Can I get my hospital bill paid off/and or contact an attorney... is this malpractice?

[dalon]

I had ecoli and the ER gave me ciprofloxacin which is a strong antibiotic. They didnt know what I had at the time... days later when it was discovered to be ecoli.... I was told to follow up with my regular doctor... when I went there I was told that I really shouldnt have been given an antibiotic when I had ecoli because it can cause kidney damage, and so they would have to do a blood test asap. Turns out I didnt have kidney damage but Im still upset that there was a risk and that I was given this without knowledge. Now my bill is $7,000 and I have no insurance. they wont even give me any aid because im 24 and still live at home, at home where apparently my parents make too much money for me to qualify! BS!!! So is it legit to hire an attorney for this? or is it no big deal and im screwed?

[christie42]

That is not malpractice. You were not harmed in any way. You were helped. This situation is resulting from two things:
1) You being irresponsible. You carried no health insurance. First irresponsible decision. You had no emergency fund. Second irresponsible decision. And you went to the ER with no idea of how you would pay for it. Third irresponsible decision. And your fourth irresponsible decision was to go to the ER at all. had you just gone to your doctor in the first place, the bill would have been like 10% of what you have to pay now. An infection isn't an emergency! You knew that you were feeling bad for days, and you should have gone to your doctor.

2) A difference of opinion between your doctor and the ER doc. I'm going with the ER doc on this one. You needed treatment.

Sorry that you have "buyer's remorse" about your health care experience. But you already made the decisions. Now you need to deal with the consequences. Pay your bill.

Again, it's not malpractice if you were not harmed, and you were instead helped.

[baigh75]

That is not malpractice. You were not harmed in any way. You were helped. This situation is resulting from two things:
1) You being irresponsible. You carried no health insurance. First irresponsible decision. You had no emergency fund. Second irresponsible decision. And you went to the ER with no idea of how you would pay for it. Third irresponsible decision. And your fourth irresponsible decision was to go to the ER at all. had you just gone to your doctor in the first place, the bill would have been like 10% of what you have to pay now. An infection isn't an emergency! You knew that you were feeling bad for days, and you should have gone to your doctor.

2) A difference of opinion between your doctor and the ER doc. I'm going with the ER doc on this one. You needed treatment.

Sorry that you have "buyer's remorse" about your health care experience. But you already made the decisions. Now you need to deal with the consequences. Pay your bill.

Again, it's not malpractice if you were not harmed, and you were instead helped.

That appears to be a fairly routine use of Cipro. Its used quite often for e-coli infections. You need to get a second opinion on this before pursuing a lawsuit.