Out for Blood? For Routine Lab Work, the Hospital Billed Her $2,400

by | Nov 21, 2023 | Health

Reesha Ahmed was on cloud nine.

It was January and Ahmed was at an OB-GYN’s office near her home in Venus, Texas, for her first prenatal checkup. After an ultrasound, getting anti-nausea medication, and discussing her pregnancy care plan, she said, a nurse made a convenient suggestion: Head to the lab just down the hall for a standard panel of tests.

The lab was inside Texas Health Hospital Mansfield, which opened in December 2020 in a Dallas-Fort Worth suburb. Ahmed, just eight weeks pregnant, said the doctor told her everything about the visit was routine. “Nothing really stood out,” Ahmed said. “And, of course, there’s just a lot of excitement, and so I really didn’t think twice about anything.”

Her blood tests checked for multiple sexually transmitted infections, her blood type, and various hormones. Within days, Ahmed began bleeding and her excitement turned to fear. A repeat ultrasound in early February showed no fetus.

“My heart kind of fell apart at that moment because I knew exactly what that meant,” she said. She would have a miscarriage.

Then the bills came.

The Patient: Reesha Ahmed, 32, has an Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield policy through her employer.

Medical Services: An analysis of Pap smear results and several blood tests in tandem with Ahmed’s initial prenatal visit, including complete blood count, blood type, and testing for STIs such as hepatitis B, syphilis, and HIV.

Service Provider: Ahmed got her tests at Texas Health Mansfield, a tax-exempt hospital jointly operated …

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Reesha Ahmed was on cloud nine.

It was January and Ahmed was at an OB-GYN’s office near her home in Venus, Texas, for her first prenatal checkup. After an ultrasound, getting anti-nausea medication, and discussing her pregnancy care plan, she said, a nurse made a convenient suggestion: Head to the lab just down the hall for a standard panel of tests.

The lab was inside Texas Health Hospital Mansfield, which opened in December 2020 in a Dallas-Fort Worth suburb. Ahmed, just eight weeks pregnant, said the doctor told her everything about the visit was routine. “Nothing really stood out,” Ahmed said. “And, of course, there’s just a lot of excitement, and so I really didn’t think twice about anything.”

Her blood tests checked for multiple sexually transmitted infections, her blood type, and various hormones. Within days, Ahmed began bleeding and her excitement turned to fear. A repeat ultrasound in early February showed no fetus.

“My heart kind of fell apart at that moment because I knew exactly what that meant,” she said. She would have a miscarriage.

Then the bills came.

The Patient: Reesha Ahmed, 32, has an Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield policy through her employer.

Medical Services: An analysis of Pap smear results and several blood tests in tandem with Ahmed’s initial prenatal visit, including complete blood count, blood type, and testing for STIs such as hepatitis B, syphilis, and HIV.

Service Provider: Ahmed got her tests at Texas Health Mansfield, a tax-exempt hospital jointly operated …nnDiscussion:nn” ai_name=”RocketNews AI: ” start_sentence=”Can I tell you more about this article?” text_input_placeholder=”Type ‘Yes'”]

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