16 January 2012 Last updated at 17:50 ET

Outpatient shocked by $45m bill from New York hospital

The billing company has said the error is a simple mistake but will send apology letters to all affected

An outpatient is recovering from shock after being billed $44.8m (£29.2m) in error by a New York hospital.

Alexis Rodriguez, 28, was one of a number of patients charged astronomical amounts because of a computer glitch, the New York Daily News reports.

The Bronx-Lebanon Hospital treated him for pneumonia, but the actual cost was no more than $300.

Billing firm PHY Services said it had mistakenly printed the patient invoice number where the amount should go.

Mr Rodriguez told the New York Daily News he could not believe his eyes when he opened the envelope last week.

"I think they should have somebody look over the bills before they send them out," said the unemployed doorman.

"To send out a lot of bills with numbers that big - someone could have had a heart attack."

PHY Services requested that patients ignore the bills, adding that new ones would be sent out.