$1,721.75 charge for treating a cut

Crockett

Crockett

5,000+ Posts
A lot of other news organizations are jumping on the scandal of medical pricing that is bizarre in the extreme. Here's a case where a family went to an emergency room for an injury my mom would have treated with hydrogen peroxide and mercurochrome back when I was a kid.The Link

It looks like the job of hospital chargemaster is now being handled by folks who would be used car salesmen except they find the lofty ethical standards of that profession too constraining.
 
That is a ridiculous amount, but come on, clean it up and put a band aid on it. If it doesn't stop bleeding, then take 'em to the minor emergency clinic when it opens.
 
You hit the nail on the head - do not go to the ER for something treatable at home. Running a hospital is expensive. The equipment alone in an ER can run into the millions of dollars. You have very expensive salaries to cover, malpractice insurance, and other cost such as standard lab tests and the antibiotics probably provided.

Is $1,700 excessive? Probably. However, I doubt there was not a minor emergency clinic available even if that was needed.
 
This is not out of line for such services at ERs. I handle defense work for several large entities and just yesterday I took the deposition of a mom who fell in some water at the client's premises and took her kid to the ER for a scrape on his forehead and nose and got billed $1,600.

In fairness to the hospitals, it costs a lot of money to fund an emergency room and the money has to come from somewhere. You want to go to an underfunded emergency room when you have a serious injury?
 
At some point, uninformed posters should not post. In addition to the costs associated with running an ER, the hospital will be lucky to receive 50% of the charges and it will likely be more than 90 days later.

You don't call a licensed electrician to screw in a lightbulb. Same case here.
 
These charges only seem unreasonable out of context. ERs are expensive to run. Furthermore, virtually every bill to an uninsured patient is uncollectable.

Far more questionable is what some hospitals do when they know they can bill third party insurance (like after a car accident). If you go to a Seton Hospital after a car wreck they will CT scan you until you glow in the dark even if you arent badly hurt and charge $4K per scan. I have handled several cases with $15-$25K bills and no real treatment - just a mess of CT scans.
 
Unnecessary tests are run only when the doctor orders them. If the symptoms, pain complaints or standard protocol calls for tests, they will run them. The first time they do not run a "standard" test, they will be sued if they miss something and harm occurs (sometimes even when actual harm does not occur).

The ER personnel could really care less about the financial aspects of the tests they run - they are not incentivized to run tests. They are there to take care of sick/injured people. The bill will be created based upon the diagnosis and related supplies provided.
 
Well, if an uninsured person goes to the emergency room and the bottom end charge for about 10 minutes of medical attention. cleaning solution and a bandage takes six weeks worth of take home pay, I can see why the bills don't get paid.
 
Walgreens, CVS and WalMart all carry those inexpensive supplies. If you are so stupid to go to the ER for those things, you should be prepared to pay accordingly.
 
Last year, I cut my hand with an Exacto knife. I drove myself to urgent care, but the nurse there did not want to do the work because of proximity to nerves and ligaments. So, I sewed myself back up. I don't know what I was charged, but whatever it was, it was way too much.

As for Deez's comments on unnecessary tests, I have an alternative story. A girl with whom I went to high school, got drunk at Vanderbilt and fell down some stairs at her apartment complex. She went to the Vandy ER and was told that she was drunk and should sleep it off. She woke up in the morning and couldn't stand and had slurred speech. Her roommate drove her back to the ER where it was determined that her brain had swelled. They did surgery but she ended up dying. What the ER should have done is perform one of those unnecessary tests. If they had done so, she would probably still be alive today.
 
Not sure how anyone can justify nearly $2k for the time spent on this patient. I agree the patient should not have gone to the ER, but that does not give the hospital a right to make up any charge it wishes. Please explain how a few minutes of an ER doctors time plus some anti-septic and a bandage can justify $2k. Its no wonder most folks default on the bill.
 
salaries are high, but IMO, warranted. Nurses and techs are highly trained have a lot more responsibility. Nurse anesthesists are an abberation, though. They make 150K but ours are all Doctors of Nursing Practice, a doctoral degree. So technally, the're doctors.

Nursing certification organizations and professional orgs have done a great job for their clients by keeping the quality of nurse high and the supply at or below demand. to Address the leverage part of your question most hospital systems in a competitive market have to stay ahead of the curve in salaries and benefits or risk a crippling mass defection to a competing system. Smaller communities with one health care system have much more leverage.
 
Thanks for the reply. I found this interesting:


Salaries

While most industry figures show certified registered nurse anesthetists to be the highest-paid group among registered nurses, the cited salaries vary widely. A 2009 salary survey by the American Medical Group Association reported a median income of $157,724 for nurse anesthetists. The industry-backed Explore Health Careers website places the average income at a more modest $130,000 per year. Medical staffing firm Locum Tenens reported an average salary of $168,998 per year in its 2011 salary survey.
Variables

The Locum Tenens survey provided further detail, breaking out salaries by gender and level of experience. Male nurse anesthetists averaged $171,700 per year, while their female counterparts averaged $160,680 a year. It's worth noting that while men account for only 8 percent of registered nurses, they make up 45 percent of nurse anesthetists. The survey reported an average yearly salary of $154,674 for nurse anesthetists with five years' experience or less, while their colleagues with six to 12 years of clinical experience averaged $170,950 per year. Those with more than 12 years' experience reported an average income of $176,468 per year.

compared to:



Basics

The PayScale website states that as of September 2010, GPs make a base salary of $86,181 to $151,257 per year. With bonuses, profit sharing and commissions, final annual pay can range from $91,887 to $159,099.
Experience

The greater the experience, the higher the salary, with new doctors averaging a starting annual salary of $51,204 to $123,699. At one to four years of experience, they earn $65,380 to $139,267, and at five to nine years, they make $84,707 to $152,186. At 10 to 19 years, they get $97,997 to $175,944.
Employer

The type of employer can affect salary, with GPs working for companies earning $98,573 to $168,061, followed by the self-employed at $92,044 to 4165,749. Those in hospitals make $72,331 to $145,685, while those in the federal government receive $66,458 to $136,327.
 
A year or so ago I was helping my mom out and doing some dishes before I headed back to Austin. I was with one of my sisters. I cut my finger pretty deep on a glass when it broke as I washed it. Lots of blood, pretty large gash too. Quickly put pressure on it and then began to see if any glass remained in there. It did but I took it out in the flow of blood.

This happened an hour out of town. No way I was going to the ER in that town. So we drove to Austin to find a 24 hour clinic that was not an ER, I know better. I have insurance but know they would bleed me more than my wound was.

Turns out there were not any and by the time we checked a few out it was already 4 a.m. So I waited it out a couple more hours and hit up a ProMed for a $40 copay. It's sad that I had to maybe risk damage to my finger because I did not want a thousand or couple thousand dollar bill for something that may or may not be damaging. That I even had to have that thought process sucked.

My gamble paid off. It was a deep wound and got stitches, splint and lots of wrap initially. It took about a month before I could really use it again but it only cost me a couple hundred bucks total. I think I saved about 3k.

**** our system and again, I have insurance provided for me. I just do the copay and deductible thing. In the past I have had times with no insurance and it sucked really bad. It's scary.
 
If you believe receiving healthcare at cost is a fundamental right from your government, then you will likely be pissed every time you go to a hospital.

Beleive it or not, it takes several hundred millions of dollars to open and run a medical facility that meets state and federal regulatory requirements. It ain't cheap.

Automatically, going to a hospital is going to cost you more than a low cost clinic or do it yourself approach. It is economics. As 100 suggests, it is also a risk if you choose not to in a potentially serious situation. However, I am thankful these businesses are there if I really need them. The "system" is the reimbursement process which is very similar to our system of taxes - one where a few pay for all others will never result in a common sense environment.
 
Well, frankly the charges blow my mind. I'm glad i know. If you see me in an emergency room it will be because i'm in fear for my life.
 
Mr. Deez -

I'm staring at a Seton ER bill right now and its confusing as hell. Long story, but it was a $1474 ER visit that after it was all said and done was for dehydration (ginourmous hangover for one of my kids at UT's 21st birthday). Looks like my BCBS adjustments have it down to $606, but holly cow that's a lot of change for an IV and one hour of observation.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Recent Threads

Back
Top