Denver Health Winter Park Medical Center — Local services in Winter Park

Edit to address response from owner below: Thank you for the response, however, I thought it was clear from my review that I have already spoken to your billing department multiple times and even escalated to a supervisor. It is primarily their unwillingness to work with me or Humana that I am highlighting. Perhaps you could contact the billing department yourself to see what can be done. My 1-star review will stand until I receive an acceptable resolution.

Would be zero stars if possible. Good care at the clinic but sleazy and potentially fraudulent business practices thanks to Denver Health corporate ownership. Denver Health has refused to work with me after multiple phone calls to plead my case. They are what is wrong with healthcare in this country.

My family traveled to Winter Park for spring break this past March. So we’ve already spent an outrageous amount of money on flights, rental car, lodging, lift tickets, rentals, lessons, etc. You know the drill. So of course my 10-year-old son starts feeling sick our first day on the mountain. The next morning he has flu-like symptoms and can’t ski. So my wife Googles “urgent care winter park co” and finds Middle Park Health right near our condo and takes him there (while I’m skiing with older son). Well it turns out that facility is appointment only during the week and has no availability, and they tell her the only other option in town is the clinic at the bottom of the mountain. I should add that there was a Winter Storm Warning in effect and the roads were almost impassable, so driving elsewhere wasn’t an option. So my wife takes my son the Denver Health Winter Park Clinic which clearly advertises itself as, and is listed on Google as, an urgent care facility. We have thankfully never been to an actual emergency room.

The staff at the clinic did good job of taking care of our son. They checked him out and determined that his lungs were clear but his blood oxygen level was low (due to altitude). So they put him on supplemental oxygen and sent him back to the condo to rest. They also called in for more oxygen to be delivered by AeroCare (more on that below). So total time at the clinic was about an hour. According to my wife, there was never a mention of this being an “emergency service” nor was there any indication of this being a “life threatening” situation. Not keeping my son for observation tells me they didn’t think his condition was serious. And I should add that my older son got sick the next day with the very same flu-like symptoms. It was clearly a virus affecting them, with the low oxygen level in my younger son being an added bonus.

My wife provided our Humana insurance card at the clinic and was told they would submit the claim. She also paid AeorCare $270 via credit card for the condo oxygen delivery and was told it should be covered by insurance but we would have to submit the claim. So a few weeks later we got a bill from Denver Health for $1525. Of course they are out-of-network on our Humana plan and submitted it as an ER visit which we only have coverage for after exceeding a $3,500 deductible. There was no cost adjustment or anything, just straight full markup rates that they refuse to negotiate. We were literally stuck with no other options and their response is to take advantage of the situation for financial gain. And of course we can’t get insurance coverage for the AeroCare claim because they refuse to provide proper coding to Humana. So we're looking at almost $1800 for what was a 1 hour urgent care visit and some supplemental oxygen.

We are all in deep trouble if we continue to let companies like Denver Health take advantage of patients and their families in times of need. There is absolutely no reason for them to refuse to negotiate my bill down to what they would have received from insurance had they been part of my Humana network. Particularly since this facility is located at a vacation destination frequented by out-of-town visitors with different types...

First time to Winter Park in first of March in mammoth snowfall. I was skiing through the trees looking a head and missed the branch(thick log) right in front of my face. Needless to say we fought and the branch won on a late Sunday afternoon. I made it down to the medical center and the volunteer nurse came over and was very nice and helpful in looking at my busted up mouth. She gave me the options and suggested with the wide gash inside my mouth that I should have stitches right away. Of course couldn't find my insurance but they said I could email it to them the next day since it will be an ER visit. About 20 minutes later after filling out paper work and having great conversation with the volunteer nurse about many different things I made it back to the ER room. Dr. Selenke made an observation about my gash and was able to get a consult with a dentist since my inside gum somewhat tore from my cheek. She said that my mouth needed stitches so I agreed to proceed with the operation. She informed me exactly of what she would be doing and how it would be done. During the procedure she did numb various parts of my mouth but also told me to make any noise if any pain was happening. After the shots I couldn't feel much but occasionally made a noise and she would stop until I was ready and try to alter the approach. After some time doing the procedure she did complete the job in a very tight spot in the mouth and I received 5+ stitches. She informed me what to do to take care of it and asked that I come back the next day so she could have a quick look at it to make sure stitches were still intact. Overall I felt very fortunate to have staff and providers that showed genuine care of my condition and stayed late on a Sunday to take care of me. I would highly recommend this clinic for anyone at the resort or just visiting this town as they (Dr. Selenke) provided great care. I know I will be back as I loved skiing...

Summary: The lack of clear billing communication, rushed medical care that missed the severity of my injury, and an unhelpful follow-up from the director made the experience frustrating and unsatisfactory.

I had a similar experience as Hayden and many others below. The ski patrol brought me down and informed me that if I continued the medical process here, it would be billed as urgent care. However, it was not—it was billed as an emergency room visit: $2,300 for a mesh sling, Gatorade, use of a blanket, and not much else. The Ski Patrol team was the highlight of the visit; they did a great job safely supporting me down the mountain after I broke my clavicle. The X-ray alone was billed at $338.

During care, it was a busy day, so I had to wait for a while. The doctor told me not to get surgery, as the injury would heal naturally, but mentioned that any orthopedic surgeon I saw would likely recommend surgery. I was then sent on my way. Later, I had another X-ray done at a different facility, which revealed that parts of my collarbone were shattered, leaving small fragments trying to heal incorrectly. By not treating this shattered bone in time, it delayed my recovery timeline and made the process much more painful by going through initial recovery twice. I felt like my care was rushed and that the doctor didn’t treat me as an individual case.

I think removing the “Urgent Care” sign from outside the building would help avoid confusion in the future, or at least informing the Ski Patrol team to remind patients that anyone brought down by them will be billed as an emergency room visit.

The director did call me, but nothing came of it other than a generic [paraphrasing] “Sorry you were dissatisfied.” I was already frustrated before the call, but receiving little clarification afterward made me feel that writing this review...