Got Billed for High-Risk OB Being Present During Twin Delivery…Is This Normal?

Claims/Providers Forum
1

Hey all,

My partner was seeing a local high-risk OB throughout her twin pregnancy. Around 35 weeks, they said she no longer needed their care and could continue with her regular OB until labor. At 37 weeks, she went into labor, and her regular OB was able to deliver both babies naturally, even with the second one being breech. We never met or were told that a high-risk OB would be in the room for the delivery.

Now we’ve received a bill for having a high-risk OB present during delivery. It feels odd since no one informed us beforehand or during the delivery that this doctor would be there. Should we contact our insurance or reach out to the high-risk OB’s office to discuss this charge?

Thanks in advance for any advice!

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Delivering twins is always high-risk, and the presence of a high-risk OB is generally a precaution due to potential complications.

4

Avery said:
Delivering twins is always high-risk, and the presence of a high-risk OB is generally a precaution due to potential complications.

Absolutely, we’re very thankful for the care. We fully understood the risks involved with twins. It was just a surprise to get an extra bill from high-risk OB after being told they were no longer needed.

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@Patrice
Without being in the room, it’s hard to know for sure. High-risk situations can change fast, and having that OB on standby may have been for immediate response in case anything went wrong. Maybe they didn’t want to add extra worry by mentioning it.

6

@Uma
Totally agree, it’s definitely better to be safe than sorry. Just odd that we weren’t told about it until the bill showed up.

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Patrice said:
@Uma
Totally agree, it’s definitely better to be safe than sorry. Just odd that we weren’t told about it until the bill showed up.

You wouldn’t necessarily know unless they directly involved that doctor. High-risk OBs sometimes stay in the background unless absolutely needed.

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@Blair
Yes, I get that.

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@Blair
The main issue here is that nobody mentioned this high-risk OB’s presence at all, so now they’re being asked to pay for a service they weren’t even informed about.

10

@Blair
It was actually quite social! We even knew a few nurses in there from previous visits.

11

Your insurance is just processing what they got. If the high-risk OB was present, they can bill for it. But if you’ve hit your out-of-pocket max for the year, it may not matter. You could check with the hospital if you’re not happy with the bill.

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It’s your right to know who’s in the delivery room. But with high-risk situations, those questions may not get asked. Even if the specialist didn’t intervene, they could still charge for being available. You might want to check with your insurance about the claim details.

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If you’ve met your out-of-pocket max, this may not even affect you. But with multiple pregnancies, a high-risk OB is usually a good idea.

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Paxton said:
If you’ve met your out-of-pocket max, this may not even affect you. But with multiple pregnancies, a high-risk OB is usually a good idea.

Unfortunately, we haven’t met our out-of-pocket max. After being told we were done with high-risk OB, we didn’t expect this charge.

15

@Patrice
That’s surprising, especially with all the appointments and the L&D. Are you sure they weren’t referring to no more visits until delivery?

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You’d rather they weren’t there if they were needed? High-risk OBs are there just in case.

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Have you checked your EOB on this? It’s usually in your insurance portal. The EOB will detail what you owe, if anything. It could also help determine if the charge was covered.

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Kids aren’t cheap!

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What exactly did you mean by being released from high-risk care?

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Bela said:
What exactly did you mean by being released from high-risk care?

At her 35-week appointment, they said she didn’t need to see high-risk anymore, just her regular OB.

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Patrice said:

Bela said:
What exactly did you mean by being released from high-risk care?

At her 35-week appointment, they said she didn’t need to see high-risk anymore, just her regular OB.

Sounds like they meant until labor. High-risk OBs usually oversee the whole pregnancy, including delivery. Have you checked the initial paperwork?