California woman sues hospital for charging her $6,000 for a URINE TEST, after she took cocaine she feared was laced with fentanyl and went to ER

  • Savannah Thompson walked into John Muir Medical Center in Walnut Creek around midnight on June 14 thinking the cocaine she took was fentanyl-laced
  • When she left three hours later, she was billed more than $13,000 - $6,095.70 of it was for a simple urine test 
  • A urine test in Walnut Creek typically costs between $600 and $700 in the ER
  • John Muir Medical said in a statement that the ER cost are more because it needs to been staffed with 'expert physicians' 
  • It also said, due to federal law, staff cannot discuss prices with customers prior to treatment 
  • Thompson's insurance has covered $6,000, but she has been ordered to pay another $7,000 out-of-pocket she says she cannot afford 
  • Thompson is arguing that the hospital needs to lower the price and that a 'substantial' amount of customers were charged for the same test
  • She hopes to make it a class action lawsuit and wants all customers to be repaid the money she claimed they were overcharged  

A California woman was left with a hefty $6,000 bill for a urine test after she went to the hospital after taking cocaine she thought was laced with fentanyl. 

Savannah Thompson walked into John Muir Medical Center in Walnut Creek around midnight on June 14 and left three hours later with a $6,095.70 bill for a single urine test. 

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It should cost a hospital no more than around $90 to perform such a test, according to analysis by Medicaid.  

After telling doctors she feared her cocaine was laced with fentanyl, she was treated with Naloxone - an overdose-reversing drug - and given fluids, as well as took an electrocardiogram test and provided blood and urine samples. 

It is unclear why she thought the cocaine was laced or if she had fentanyl in her system. 

No further details have been given on whether Thompson ingested the drugs voluntarily, or if she had been spiked.  

Her overall bill was more than $13,000, according to the Mercury News - which viewed the lawsuit - and her insurance paid more than $6,000 of the overall bill. She still has $7,100 left to pay. 

Thompson says she can't afford that amount.  

Savannah Thompson walked into John Muir Medical Center in Walnut Creek around midnight thinking the cocaine she took was laced with fentanyl on June 14. When she left three hours later, she was billed $6,095.70 for a single urine test. Her overall bill was more than $10,000 and after insurance she was left with a bill of $7,100. The hospital made her sign a contract saying she agreed to the hospital's prices, but she was not told the price beforehand

But upon looking more closely at the gigantic bill, she noticed the urine test was 100 times more expensive than Medicare's reimbursement rate of $62. It is considered reasonable for a test price to cost one and half times more than the reimbursement off through Medicare. 

A typical urine test performed in the ER in Walnut Creek typically costs between $600 and $700, according to the Times. 

Mike Thomas (pictured) is the head of the hospital. In a statement, the hospital said The hospital told the Seattle Times that the emergency rates are higher because they 'must have expert physicians, nurses, and staff, as well as, comprehensive services available 24/7/365'

Health department data in California showed the hospital had been charging an 'unconscionable' fee of more than $5,000 since 2018 and that price has been rising since. 

Thompson had to sign a contract agreeing to the hospital's 'regular rate and terms,' according to the lawsuit, prior to receiving treatment. 

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The hospital told the Mercury News that the emergency rates are higher because they 'must have expert physicians, nurses, and staff, as well as, comprehensive services available 24/7/365.' 

'By law, hospitals are not allowed to discuss payment prior to treatment or give out price lists,' the hospital told the newspaper. 'The claims will not withstand scrutiny in a court of law.' 

Thompson is seeking to make the suit a class action. Although other patients' bill prices are now currently available, the lawsuit maintains that a 'substantial proportion' included the same test she received. 

Her lawsuit is seeking for John Muir Health to lower the price to a 'fair value' and to pay back previous patients any money they were overcharged. DailyMail.com has been unable to contact Thompson for a comment. 

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