Hospital’s $39 charge for parents holding newborn goes viral
After the birth of his son Samuel, Ryan Grassley was surprised by one charge on his hospital bill: $39.35 for “skin-to-skin contact” when his wife held their newborn after a caesarian section.
Grassley told Patch he thought the charge was “a little ridiculous.” So did many others, as a picture of his bill earned more than 11,000 comments on Reddit in one day and was viewed more than 4.3 million times on Imgur as of Oct. 5.
Blacking out the name of the hospital didn’t stop Patch from finding out the facility in question was Utah Valley Hospital in Provo, Utah. While the charge may be listed as “skin-to-skin contact,” hospital spokesperson Janet Frank explained it was really for an extra nurse being present in the operating room.
“We do everything possible to allow skin-to-skin after both vaginal and C-section births," Frank said in an email to Patch. "In the case of a c-section, where the bedside caregiver is occupied caring for the mother during surgery, an additional nurse is brought into the OR to allow the infant to remain in the OR suite with the mother. This is to ensure both patients remain safe. There is an additional charge associated with bringing an extra caregiver into the OR. The charge is not for holding the baby, but for the additional caregiver needed to maintain the highest levels of patient safety."
According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 59 percent of hospitals allow parents skin-to-skin contact with their newborns for at least 30 minutes within two hours of an uncomplicated C-section birth.
The charge was only a small part of a much larger bill totaling more than $13,000, with all but $1,626.52 covered by insurance and contractual allowance adjustments.
Grassley said he wasn’t “angry or upset” about the charge or looking to start a “witch hunt.” Insurance covered most of the fee, anyway, he said. But he did set up a GoFundMe page which has already surpassed its target, adding that he’ll use the extra money on a vasectomy.
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.