Business ProfileforMercy Hospital Northwest Arkansas

I received care at this facility, which is in-network for my insurance. I received a printout ahead of time for the charges that I would receive for delivery. Mercy claims that they are committed to providing price transparency to our patients. However, after delivery I received a bill from Ears & Hearing for $165 past due. I advised this provider to bill my insurance. They stated that they are out-of-network with all commercial insurances and don't file any out-of-network claims. Based on their responses to reviews, they are contracted by the hospital to do these optional ear checks on newborns for an additional charge, when these are a routine service that an in-network provider can do. According to the No Surprises Act, there are protections for consumers from receiving an out-of-network bill at an in-network facility. In addition to agencies being required to provide a standard consent form with a good faith estimate, which I did not receive, and I was also coerced to sign something after giving birth at a decreased mental capacity, unaware there would be additional charges at an in-network-facility. According to the No Surprises Act, any consent I signed is not applicable anyway. This is a really questionable practice that tries to scam new mothers out of extra money when they shouldn't be concerned with having to fight extra surprise bills that are clearly violating federal laws. My insurance has instructed me to lodge a complaint with this participating facility and with the out-of-network agency. My next step is to file a complaint with the No Surprises Act for these federal violations.

Thank you for making us aware of this issue. This has been resolved with the patient.