A North Carolina hospital billed patients for rape kits, sparking outrage among advocates
A North Carolina hospital is apologizing after it charged patients for rape kits.
Unexpected bills as high as $5,000 went to at least 17 people who received sexual assault forensic exams last year, WNCN reports.
It happened at Cape Fear Valley Medical Center in Fayetteville, which has policies against billing victims of reported sexual assaults, WRAL first reported Tuesday.
The hospital said in a statement the bills were sent by mistake, according to ABC11, The News & Observer’s media partner.
“We recognize that some errors were made prior to the implementation of a new electronic health record in May 2019,” the hospital said. “We apologize for any bills sent in error.”
Still, advocates say the misstep left patients feeling humiliated and scrambling to figure out how to pay the bills, multiple news outlets report.
“It’s already so difficult for victims of crimes of sexual assault to come forward,” Erin Scanlon, a sexual assault survivor who was not billed, told WNCN. “They finally do and they’re being billed for the services. It’s awful.”
The hospital has changed the way it processes “procedures for rape victims” and can erase charges sent in error, according to WRAL.
Under North Carolina law, patients should never receive bills for rape kit exams.
Hospitals are supposed to offer the exams for free to victims of “sexual assault or attempted sexual assault.” The Assistance Program for Victims of Rape and Sex Offenses pays hospitals up to $800 for the exams, according to the law.
This story was originally published January 22, 2020 at 8:14 AM.
