Hospital to sheriff: Pay inmate's $1.8M medical bill
MUNCIE, Ind. — An Indiana health care system sent a letter to a local sheriff demanding that he pay $1.8 million in medical care costs for a former inmate's six-month stay at a hospital.
Delaware County (Ind.) Sheriff Ray Dudley said that the man was no longer an inmate two days after he went to Ball Memorial Hospital, when a judge ordered him released, and the county has no responsibility to pay Indiana University Health. The sheriff also questioned the amount of medication billed as given to the inmate during his first two days in the hospital.
The "Demand for Payment" letter sent by an IU Health attorney to Dudley on Aug. 17 also suggests that Dudley violated the state law that makes sheriffs responsible for the medical care of their inmates.
Dudley indicated Wednesday that he'll dispute the letter from Jenna Rager, from the Office of Legal Escalation at Indiana University Health. The sheriff noted that his entire annual budget for medical care for jail inmates is just more than $500,000, or less than a third of the amount IU Health seeks.
"The hospital doesn't have the right to say we have to provide medical care after an inmate has been released," said Dudley. "If so, anybody we would take to the hospital, we would still be responsible for their care even after they're no longer in our custody."
IU Health Ball Memorial Hospital released a statement in response to a request for comment.
"In order to respect the privacy of patients, we are not in a position to comment. In any matter involving a billing dispute, we would work with the responsible party to arrive at a mutual understanding and agreement of terms," the hospital said in an email.
Under state law, sheriffs are responsible for medical costs for jail inmates in their custody. For decades, the county has paid for not only immediate medical treatment but also vision and dental care for inmates.
"This is why we have a medical provider in the jail," Dudley said, referring to Advanced Correctional Healthcare of Illinois.
The IU Health complaint is about a 41-year-old man, who was arrested in July 2016 after allegedly stealing nearly $3,800 worth of Ray-Ban sunglasses from a Muncie, Ind., vision care center.
Dudley said the man, who also has threatened a lawsuit against the jail, was booked into the jail in the Delaware County Justice Center on July 26, 2016.
After the man complained of illness, headache and shortness of breath, the jail medical staff decided he should be transported to IU Health Ball Memorial on July 30, 2016.
Dudley said jail records indicate that a judge released the man from custody Aug. 1, 2016.
The former inmate could not be reached for comment this week. A message also was left for an attorney who has represented him in past cases.
The "formal demand for payment of services rendered" letter sent by IU Health to Dudley said the man was arrested on July 28, 2016 and "detained without bail in the Delaware County jail for two days when he was transported to IU Health Ball Memorial on July 30, 2016," after complaining of "aching all over and shortness of breath."
The man was diagnosed with "septic shock," according to the IU Health letter, and was given a breathing tube because of respiratory distress.
The man "was clearly under lawful detention at the time he was transported from Delaware County jail to IU Health Ball Memorial on July 30, 2016," according to the demand letter. "His release does not alleviate Delaware County from financial responsibility."
The letter maintains, "Soon after he was admitted as an inpatient, IU Health was notified (a police hold) was no longer in effect, as Delaware County jail decided to release" the man on July 31, 2016.
"The timing of (the former inmate's) release from Delaware County jail is curious and likely in violation of IC 36-2-13-18(d) which prevents a county from releasing an inmate to avoid financial responsibility for health care services.
"For the above stated reasons, the Delaware County jail is expected to reimburse IU Health for the medical care provided to (the man) from July 30, 2016, through Dec. 5, 2016. Please respond within 15 days of receipt of this letter with payment on IU Health's claims of $1,884,036.12."
Dudley questioned some of the charges for the former inmate's care detailed on an invoice covering the inmate's initial two days of treatment at the hospital. The total for those two days, which are the only ones the county acknowledges he was an inmate, is $60,468.
Charges include several thousand dollars for 241 pills given the man in those two days, Dudley said.
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Please respond within 15 days of receipt of this letter with payment on IU Health's claims of $1,884,036.12."
Dudley questioned some of the charges for the former inmate's care detailed on an invoice covering the inmate's initial two days of treatment at the hospital. The total for those two days, which are the only ones the county acknowledges he was an inmate, is $60,468.
I think it's obvious who the real criminals are. Healthcare in the US is fucked.
And the great con continues by the health care industry.
So the fact that a man was picked up on a 1st degree felony, goes to the hospital and 2 days later is "released" from custody by a judge.....on a 1st degree felony charge!......doesn't seem a bit strange to you? Who's doing the conning again?
Ahem - 1.8 million dollars. Does that sound at all reasonable to you?
He was in the hospital for over 6 months!
"An Indiana health care system sent a letter to a local sheriff demanding that he pay $1.8 million in medical care costs for a former inmate's six-month stay at a hospital ."
He suffered from septic shock, basically blood poisoning
But when do you ever hear of someone arrested on a 1st degree felony "released" from custody, no bail, no hearing, no strings attached?
I guarantee you that every tax paying citizen in that community would rather the charges be dropped so that the hospital can try to extract $10k/day from the criminal instead of them. What the hell do you think the hospital could be doing to charge $10,000 per day for six months?
The letter maintains, "Soon after he was admitted as an inpatient, IU Health was notified (a police hold) was no longer in effect, as Delaware County jail decided to release" the man on July 31, 2016.
If they did indeed release and notify the hospital, it would seem that the hospital is doing the conning. How in the world do you charge $10,000 a day knowing that he was released from a police hold...Sounds like the hospital thought they had a gold mine and could bill the county.
The 1st degree felony was for stealing $3,800 worth of sunglasses. It doesn't sound like a violent criminal at all.
What the hell do you think the hospital could be doing to charge $10,000 per day for six months?
Well said. All I saw was a breathing tube and 241 pills in a few days - which I'm not buying. Then a 6 month stay? Indiana should make this an example case. Have medical experts look at the bill. Were state officials notified and updated by the hospital of this lengthy stay. Most important - what caused this illness.
The citizens of Indiana should start a petition regarding the broadness of this law. Put it on the ballot for the next election. My recommendations:
1) The Sheriff dept would only be responsible if the need for hospitalization was caused by something law-enforcement did.
2) The hospital needs to update law enforcement of length of stay - let's say weekly, if over a week
3) Any injuries caused via resisting arrest are on the patient.