Jan 14 2009
I wish I knew to opt out of hospital phone and TV
Just a tip for folks staying in the hospital after giving birth or otherwise: If you don’t plan on using your bedside phone or watching the television, tell your nurse or someone else who can help! They can deactivate the services for you so you won’t be billed. I wish I had known this beforehand.
I owe $22.47 to cover a phone that I didn’t use (except for the two wrong number calls I received) and TV that I watched only after learning that I was going to be billed for it anyway.
Not much money, but enough to make me grumble just a bit.
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I never would have realized it was an optional expense sort of thing. Good thing it wasn’t too expensive, but still, makes you think they should let you know that somewhere.
Erin’s last blog post..Baby Weight
With our first baby they went over all of the room options with us when we did our unit walkthrough and met the anesthesiologist. (Didn’t need him, but he was a nice guy!) They took down all of our insurance information and patient registration information. They let us choose whether or not we wanted a private room, which was a little more expensive but a choice we were happy with. Television was included with the room at no charge. We declined an outside line for the phone at that time, and we were never charged for it. We did get a few in-house calls on it though, as my aunt worked in that hospital.
I’m not sure how this hospital will be, when we have been there for tests they haven’t been very accommodating. Hopefully they will work with us!
KayleighJeanne’s last blog post..Homesteading Tools: The Dust Pan
I would call them and see if the fee can be waived. I would tell them I was unaware of the charges and I didn’t even use the services I was charged for. I understand that it wasn’t much, but every little bit helps, and you could put that money into little Johnny’s savings account!
Marybeth at http://www.babygoodbuys.com‘s last blog post..Online Sale: Up to 75% off Vincent Shoes
Good call. I should just put a sticker on my forehead that asks “Are there any hidden fees i should know about?”
Fabulously Broke in the City
“Just a girl trying to find a balance between being a Shopaholic and a Saver.“
Fabulously Broke’s last blog post..Saver: Book Reviews
At our hospital they had a program where you paid $10.00 to be in a “club” and that is all that the phone and TV costs you. I remembered that with the second baby and signed up then too so we wouldn’t be charged an enormous amount if we did use the phone or TV.
If you weren’t aware of you’d be charged, you should call and have the fees waived. I was able to do this after a 6 day stay in the hospital after my son’s birth in 2007. I told them I was never told about the charges (which I wasn’t), and told them if they could produce paperwork showing that I accepted the charges, I’d be glad to pay them. They had no such paperwork. I’d say a 5 minute phone call is worth the twenty-two dollars!
BTW, I’ve enjoyed reading your blogs for a couple months now. I’m a fellow new-to-Pittsburgh, mom of a son (14 months), natural leaning (still breast-feeding), frugal-spending gal. We’ve got a lot in common!