A Texas radiologist was billed $56,603 for a medical helicopter transfer to a trauma center after an all-terrain vehicle accident, according to a National Public Radio (NPR) report published online September 26 in Kaiser Health News.
Dr. Naveed Khan's left arm was badly injured during a crash along the Red River in Texas. He was taken by ambulance to an emergency room in Wichita Falls, but his injury was so severe that he had to be airlifted by helicopter to a trauma center in Fort Worth, 108 miles away. Despite the trauma care and a total of eight surgeries over a number of weeks, his arm was amputated.
His insurer, Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Texas, paid $11,972, after initially refusing to pay at all, according to the report. Air Evac Lifeteam, the medical helicopter service, billed Khan for $44,631. Khan has asked the helicopter service to negotiate with Blue Cross/Blue Shield; Air Evac Lifeteam has also asked him to appeal to the Texas Department of Insurance, according to Kaiser and NPR.
The article was part of Kaiser Health News' "Bill of the Month" series, a collaboration with NPR that analyzes medical bills.
