Two Minutes (Give Or Take A Few) To Conceive, Nine Months To Gestate, Fifteen Minutes To Birth, Fourteen Months To Process The Bill

We just received our first bill, or any notice of any kind from the hospital, for the birth of our son. He's fourteen months old, meaning that the billing cycle was 425 days!

I'm asking the question: is that legal? If so, why? Come on over and read my ranting. I've tried to have a good sense of humor about this, but the truth is I'm furious. I really think someone's head ought to roll. This seems like a pretty big screw up to me, given that the same institution has managed to turn another bill around for us within a week. Anyway, here's a select quote to get you interested in reading the rest:

You may ask: what dollar amount is appropriate and not too embarrassing to request a year later without any heads-up to your customer? My answer, of course, is zero. But, I probably would’ve paid up to a hundred or so without saying a word just to get it over with.