By Stephanie Sierra and Renee Koury
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MORAGA, California (KGO) — What began as a kindhearted attempt to rescue a little gopher ended with a huge hospital bill for two Bay Area college students.
The ungrateful gopher bit both of its helpers, but the bites were nowhere near as big as the hospital bill. The students were charged thousands of dollars each for injuries that, in the end, required little more than a Spider-Man Band-Aid.
It all began at St. Mary’s College in Moraga, when a group of students, including Roark Rowland and Ali Darvish, saw a gopher struggling to climb out of its muddy hole.
“I’m trying to help you dude, I’m trying to help you, man!” Roark Rowland says on a video clip. He’s speaking to a gopher, who is stuck in a tangle of roots.
“It was squirming and making noises, its foot got wrapped up and it got stuck,” Rowland told 7 On Your Side.
The gopher kept nipping at Rowland’s hands and eventually bit him. Darvish then bent down to help and it bit his finger too.
“It bit me on the side of my hand, it was a tiny cut,” Rowland said.
At first, the two didn’t worry too much, but then their friends were talking about the possibility of rabies. The campus health clinic was closed along with urgent care, so they debated whether to go to the emergency room.
“We knew about the perils of going to the ER, and how much they charge,” Darvish said.
Which peril was worse? Possible rabies? Or a big hospital bill?
They went to the ER a couple miles away, at John Muir Hospital in Walnut Creek. After a long wait, they were told there is almost no chance of getting rabies from gophers. No need for shots and they each got a Spider-Man bandage.
A huge relief, until they got the bill.
“They gave us this bill for $1,200 and we said, ‘We got a Spider-Man Band-Aid for $1,200. You’re not serious right now, are you?” Rowland said. “And they were like, ‘No, no, no, no, this is just your bill for showing up,’ and I was really shocked. Was like, ‘What do you mean? I didn’t even get a Band-Aid yet, or water. Like I just came here to talk to you guys.'”
“‘Yeah I’m sorry that’s just how it is, we have to charge you for that,'” Darvish recalled.
The ER bill came to $2,054 each. Their co-pay was $1,256 each.
But before leaving, a staffer told Rowland he was due for a tetanus booster. Rowland said the staff member assured him he could get it at no cost under his insurance.
“I asked multiple times. I said, ‘Are you sure I won’t be charged more for this?’ She said I have hit my deductible and I will not be charged any more,” Rowland said.
So he took the shot and three months later, it came back to bite him.
Rowland got a revised bill for $5,200 — more than double the original estimate. His co-pay had nearly tripled, to $3,500.
It turns out the hospital charged him $1,400 for that tetanus booster he thought would be free.
“I never thought helping a gopher would cost me three grand,” Rowland said.
7 On Your Side asked John Muir Hospital why the bill went up, and why he was charged for the booster.
John Muir Hospital sent a statement that said in part:
“Mr. Rowland’s services were documented and billed in accordance with the care provided. While good faith estimates are offered at the time of registration, final charges are determined only after all care has been completed.
We have not been able to verify the advice about ‘receiving a tetanus shot covered by insurance’ provided by the billing representative. However… the estimate should have been revised to include the tetanus shot so Mr. Rowland could have made an informed decision. We apologize to Mr. Rowland for this interaction and error.
We are using this as a learning opportunity for our billing staff and as a reminder about roles and responsibilities. We are also reviewing the practice of providing estimates in the Emergency Room while continuing to educate patients regarding out-of-pocket (co-pays, deductibles, co-insurance), when appropriate.”
The hospital agreed to reduce Rowland’s bill back down to the original $1,200 estimate, saving him about $2,300.
7 On Your Side reached Rowland in Japan, where he has a job teaching English, and told him the news.
“Oh, that’s incredible! Oh my gosh… That’s really, really, really, really, really awesome,” Rowland said.
In spite of the ordeal, he says he’d still help that nippy gopher.
“It probably thought I was trying to kill it or eat it… it went back in its hole and I hope it’s doing well,” he said.
John Muir Hospital tells us it’s using this case as “a learning opportunity for its billing staff.” The hospital is reviewing procedures for providing emergency room estimates and informing patients about their out of pocket costs.
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