A woman in Virginia had to pay out-of-pocket for an EpiPen shot at a privately owned urgent care center while she was in the middle of anaphylactic shock caused by a wasp sting.
Last July, Stephanie Rowell, 53, was stung by a wasp while standing on her parents' front porch at their house in Virginia.
Her arm started turning red and itching all over, with the effects spreading to her face shortly after, KFF Health News reported.
While her father was driving her to the nearest emergency room 25 minutes away, they stopped at a TruHealthNow urgent care facility in Purcellville, Virginia, which they spotted about halfway into their drive, the outlet said.
Rowell was seen by a nurse practitioner who identified her condition as anaphylaxis, a severe and life-threatening allergic reaction.
She was told she needed a dose of epinephrine to treat her condition, according to the outlet.
Immediately after, a medical assistant came in to inform Rowell that a dose of epinephrine costs $400 out-of-pocket, which was Rowell's only option as she was uninsured.
Rowell told KFFHN that it was only after she completed the payment that the shot was administered to her.
Stephanie Rowell, 53, was asked to pay $400 for an EpiPen shot up-front even though she was actively experiencing anaphylaxis and struggling to breathe
TruHealthNow is a series of privately owned primary and urgent care facilities located throughout Virginia and Maryland
Rowell was billed $400 for the single-dose epinephrine shot and $45 to administer it, according to medical bills obtained by KFHHN
The total came out to $400 for the shot, $40 for the shot to be administered and $165 for the visit, according to the outlet.
'I asked, "If I didn't have the money, would you have just let me die?"' Rowell told KFFHN.
'And [urgent care staff] said, sorry, that is their policy.'
'Our policy is we give the shot and worry about the money later,' TruHealthNow CEO Preet Takhar told KFFHN.
Preet Takhar's wife and TruHealthNow Medical Director Manbir Takhar told KFFHN that Rowell was asked for payment first and given the shot second because she was 'stable.'
TruHealthNow privately owns and operates several healthcare facilities throughout Virginia and Maryland.
Rowell wasn't upset at the price itself but confused on why she had to pay before receiving the shot even though she was actively struggling to breathe, according to KFFHN.
Source link
