Medevac Company Faces South Carolina Putative Class Action Lawsuit for Overcharging Patients
An emergency medical evacuation company faces a South Carolina class action lawsuit for overcharging patients for services without getting written consent.
The class action suit, filed on Monday, April 20th, claims that Air Methods Corp overcharged plaintiff Edward Lee Adams, who needed to be flown 25 miles to a hospital for treatment. In his lawsuit, Adams contends that Air Methods Corp charged him $30,000 without his consent for the emergency evacuation. He stated in his complaint that the price had “no reasonable relationship to the services rendered or what is customarily charged for the services.”
The putative class action seeks to stop the medevac company, along with co-defendant and co-owner Rocky Mountain Holdings LLC, from overcharging patients who either did not or could not consent to the cost.
“The decision by defendants to charge inflated prices is not supported by any rational pricing analysis. Instead, the prices charged plaintiff and members of the class are the result of defendants’ policy of establishing an inflated pricing scheme and refusing to discount prices to those who have no ability to negotiate,” the complaint states.
Adams was flown from the scene of a serious car accident in May 2013. He says that emergency personnel at the scene decided whether or not he needed emergency treatment, which meant there was no written contract approving the evacuation between Adams, the patient, and the contracting agency, Air Methods Corp.
Adams said that the company had a $22,000 listed base charge, plus a $8,000 surcharge for the 25 miles traveled in the helicopter. He said in his complaint that both parties are entitled to a fair and reasonable price for services rendered, but Adams says that the price charged for the medevac was anything but fair to the injured party.
In addition, Adams stated that Air Methods Corp does not work with insurance companies, meaning Adams could not use his medical insurance to help cover part of the cost. Instead, the company tries to use third-party liability to get a higher payment.
“In 2010, there were an estimated 44,700 U.S. helicopter transports from injury scenes to level-1 and level-2 trauma centers, with an average cost of about $6,500 per transport,” a 2013 study by Stanford University School of Medicine claimed.
Adams’ is respresented by the class action attorneys at the Strom Law Firm for the Medevac class action lawsuit for overcharging patients.
The Strom Law Firm Can Help With Putative Class Action Cases
Class action cases are often used to help protect consumers from negligence or malice on the part of a company, manufacturer, or retailer, such as overcharging patients.
If you or a loved one have been overcharged, negligently injured, or financially abused by a company, you may be eligible to file or join a class action case against the company responsible. The South Carolina class action attorneys at the Strom Law Firm have helped plaintiffs with cases involving bad faith insurance claims, breach of trust cases, and overcharging patients for medical treatment. You do not have to suffer alone. Contact us today for a free, confidential consultation regarding your potential class action case. 803.252.4800
