, SMF has a sophisticated electronic medical record and quality management systems that can make the health care experience and the outcome of care superior for patients. These investments do require a higher cost structure than would exist in a solo or independent physical therapy practice. We recognize the role we play in ensuring our services are affordable and we are committed to closely monitoring our cost structure, making adjustments where appropriate - so long as they will not adversely impact the quality of our care.Sutter is willing in this one case to accept Ms. [redacted]’s reduced payment of $200.00 for the physical therapy services only. Other services still pending payment are expected to be paid at Sutter’s usual and customary rates. An updated statement will be sent.