Private Rooms Come With A Bigger Bill... Sometimes

Dear Nurse Katz,

Recently, I was checked into the hospital and offered a private room, but knowing the cost and what my insurance covered, I opted for the regular room. When I was rolled into what seemed to be a private room (there was another bed in the room, but no one occupied it the entire time I was there) I did not complain. When I received my bill, I noticed I was charged for a private room. Can they do this?

Paul
Boca Raton, Fl

Paul, simple errors like this happen all the time, and it is a good thing that you caught it because private rooms can really run up your bill. The confusion probably came when you were offered a private room and denied it, thus it might have been documented incorrectly. You can get a copy of your medical chart and based on your room number, you can easily prove that it was not a private room, especially since you mentioned that there was another bed in your room. In addition, if you happen to be given a private room because there were no semi-private rooms available, you should NOT have been billed for a private room.