Hospitals in Chicago billed $447M for gunshot victims’ initial costs
Between 2009 and 2016, initial medical costs of treating patients who had been shot in and around Chicago added up to $447 million in hospital billings, according to an investigation by the Chicago Tribune.
The total cost would be even higher, as the investigation didn’t account for separate billing from emergency physicians or surgeons. Medicare or Medicaid beneficiaries accounted for more than half the charges.
In one example of how quickly a patient with a gunshot wound can rack up huge expenses, 18-year-old Leo Leyva’s bill at Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center surpassed $21,000 within 35 minutes of arriving at hospital. Leyva required chest and abdomen x-rays before surgeons performed an emergency procedure to remove a bullet from his back. His rehab charges have climbed even higher, totaling $253,163 by March 2017.
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John joined TriMed in 2016, focusing on healthcare policy and regulation. After graduating from Columbia College Chicago, he worked at FM News Chicago and Rivet News Radio, and worked on the state government and politics beat for the Illinois Radio Network. Outside of work, you may find him adding to his never-ending graphic novel collection.