October 23, 2008

A woman is complaining of receiving a bill for a hospital emergency room visit, which she waited 19 hours but never saw a doctor, causing a possible medical malpractice suit.

The woman received a bill for $162 though she never received treatment at the hospital.

Officials at the hospital say that the woman received the bill because nurses spent time checking her vital signs and determining her level of need for care, but the woman maintains that she left the facility because she had waited so long.

Earlier a man complaining of stomach pains, who also waited 19 hours in the same emergency room, later experienced cardiac arrest and died. This situation could also lead to a possible medical malpractice suit.

The hospital says it needs more beds to accommodate the needs of patients in the emergency room.

Texas medical malpractice suits could occur if Texas emergency rooms become overcrowded.

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