麻花视频

The distance was 7 miles. At the time, Rucker was not on life-support, or oxygen, or hooked up to an EKG, or a blood pressure cuff. He didn鈥檛 even have an oxygen sensor on his finger.

The ambulance provider was Colorado-based American Medical Response. In January, AMR sent Rucker a bill for $4,942, which worked out to more than $700 per mile for that ride.

The transport took 15 minutes, Rucker said.

He contacted yours truly in March. By then, AMR was dunning him by text for $4,070.68, claiming that was Rucker鈥檚 out-of-pocket cost, after his out-of-network insurer (Anthem) paid $871.

To put it mildly, that bill seemed bizarrely excessive.

In part, it鈥檚 because AMR is not in Anthem鈥檚 provider network. (In Virginia, AMR鈥檚 sole 鈥渋n-network鈥� insurer is Aetna.) So that drove the cost up some.

Also, AMR has a track record of overbilling that has played out in

So I inquired with Colorado-based AMR.

Kirsten Gurmendi, a spokeswoman for the company, told me Rucker鈥檚 bill was erroneous. AMR had wrongly charged him for critical care transport rather than routine transport, she quickly acknowledged.

Gurmendi also said the company had discovered its overbilling in an audit before I brought it to AMR鈥檚 attention.

I have no reason to suspect that鈥檚 untrue. But for whatever reason, AMR did not inform Rucker of the overbilling 鈥� until after I began raising questions. Even after Gurmendi admitted the bill was way too high, AMR dunned Rucker for $4,070 by text.

One issue that remained was how much Rucker鈥檚 AMR bill should have been, at the lower level of service. But Gurmendi couldn鈥檛 say. Recalculating his bill would take 30 to 45 days, she said in March. Instead, it took roughly 90 days.

In June, Rucker finally received AMR鈥檚 recalculated invoice. Thursday, I went over to his house to give it a look. Rather than $4,942, the new total was $1,363.82. Even better, it cut Rucker鈥檚 out-of-pocket cost for the ambulance ride from $4,070 to $492.

But believe it or not, that might not be the end of this mess.

In light of the recalculated bill, Rucker also received a recalculated explanation of benefits from Anthem. And that said the insurer would pay $307 for a basic transport, though it already has paid $871 for Rucker鈥檚 鈥渃ritical care鈥� transport.

If Anthem wants the $564 overpayment back from AMR, the ambulance company could bill Rucker for that amount in a second recalculated bill. At this point it鈥檚 unclear whether AMR will send one.

A case of appendicitis

Rucker鈥檚 ambulance-bill saga dates all the way back to Sept. 16, last summer.

Experiencing abdominal pain, he drove himself to LewisGale Blue Hills ER late that afternoon 鈥� it was a Monday. A physician diagnosed appendicitis and said Rucker needed surgery at a hospital.

Rucker was given a shot of pain medication and informed the ER would arrange for ambulance transport to his hospital of choice. That was Carilion 麻花视频 Memorial Hospital.

Rucker asked the doctor how much the ambulance would cost, and she replied it was a question for his insurer, he said.

He couldn鈥檛 drive himself because of the pain medication shot, the doctor told him. The doctor also nixed the idea of Rucker鈥檚 wife, Denise, driving him to 麻花视频 Memorial 鈥� because 鈥渋f my appendix burst, I could sue them,鈥� Rucker said.

Initially, the ER personnel told Rucker to expect to wait two hours for the ambulance, he said. Later that night there was a shift change at LewisGale Blue Hills ER, which is open 24 hours.

The incoming crew told Rucker the ambulance would arrive in about six more hours. Rucker later learned the delay occurred because AMR鈥檚 local ambulance was on a run to Bland County.

It was after 3 a.m. Sept. 17, a Tuesday, when AMR鈥檚 ambulance finally showed up at LewisGale Blue Hills ER to transport Rucker 麻花视频 Memorial Hospital. He had been there since roughly 4 p.m. the previous day 鈥� almost 12 hours.

Rucker could have walked from LewisGale Blue Hills to 麻花视频 Memorial in fewer than three hours.

In March, LewisGale Medical Center spokesman Shane Dwyer suggested Rucker鈥檚 bill might have been $0 if he had opted for a ride to LewisGale in Salem, rather than 麻花视频 Memorial Hospital, which was closer.

鈥淲hen transferring from one of our ERs, LewisGale Medical Center will cover the cost of the ambulance transport if the patient is being transferred to its facility,鈥� Dwyer said.

Intends to pay the $492

Rucker earns a living buying, renovating and flipping houses. He told me Thursday he wants to keep a good credit score for the sake of his business. He鈥檇 rather not have it impacted by AMR鈥檚 bill.

That鈥檚 why he decided to pay the $492. He and AMR have already worked out a deal in which Rucker will pay them $50 monthly.

He鈥檚 currently renovating a house and 鈥渨hen i get my house flipped, I was going to go ahead and pay it off,鈥� he added.

But in light of Anthem鈥檚 recalculated explanation of benefits, Rucker might owe AMR more than $492.

You see, Anthem paid AMR $871 for what it believed was Rucker鈥檚 鈥渃ritical care鈥� transport last September. After AMR accurately rejiggered the bill and charged for a basic transport, Anthem rejiggered its explanation of benefits, and decided it owed $307 instead. The difference is $564.

If AMR gives the $564 back to Anthem, will the ambulance company try to reclaim the sum from Rucker? Will it send him a second recalculated bill, for a service it provided 10 months ago?

Friday morning, I put that question to Gurmendi, the AMR spokeswoman, and informed her my deadline was 5 p.m. EDT Friday.

At 11:23 a.m. she replied: 鈥淟et me ask. I鈥檒l circle back ASAP.鈥�

That was the last I heard from her.

Stay tuned.