The bill for 17 hours there for a swollen tonsil was $8,935, plus Mercy-associated bills for a total of $10,534. That was for doctors, drugs, IV, CT scan and a procedure that should not have been done.

I asked for an itemized statement (they did not want to give me it) and it has more than 30 charges. They put a scanning wrist-band on me, and I became a cash register.

It is hard to find financial information on Centura Health, which owns Mercy, I assume, because the company does not want you to know how much money it makes. I did find that Centura’s CEO made $1.2 million in 2004!

According to Centura’s Website, Centura was created by the Catholic Health Initiatives and Adventist Health System and its mission is “… to extend the healing Ministry of Christ.” I did not know Christ was in the business of fleecing the weak and sick.

Besides the outlandish cost, I received irresponsible treatment. Doctors did a procedure that cost $1,018 and took 10 minutes, despite the CT scan showing that it would not work; and I was plied with so many antibiotics that, even with taking probiotics, the flora in my gut took months to recover.

It is disappointing that our local hospital is enjoying the charge-scam that is rampant in our medical system.

Dave Mehan

Durango