RivCo Health Mistakenly Bills For Free COVID-19 Tests, Vaccines

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — Riverside University Health System’s customer service department is working to ensure that residents don't pay bills inadvertently sent to them for COVID-19 vaccination and/or testing appointments.

The RUHS "wants to assure community members that all vaccinations and testing appointments are given at no cost to the community," a county news release said Thursday.

March 8-22, some patients who received COVID-19 vaccinations/and or COVID-19 testing at the Riverside University Health System Medical Center, or at a Riverside University Health System’s Community Health Center, received bills for the service. Invoices were sent out to patients due to a system error, according to the county.

A total of 5,815 patients were impacted.

"On March 22, all erroneous charges have been removed, and affected patient's accounts have been appropriately updated. Additionally, on March 22, the patients' account department fixed the technical error, ceasing further impact on any future patients," the county news release said.

“We truly apologize for any inconvenience this error has caused,” said Joe Zamora, chief finance officer for Riverside University Health System Medical Center. “All COVID-19 vaccines or tests are free of charge to the community.”

Affected patients should soon receive communication in the form of a call, text or letter confirming that they were sent a bill in error and that their account was fixed. The Riverside University Health System’s customer service department will ensure those who paid the bill are swiftly reimbursed, the county said.

Anyone who receives a bill and does not receive communication about it should call the Riverside University Health System’s Customer Service Line at 951-486-5367, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

For anyone interested in making an appointment for vaccination at county-run and other sites can do so via www.rivcoph.org/COVID-19-Vaccine. Anyone who needs assistance may also call the county's 211 help line.

Information about where to get tested for the virus can be found here.

Riverside County COVID-19 Update

COVID-positive hospitalizations in Riverside County dropped Thursday for the second consecutive day, but another 24 virus-related deaths were reported, as vaccination eligibility opened to all residents 50 years old and older.

According to the Riverside University Health System, 109 people diagnosed with coronavirus were being treated in hospitals countywide as of Thursday, down from 119 on Wednesday. The number of intensive care unit patients with COVID-19 was unchanged from a day ago at 30.

The total number of COVID cases recorded since the public health documentation period began in March 2020 is 294,617, up 156 from Wednesday, and the number of recorded deaths from virus-related complications rose to 4,339. The fatalities are trailing indicators because of delays in processing death certificates.

Beginning Thursday, the California Department of Public Health lowered vaccination eligibility to anyone 50 and up. Previously, vaccines were limited to those over 65, as well as individuals in defined work classifications, such as first responders, teachers and agricultural workers. People with certain underlying health conditions or disabilities have also been eligible for the last month.

"As eligibility widens and more of our residents become protected, we'll continue to see declining COVID numbers and an ongoing focus on community recovery," Board of Supervisors Chair Karen Spiegel said Tuesday.

Department of Public Health Director Kim Saruwatari told the board this week that because the "numbers are looking good," the CDPH is poised to change the county's designation to orange from red under the governor's "Blueprint for a Safer Economy" framework.

The 2.3% coronavirus positivity rate in testing represents a six-month low and is down from 2.7% last week. The daily state-adjusted case rate of 4.1 per 100,000 residents, which reflects a rolling seven-day average, is down from 4.8 per 100,000 just over a week ago.

Saruwatari said the county will likely qualify for orange tier classification as early as next week.

The county has been in the red tier since March 16, and in the five months prior to that was in the most restrictive purple tier. The lowering of the regulatory bar meant many businesses could resume operations at 25% capacity. The orange designation raises the cap to 50% for many entities, though some, such as gyms and amusement parks, would be required to remain at 25%, according to the CDPH.

—City News Service contributed to this report.