Ahmedabad: When a hospital fails to reveal all related information about care and insurance companies refuse to pay full medical bills, most of us will think it is the norm.
Faced with the same situation, a Retired Faculty member of the Indian Management Institute Ahmedabad, however, dragged the hospital and insurance company to the Consumer Court and made them pay for their lack of services after the insurance company was reduced by RS 9,603 from the RS 35.388 bill.
Hospitals have been asked to pay Rs 25,000 as compensation and other RS 5,000 towards legal fees issued by K v Ramani, who served as professors with IIM-A for decades.
An expert in hospital management, he had established a health care management center at the Institute in 2003.
In March 2012, Ramani Akshay’s son suffered shortness of breath and in a hurry to the sterling hospital.
After a few hours in an emergency unit, Akshay’s condition was stable and he was sent back next day.
The hospital is charged a fee of Rs 35,388 for the care and insurance company, Oriental Insurance, cleans the bill after deducting Rs 9,603.
It doesn’t go down well with the professor.
Ramani filed a complaint with the consumer dispute recovery commission, Ahmedabad (rural) for deficiency in service in parts of insurance companies and hospitals.
While the forum ordered an insurance company to make a full payment, there was no order against the hospital.
In 2014, Ramani appealed in the Gujarat Consumer Dispute Recovery Commission, questioned the charges collected for care.
He claimed that the patient became normal after 2-3 hours in the emergency room without serious intervention, and then received as a normal patient.
“To claim a higher bill than insurance companies, hospital management finds the method according to their inter-SE settings that patients or consumers are not parties,” he said.
In addition, Ramani also claimed that hospitals did not reveal treatment what was given to his son.
Summary of release also only reveals follow-up plans.
He quotes the norms prescribed by the Indian Medical Council making it mandatory for hospitals to supply treatment paper and a summary of release within 72 hours.
Similar guidelines have been issued by the National Accreditation Board for hospitals and health care, and the Charter of the patient’s rights by the National Human Rights Commission.
Ramani complained that hospitals did not provide case papers and summaries of release not disclosing information about procedures carried out, treatment provided and overcome.
The State Commission accepted Ramani’s argument and concluded that there were shortcomings in service in parts of hospital management and providing RS 25,000 compensation.
The hospital was also asked to pay an extra 5,000 Hospital for Ramani to legal expenditure.
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RETD IIM-A Prof Teaches Hosp, Insurance Company Learning
