Martha Brugger loves playing the piano, but she's tired of getting the song and dance from Swedish Hospital.
This summer, Martha visited her physician after having issues with her balance. That appointment did not end well.
"She said, 'I want you to leave here and go to the closest medical emergency room,'" said Martha.
That was Swedish in Issaquah, where Martha's husband Gary made a $100 copay when they brought Martha in.
"Initially they sent us because they thought she had a mini stroke," said Gary.
So Martha was taken by ambulance to Swedish on First Hill in Seattle.
Tests ruled out a stroke and because she was admitted to the hospital, the Bruggers' $100 emergency visit co-pay should have been refunded.
"I asked them if they could cancel the transaction," Gary said. But the hospital told him no.
Months went by and Gary still didn't get a refund, so he called his insurance company.
"By the end of October, Cigna had paid them in full and sent me a document that said we didn't owe the co-pay and as far as Cigna was concerned that the account was closed," said Gary.
But Swedish still wouldn't give a refund. Gary and Martha spent the next four months fighting with the hospital.
"I asked them why their accounting problem was my accounting problem, and they told me they didn't have an accounting problem," Gary was told.
So Gary called me and we sent Swedish all of the documentation.
A couple of days later, a surprise arrived in Gary's mailbox. He is thankful he can put it all behind him now.
"It's great, but really the big thing is for Swedish to realize they had a problem and the manager told me they are implementing new training programs to make sure this didn't happen again," said Gary.
Swedish says the Bruggers' insurance company got its wires crossed and treated the two Swedish facilities as two different hospitals for accounting purposes.
For its part Swedish says it should have reacted to the situation sooner and they have apologized to the family.
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