Wake Med Emergency Room Visit

[Babytarheelz]

Originally Posted by weluvwakeforest

I'm insured and I have skipped several recommended (and expensive) tests b/c I can't handle the high coinsurance and copays. I've skipped on pills to avoid ever increasing copays... Yet, if I was uninsured I could walk in an ER and potentially get it all for free? Maybe even free pills???????

Try to have even a $500.00 bill at a local hospital (been there)- if you don't pay in 90 days its off to collections and your credit is toast.. unless of course you arrange a loan with a third party.

I agree there are no easy answers.....only more points to ponder...

Just because an ER will accept an uninsured patient doesn't mean they're not charged for it. So I wouldn't call it "free."

I suppose every hospital is different as far as payment plans go b/c I have had plans in the past with WakeMed and UNC and both were well more than 3 months. One was even a couple of years. I guess it depends on the amount of the balance. Plus I recall having to complete a financial sheet when I requested the payment plan, so perhaps they base it on your family's ability to pay as well.

[Lori1961]

Originally Posted by citrusfruit

ot: Did you try to work out a payment plan with said hospital? I've done that before with out of pocket expenses insurance wouldn't cover and always managed to work something out with the hospital billing office.

On topic: Sadly, this does seem to be about the average wait time for a non-trauma emergency anymore. Op, i hope you are feeling at least somewhat better by now and best wishes with your upcoming surgery.

thank you!!!

[darzz1]

Originally Posted by Lori1961

In some cases, they dont have options, you are right. I do believe that in a lot of cases they do have options and choose that life they lead. I am sorry if this offends you and this is not what my post was about.

I can't agree MORE!

A heart attack victim doesn't really have much choice but a drug addict chooses to do drugs. Don't get me wrong that is terribly sad but when they take up space in the er with a self inflicted addiction and there are people fighting for there life.

[skaternum]

Originally Posted by darzz1

I can't agree MORE!

A heart attack victim doesn't really have much choice but a drug addict chooses to do drugs. Don't get me wrong that is terribly sad but when they take up space in the er with a self inflicted addiction and there are people fighting for there life.

What if the heart attack is the result of poor lifestyle choices? What if it's an overweight, middle-aged guy who intentionally eats a crapy diet, smokes, and doesn't exercise? Isn't that pretty much "self inflicted"?

[Lori1961]

If that middle aged man works hard at a job 40 hours a week and pays some of his hard earned money for insurance, then I cant agree it is the same thing as a person who CHOOSES to be homeless and do whatever they have to (stealing, prosititution) to get illegal drugs and then expects the same treatment. Just cant compare the two.

[GarnerMama]

My husband was a Bail Bondsman and RARELY ran into prostitutes that chose that lifestyle. Don't get me wrong...a couple did, but the lifestyle hadn't taken them over yet. Most were severe drug addicts that didn't have a choice. Not many people say "Hey! I want to be a crackhead hooker when I grow up!" And as far as drug addicts choosing to do drugs...not all of them make that choice. When it's in you face and you see it first hand, it's very, very sad.

Anywho...back on topic...I've had good luck at WakeMed Cary. I've had to go to they're ER twice and my husband once. OUt of those 3 visits, on 1 required a long wait. My children have gone to Wake Meds Children's ER too many times and have always received fast treatment.

[gibbie99]

A friend of mine is a peds ER doc at Wake Med (i'm not sure which location). She pretty much always has the same complaint, many/most of the patients come in with colds/flu. The problem is that there is nothing they can do for them! Aside from administer fluids if severely dehydrated, and there are now anti-virals which are effective only within the first 24 hours of symptoms. Then there are the patients who complain about the wait while the ER staff deal with a dying child (she said this has happened on several occassions). Obviously this info is 3rd hand but perhaps it puts another perspective on extreme ER waits.

I had a girlfriend who would always go to the ER for minor, untreatable issues (ie sporatic cough, chest pain). Maybe there was something there, maybe not. But she didn't have med insurance, didn't have a good job, didn't have a prospect of a good job (i wonder what the stats are for jobs w/o insurance, probably high and increasing). Her real problem would never be diagnosed at the ER, and I guess she would continue to go about life until a real emergency hits, and by then it's too late. This experience leads me to think we really need some safety net to handle people with minor emergencies and w/o insurance. It would not cost an arm and a leg to treat these people. Get a facility, staff it with an xray and a ultrasound, a few techs, a few nurses, a doc, you can see alot of people with very minor problems in a high-througput setting and get some quality care. Just my opinion. (and sorry for promoting the derailment of this topic).

[TraumanurseNC]

I am an ER nurse, and can speak first-hand to some issues with waiting times (at two hospitals). It is truly a supply and demand issue... there are too many people needing/wanting help and not enough staff or rooms to see them in. It is a HUGE issue with people coming to the ER with complaints that could be taken care of on a weekday in the doctor's office or in an urgent care center. I do find that we have our share of "drug-seekers", but it is just as often someone with insurance that is coming in for something completely unneccesary, or something that could wait for a doctor's visit. As someone said before, if those people are in the only available rooms, that means that people who really need to be seen have to wait... sometimes hours. There is only so much room, and not enough doctors, nurses, or support staff to care for them. It is a system we struggle to fix constantly, but it rarely seems to get much better.

Another issue is the lawsuit-happy world we live in now. Someone can come in with abdominal pain, and we are pretty sure it is indigestion, a urinary tract infection, mild food poisoning, an STD, or something else that is not going to kill them. But, because we "might" miss something and get sued, we must.... do a CT scan (with contrast, takes 2-3 hours minimum), get complete blood work, probably an X-ray, pregnancy test and a pelvic exam for the females, urinalysis, intravenous fluids, etc....etc...etc... I think you get the idea. It is often this way, this is not the exception, it is the norm. And for those that are uninsured, society pays for it, it is never free...

It isn't right, but I don't know how to fix it. Just my 3 - 1/2 cents....