Macon, Ga., Medical Center Might Sue City
Jul. 21–A Macon hospital says it will sue the city for almost $780,000 in unpaid medical bills unless a deal can be worked out soon.
The Medical Center of Central Georgia sent a letter Monday to the city, asking for payment of the medical bills of people police have taken to the hospital for treatment or provided with rape kits.
The hospital is seeking $763,200 in medical bills and $15,900 in fees for sexual assault testing.
The reimbursements cover more than 100 people and date back to October 2003. The charges in question range from $36 to as much as $200,265.
“(The city) owes the Medical Center a total of $779,127.23 for treating its inmates,” a letter to the city from hospital attorneys states. “If this matter is not resolved shortly, the city will force the Medical Center to file suit to recover the sums it is owed.”
According to the letter, the Medical Center billed the city for each of the accounts “shortly after services were rendered.”
Tripp Self, one of the attorneys with Sell & Melton representing the hospital, referred comments to the hospital’s administration.
Mayor Jack Ellis said he disagrees with the hospital’s request and said “we’ll battle that in court, and we’ll see who owes what when it’s all said and done.”
“That’s the thing about this … whole operation. We give. The city is always the cash-cow for everybody,” Ellis said. “Everybody comes with their hands open all the time and (they) say: ‘We don’t have any money.’”
Medical Center CEO Don Faulk said he understands that Macon has been struggling financially, but “there are bills that come due, and hopefully we … can work this out.”
“We have to be serious in the collection of our bills, and this is part of the process of trying to work with the city to get those bills collected when they are not paid,” Faulk said. “It’s not fair to our paying patients to have to pick up unpaid bills.”
He said that in the past few months, officials with the hospital and city have held “routine” talks about the issue.
“No one likes to pay their bills, but they are bills, nevertheless,” Faulk said. “It’s unfortunate, but these particular bills are not held any differently than Georgia Power or anyone else (the city) has to pay for services rendered.”
Councilman Rick Hutto pointed to past lawsuits filed against the city by the hospital and said Macon “should be used to this.”
The councilman said the city should enter into negotiations with the Medical Center but that “we shouldn’t pay that full amount that they are demanding.”
In November 2003, the hospital sued the city for $137,000, and the following April the two sides settled for more than $71,000. The reason a new lawsuit would ask for medical care payments dating back to October 2003 is because the billing process can take several months, officials said.
Macon officials have long argued to little avail that the issue is about defining police custody. The city says it shouldn’t be responsible for hospital costs for people just because they were taken by police to the hospital. The issue is further muddied because sometimes a suspect is charged – and essentially taken into custody – immediately after the suspect leaves the hospital.
The city also has said the person who caused the injury or the person receiving treatment also should be responsible for the bill.
State lawmakers have never passed legislation addressing the issue.
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