Most hospitals strive to maintain a reputation of compassion and care, so when a purported billing department error at the UC Davis Medical Center caused a terse letter to be sent to the parents of a tragically deceased student, it hatched a crisis management nightmare. Another startling article from The Consumerist has all the details:
Not only did the UC Davis Medical Center send a $29,186.50 bill to the parents of college student who was beaten to death by his roommate, they also sent a letter letting them know that their son was considered indigent and was no longer welcome at the hospital if he needed further treatment. He doesn’t, of course, because he is deceased.
While this may well have been a simple miscommunication, it’s oversights like these that do irreparable damage to reputations and cost companies millions
The BCM Blogging Team
https://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/