An SSM Health doctor lost control of a Bravo capsule during my endoscopy — and I inhaled it.
Then they billed me for the emergency specialists who had to get it out.

I was willing to pay for the endoscopy. What I'm disputing is being charged for the pulmonologist and anesthesiologist required to perform an emergency bronchoscopy — to remove a device that SSM Health's own doctor lost control of. The original disputed charge was roughly $1,097. After nearly a year of calls and written disputes, SSM Health offered $50 off — and the balance has ballooned to over $3,151 in collections.

If you're choosing where to receive care, I'd recommend going somewhere else.

This is how SSM Health treats a patient when their own doctor makes a mistake — they bill you for the emergency, offer $50, and send the rest to collections. If they won't make this right, what will they do for you?

251

Days since SSM Health broke their own 30-day response SLA.

~$1,097

Original disputed charge

~$3,151

Now in collections

$50

SSM Health's only adjustment

−40+

Credit score impact (800+ → 760)

What I'm disputing

I am not disputing the endoscopy. I am disputing being charged for the emergency specialists — the pulmonologist and anesthesiologist — who had to intervene because SSM Health's doctor made a mistake. My insurance has also overpaid.

Read what happened See the records See SSM's own emails

On May 16, 2025, I had a routine outpatient endoscopy at SSM Health St. Agnes Hospital in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. During the procedure, the treating gastroenterologist lost control of a Bravo pH capsule during deployment. During his attempt to retrieve it, the device was aspirated and lodged in my left mainstem bronchus. A pulmonologist was called in to perform an emergency bronchoscopy and successfully extract the foreign object. My blood pressure dropped during the rescue. I had significant trouble waking up afterward. My wife, who was present, watched the procedure go from routine to emergency.

I disputed the resulting charges in writing on June 22, 2025. SSM Health acknowledged the dispute on July 30 and committed to a 30-day review. I have not received a substantive response since. Over nearly a year, I have called SSM Health's billing department approximately every one to two weeks. I have requested and obtained a complete copy of my medical records. SSM Health has applied a single $50 discount. They have sent the remaining balance to collections, and my credit score has dropped more than 40 points.

This site is the documentary record of all of it. SSM Health's own clinicians documented the complication in writing. SSM Health's own billing department promised a response in 30 days, then went silent. SSM Health's own executives are listed by name on their corporate site. The receipts are here.

"Large metallic and plastic foreign object in the left mainstem bronchus at the entrance of the left lower lobe bronchus."
— Operative report of the pulmonologist who performed the emergency bronchoscopy, SSM Health St. Agnes Hospital, May 16, 2025