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What's the difference between UMass Memorial Medical Center and the Dead Sea salt women?

By adamg on Thu, 12/16/2010 - 7:22am

UMass's pretty young things weren't Israeli. The Nashua Telegraph reports on allegations our own UMass sent models into malls to defraud the poor shlubs of New Hampshire in a bone-marrow testing scheme.

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Comments

By eeka on Thu, 12/16/2010 - 7:41am.

I got entered into the bone marrow registry at an event hosted by a legitimate philanthropic organization. The people staffing the bone marrow table weren't part of said organization, and were just "the bone marrow registry people." I filled out an information form for the registry and did not provide my insurance information or any consent regarding insurance. They had previously said we could bring our insurance cards to the event to help them defray costs, but I didn't remember to bring mine, and we were told it was free regardless.

A month later a from UMass Medical Center for $700 showed up on my health insurance. This didn't cost me anything, and it actually helped me by eating up part of my deductible since it appears as if I had paid $700 to a medical provider, but WTF? I did get entered in the registry, and it was a good cause, so not terribly concerned, but still thought it was weird and sketchy they billed my insurance without my consent (or the number...)

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By Suldog on Thu, 12/16/2010 - 8:40am.

I was at a Celtics game last year and saw the bone marrow registry table that is usually set up on the balcony level concourse. I was in a good mood (I think the C's were leading by around 20 at halftime) so I signed up. They took a swab of my mouth, had me fill out a couple of forms, and gave me a nice sweatshirt as a going away present.

About a month later, I received notice from my insurance carrier that I was being billed around $700 for some procedure identified only by a number on the notice. I couldn't remember having anything whatsoever done by a doctor recently, so I called and they told me it was for bone marrow testing and that I didn't actually have to pay anything. That was a relief.

An interesting and important question, though... If they shut down this registry at some point, will the donors records and whatever be transferred to some other registry? Is there a central place where all potential bone marrow donors are listed? I really know very little about it. I just thought it was a good thing to do, and I still think so, so...

Suldog
http://jimsuldog.blogspot.com

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By anon on Thu, 12/16/2010 - 2:21pm.

I don't understand -- who paid the $700? If your insurance company paid it, why would it reduce your deductible?

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