CHARLOTTE, N.C. (FOX 46 CHARLOTTE) – Parents say they were stunned when they received a hospital bill for thousands of dollars more than they expected, after giving birth to their baby.

Come to find out it was all because of a dispute between a healthcare provider and a medical company. FOX 46 stepped in and now those high bills have been adjusted to lower amounts.

“It’s been a black cloud over us for months.”

Michael and Monica Dickerson delivered their daughter Olivia at Novant Health Presbyterian Medical Center in May. Weeks later, they received an $8,000 bill from Providence Anesthesiology Associates for Monica’s epidural.

“This was a lot of added stress,” says Michael.

Providence Anesthesiology is the exclusive provider of anesthesiology services for Novant’s Charlotte market. The company is in the middle of a complicated dispute with United Healthcare. Negotiations have been ongoing for more than a year.

On March 1, UHC stopped covering PAA’s services. As a result, UHC members at Novant hospitals are being charged out-of-network rates for anesthesiology services.

“They’re still telling people, just have the baby and basically fight the bill after,” Monica says.

The couple tried fighting but all of their appeals were denied.

“We were kind of at the end of our rope a little bit and running out of options. So we really are grateful for you helping to get us some resolution here.”

FOX 46 stepped in and got United Healthcare to step up. The Dickersons saw their claim reduced from $8,000 to just $808.

“Now having a resolution just allows us to move forward with our lives a little bit,” Michael says.

United Healthcare and PAA blame each other for driving up patients’ medical bills.

A UHC spokesperson said in a statement, “Providence Anesthesia was demanding to be paid more than double the median rate we pay its peers, driving up the cost of care for the people and customers we serve.”

PAA argues its rates are competitive.

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A statement sent to FOX 46, says in part, “We are making it our priority to get back in-network with UHC and to shield patients from these financial burdens of balance bills as much as possible.”

Meantime, unsuspecting patients, like Amy Daniels, are left with shockingly high bills.

“When I was looking up their provider list where you can calculate cost it still doesn’t have an anesthesiologist within 100 miles of the Matthews hospital.”

FOX 46 did look into that claim, and found that there are some in-network options for United Healthcare patients in the Charlotte area. They include:

  • Atrium Health Mercy
  • Atrium Health Pineville
  • Atrium Health University City
  • Carolinas ContinueCARE Hospital
  • Carolinas ContinueCARE Hospital at Pineville
  • Carolinas Medical Center
  • Charlotte Surgery Center
  • Tryon Endoscopy Center

Daniels delivered her third child at Novant Matthews in May. Thanks to FOX 46, she now owes a lot less for her epidural.

“It ended up being $1,908, so they did knock off a lot from the $8,000. But, it’s still a lot more that $773 from two years ago, with the same insurance at the same hospital.”

Both the Daniels and the Dickersons hope shining a spotlight on this issue will propel UHC and PAA to come back to the negotiating table and find a long-term solution.

Until then, Monica says, “I’ve been telling my friends to all call their healthcare and to make a decision. Speak to your doctor about if they deliver at other hospitals.”

Providence Anesthesiology has set-up an assistance hotline. Patients are encouraged to call 704-749-5801, before making a payment.

Affected patients can also share their concerns with the North Carolina Department of Insurance by calling toll-free at 855-408-1212.

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to reflect the fact that there are in-network anesthesia providers for United Healthcare members in the Charlotte area.

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