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"Invoice for no service provided in Emergency Department"

About: Box Hill Hospital

(as a relative),

My relative came over to Melbourne with her husband a few months ago. While I was at work, they visited the Box Hill Plaza and my relative had a fall and knocked her head against a dining chair in the food court. She was bleeding profusely and being a tourist here, they do not know what to do. The Box Hill Plaza security came and offered them to go to Box Hill Hospital. So, they went to the Emergency Department and had paid the cashier $440. They were told to wait in the waiting room.

After 3 hours of waiting, there was no service provided. No one came to talk to them. No one seemed bothered or concerned. Feeling the pain and bleeding for the 3 hours waiting there, she decided to cancel her appointment. She approached the cashier and demanded to have her money back and to cancel her appointment. She got her money back and went to a specialist nearby to have her bleeding forehead attended. Within 20 minutes, she was attended to and was given 8 stitches. This is the service that we expected as this is classified as an emergency.

Now, I received an invoice of $440 from Eastern Health, trading as Box Hill Hospital, for my relative. 

OSV110 - Facility fee and treatment emergency attendance - $440

In fact, there was no emergency attendance nor treatment nor facility tendered to her. Why is she getting this invoice?

She has been given 7 days to pay this account!

Moreover, there is a threat from the letter that - this may result in referral to a debt collector with additional costs.  

Can someone please provide me with some answers? I believe that the cashier did not cancel the appointment in your computer system. Thus, the invoice was generated. 

    

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Responses

Response from David Plunkett, Chief Executive, Eastern Health 5 years ago
David Plunkett
Chief Executive,
Eastern Health
Submitted on 14/05/2018 at 7:31 PM
Published on Care Opinion on 15/05/2018 at 9:21 AM


picture of David Plunkett

Dear inappropriate invoice

Thank you so much for sharing your feedback on Patient Opinion. Please accept my apologies for your relative not being able to receive treatment when they came to the Emergency Department at Box Hill Hospital. I note your comment regarding receiving a further invoice from Eastern Health for a service that wasn't received.

I would be very pleased if you could please contact the Eastern Health Centre for Patient Experience on email feedback@easternhealth.org.au or phone at 1800 EASTERN so we can review and sort through your circumstances specifically.

Many thanks again inappropriate invoice for bringing this to my attention and trust we will have this sorted ASAP.

Kind regards

David

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