Off topic ? re emergency rooms
Since I understand it’s ok to discuss non-Byetta a wee bit in here, I
have a question. DH recently had a very expensive trip to the local
hospital emergency room for an injured hand. A friend told him
yesterday that it would have cost him a lot less to go to one of those
urgent care centers (sorry, I’m not sure what they are called, but you
see them around town) instead of an actual hospital.
I’m not sure our insurance (Unicare) would cover that. Does anyone
here have experience with those and can fill me in on the difference?
We are in our late 50’s and since those have popped up the past few
years we just aren’t familiar with them. Although we don’t want any
more emergencies here, I’d like to be better prepared "next" time.
Thanks for your input.
January 26th, 2005 at 7:11 pm
Klyla, we have those where I live. They are called by different names,
and our insurance covered their visits when we needed to use them. I
can’t remember if they were "preferred" or not, but definitely less
expensive than a trip to the ER.
January 26th, 2005 at 10:37 pm
Doc-inna-Box
Carl Eugene Moore, MBA
_____
Klyla, we have those where I live. They are called by different names,
and our insurance covered their visits when we needed to use them. I
can’t remember if they were "preferred" or not, but definitely less
expensive than a trip to the ER.
January 27th, 2005 at 2:55 am
GOOD POINT - lots of our Family Medicine docs and RESIDENTS moonlight at
Doc-Inna-Box and are NOT ED trained. If you have an emergent issue, go to
the ED or call an ambulance. If you just need a couple of stitches or
something minor, then make a decision.
Carl Eugene Moore, MBA
_____
FWIW, the doctors at the urgent care clinic I went to
are not trained in actual ER medical specialty. They
were family practice physicians. But that was OK with
me because I knew what was the matter with me and I
just needed a prescription for really strong
antibiotics.
January 27th, 2005 at 7:23 am
Klyla
I do medical billing for a not for profit organization that has urgent cares.
The urgent cares here will see most things that you would go to a doctors
office, plus small emergencies. The lacerations and broken bones. If anything
is really major they will direct to the ER or call an ambulance to transport.
Tracey
I’m not sure our insurance (Unicare) would cover that. Does anyone
here have experience with those and can fill me in on the difference?
We are in our late 50’s and since those have popped up the past few
years we just aren’t familiar with them. Although we don’t want any
more emergencies here, I’d like to be better prepared "next" time.
Thanks for your input.
January 28th, 2005 at 4:54 am
When I left The Great Land (Alaska) about 11 years old
there were little 24 hour clinics in each neighborhood
in Anchorage. They competed with each other (some
were owned by Providence Hospital while the rest were
owned by Humana). I never had a lick of trouble going
there but I did not have HMO insurance and do not need
approval to go to anyone (with few exceptions).
The one 1/4 mile from where I lived didn’t go things
like major heart attacks for something (that is
hospital fodder) but it handled all sorts of stuff
from camp physicals and small lacerations to dog bites
and bee sting reactions. It had a cast room, a little
"surgery" and several offices and always had a couple
of doctors and a Nurse Practitioner on. The doctors
loved it because they had regular schedules and the
patients loved it because it was always open and
always there. They were often the primary doctors for
locals who did not have the ability to travel in to
the areas of the city where the doctors offices were
located.
In the case of our little clinics they were all
connected directly with the Emergency Rooms in the
hospitals and if they got a bad case they could
stabilize until the paramedics got there (we had real
paramedics, too) and then send the patient on with the
E.R. at the hospital directing the treatment and fully
informed as to what was coming in. It was actually a
very good first responder sort of situation.
I’ve never seen a clinic like this in MA and am rather
disappointed because the service we got from our
neighborhood clinic meant that we rarely hit up our
local doctor for that 2 a.m. nosebleed that would not
stop.
January 28th, 2005 at 9:33 am
my daughter is a nurse practioner at one of the clinics
and most all insurances pay and she had 6 years of education
besides her hospital training
I never go to the ER here in my area you might sit all day and still not see a
dr
so the clinics serve a needed service
GOOD POINT - lots of our Family Medicine docs and RESIDENTS moonlight at
Doc-Inna-Box and are NOT ED trained. If you have an emergent issue, go to
the ED or call an ambulance. If you just need a couple of stitches or
something minor, then make a decision.
Carl Eugene Moore, MBA
_____
FWIW, the doctors at the urgent care clinic I went to
are not trained in actual ER medical specialty. They
were family practice physicians. But that was OK with
me because I knew what was the matter with me and I
just needed a prescription for really strong
antibiotics.
_____
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