East Bay Woman Sues Over $6,000 Drug Test

An East Bay woman says one of the largest health care providers in the Bay Area charged her $6,000 for a drug test, prompting her to take legal action.

The woman and her lawyer are filing what they hope will be a class action lawsuit against John Muir Health in Contra Costa County, saying the charges from her June emergency room visit were not only high but unconscionable.

Peter Fredman, who represents the woman, explained what led up to the hospital visit.

"She did voluntarily ingest a drug that night that she thought was a bump of cocaine," he said.

He said his client thought she had been dosed with fentanyl and went to John Muir's emergency room fearing an overdose.

"She was there for about three hours," Fredman said. "They took her urine and a blood test. After three hours, they sent her home."

He said her employer's health care paid John Muir $6,000 for the ER visit. Then she got another bill from the hospital, saying she was on the hook for an additional $7,000 in fees.

She requested an itemized bill of the charges and, among other things, it showed a charge of $6,000 for a urine test.
They said Medicare would be charged $62 for the same test.

"They charged her $6,000-plus for that," Fredman said. "And that’s what this case is about. We contend that that $6,000 charge for a urine test is unconscionable."

In a statement, John Muir Health said the claims of the patient being overbilled are simply false. It also noted that the costs of outpatient care will always be lower than an ER visit and that the claims being made by the patient and lawyers will not hold up in court.

"It's no doubt true that costs are higher in an emergency department, but that doesn’t justify a $6,000 charge on a $60 test," Fredman said.

Fredman said another patient has also come forward with similar claims. He said the person wants to remain anonymous, only saying that the visit was not drug related. He's seeking class action status for the lawsuit.