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Can a Passenger of an Ambulance Also Get Charged Just for Riding With the Victim?
shelly3524g asked:
<BR%20/>Tags: Ambulance Service, Mistake, Medical Billing <BR%20/>About two weeks ago my friend was rushed to the ER. I ended up going with her in the ambulance. They also took me into the hospital to get checked out because I was so worked up over it, I thought she had died. Today I got a bill from the ambulance service for $660, but my friend still has to be charged. I knew I would have the hospital bill but Did the ambulance service make a mistake or did i really get charged for just riding with her?
if you were just a passenger then no, you would not have been charged, but since you were given medical attention at the end of the ride, then YES you were transported as a ‘patient’ sorry to say, you owe the bill.
You did not just ride along. You were taken in to be checked at the hospital period. It just so happened the ambulance was able to transport 2 patients. You both will be charged.
I think you got charged because you needed to get checked out by the hospital too.
If you were just riding along for your friend they don’t charge for that in my experience. It was because you got so worked up and they took you to the doc too.
It does sound a little debatable since you were riding along anyway probably, but I guess it all depends on what you mean by ‘worked up’ and what condition you were in, what exactly you said to the ambulance people, etc. You probably owe the money rightfully, but I suppose you could at least try to convince them not to bill you for it?
What did the paramedics do for you? Did they perform an assessment? Did they take a history? Did they check your vital signs? If the answer to any of these questions is yes, then you likely were a patient.
What was the nature of your friend’s medical problem? Were you both in a car accident or both exposed to something where the paramedic had a reasonable belief that you were a patient too? It sounds like you were just emotional about your friend. If that is all it was and you just wanted to ride with your friend to provide support, I would challenge the bill.