Urgent Care (wa) Did Not Provide Medical Care, But I Was Sent A Bill Anyway

I (33F) sought medical a care from an urgent care in Washington state in the fall of 2024. I was experiencing shortness of breath secondary to a prolonged respiratory infection and was 8 weeks pregnant at the time.

I gave all my information to the front desk on arrival- insurance info, chief complaint, etc. and was shown to an examination room.

A few minutes later, the provider entered and said, “hey- based on your chief complaint and the added complication of a pregnancy, we think you need care beyond the scope of what we’re able to offer. We recommend you go to the hospital instead.” She even made the statement that she was choosing not to perform any assessment on me to avoid me getting a bill from them.

I said “No problem. That’s fine.” And left. I went to a local emergency department instead.

At no point did the doctor ask questions beyond what I had informed the front desk. No examinations were performed. She never laid a hand on me.

Fast forward a few weeks later and I receive a $300 bill from the urgent care for the “treatment” I received from them. I did a little digging and pulled up the chart that the provider had written- she charted that she had done a full physical assessment of me before I made the decision to seek care elsewhere.

I have attempted to address this bill with the clinic manager, but that has gone nowhere. They refuse to acknowledge that I received no care from them. My next step was attempting to go through insurance, but because insurance only covered a tiny amount of the bill, it seems like they don’t have enough skin in the game to care about a fraudulent charge.

Medical bills are annoying, but I will gladly pay them in exchange for services received. It goes against everything in me to pay a bill for care I did not receive…

My questions are thus:

Are there any other actions that I can perform to fight this?

And secondly, would I be in trouble legally if I choose to just ignore it?

Lastly, what recourses can a patient take when it appears a medical professional has fraudulently documented an interaction?