E$$ENT, CO$TS, and CARE--3/4

Some people in Paris have been sending in commentaries about the ER bills they have received.

$6000 for treatment (for a fall) from one ER visit!
$300+ for a chest x-ray (not including reading! The imaging center charges about $100 all inclusive!)
Blue Cross-Blue Shield showing billing for the ER docs as out of network.
Blue Cross-Blue Shield listing the Pathology Lab that a kidney stone was sent (by the hospital) to as being out of network.

For Medicare and other insurances, they do not pay that amount. Medicare determines what is fair and reasonable, and then pays their negotiated amount. However, if a patient's co-pay for insurance is a percentage, then 20% of $300 is a bit more than 20% of $100. If you only carry catastrophic insurance, or you are self insured, you pay the entire inflated bill.

So, you might want to check out your options prior to an ER visit. In the off-hours, the Salas Clinic might not be able to treat a heart attack (if suspected, go straight to the ER), and they will freely admit it. If you go there and it is not in their scope of what they can handle, they will send you to the ER. But, if it is not a life-threatening emergency, it will be a more cost effective solution.

During regular business hours, your regular provider is obviously your best option. They have your history, and are not likely to be repeating tests which they have already explored with negative results. If they do send you to the hospital, they can give them a complete history.

The ER is starting from a blank slate, and only know what you or someone that is with you can provide. Do you trust your memory in a crisis?

Your best preparation for an ER visit is documentation. Have all your medications written down, with dosages. Have a full list of providers that you have seen and what for. If you have a living will, keep that with the lists. The least amount of guessing that the staff has to do makes care quicker and more effective. The time to do this is not as you are leaving the house--it's NOW. You are on your computer--pop up your word processor and list the items that you can remember. Then print it out and cross-check it with your medicine cabinet and your list of appointments. It's far more productive than blogging!