Last night while doing the dishes, I managed to cut my thumb pretty badly, right down to the bone. So, I swore and bled for a while, then drove myself to the ER. After waiting for about 2 hours, I was taken into the back room, got my thumb numbed down, four stitches put in, got my thumb splinted and wrapped, and sent on my way. I had two nurses (to set up for the Dr), one Dr (to do the needlepoint), and a tech (to bandage me up) help me out. This was done in a upper-class area hospital in LA county, if that matters. So, what do you think this will cost?
When I get the bill, I’ll post the total, and possibly a picture of my new smiley-face scar. The person who comes the closest to the actual cost will receive a special treat! Thanks for playing.
lightningtool ;
Because of the very,very strange healthcare regs that exist here in California, you can expect to get a couple of bills.
First, from the facility. About $750 for room time, nursing time, and supplies.
Second, from the ER physician. No, I’m not kidding. The two are separate, because of the regs I mentioned. The facility bills only for facility services, professional fees will be billed by the doctor’s billing company. We’re looking at about $300 for the stitch job. He shoulda used surgical glue, but you get extra for the longer amount of time you spend with each patient.
Also, if you had any lab work done, you will get a bill from the lab. Probably around $60 or so for a comp panel.
I would HIGHLY recommend calling the hospital’s billing department, and finding out which ER group last night’s on call physician belongs to. They have the number there, as they have to forward all your info for billing purposes. It is more than likely the California Emergency Physicians Group. They have an 800 number. Or, as I like to call them, the medical mafia, because they refuse to contract with insurance companies. As well as the billing number and address for the lab, if you had any done.
Oh My God. I should have stitched it up myself. Thanks for the input, I guess. sigh Why do I have a feeling I may be starting a pit thread soon? Thanks for the offer of help; I may take you up on it.
it’s lightingtool, not lightningtool. don’t worry, happens all the time
lightingtool , ouch! It must throb with pain still as you use the keyboards…I also wish you well soon. I hope you were given at least
Tylenol™ #3 or #4!
I think sionach 's estimate is close. There used to be an understood law that when it comes to medical bills, you pay them what you are able each month, even if it’s $2. (well, that’s what a friend of mine has done for five years, and - one doctor finally just wrote off his bill on some good—natured decision. (Well, the hospital bill was $80 thousand)
The treat is - to still have a thumb! Glad you didn’t lose it!
Facility charge: ER bed, drugs, supplies, nursing.
Professional charge: ER visit, suturing. (Yes, this will be billed as two separate procedures.)
Second professional charge (assuming you had this done): Radiologist, for x-rays.
I’m thinking that, depending on how severe the cut was and how difficult the suturing was, it’ll come to about $1500-1700. Unfortunately, LA is fairly expensive when it comes to health care.
Fortunately, you can save a few bucks and take the stitches out yourself.
At the hospital where I work, I see insurance claims for ER visits all day long. If you walk in, get looked at, get no meds or other treatments, the least you’ll pay is about $165.
I’ve insurance co-pays running from $50-150.
Don’t forget to call your your insurance company and tell them you went. Depending upon your coverage, failure to do so may require you to pay the entire bill.
Yes, but again, Mr. Blue Sky, you are in Georgia. California’s health care regulations are completely different. Everything is required to be billed separately for each service. Doctor (professional fees), Hospital (facility fees-see MsRobyn’s post), lab, x-ray. If an orthopedic surgeon(specializing in hand surgery) was called in for fear of ligament/tendon damage, that’s another charge. These physicians are not employed by the hospital. They contract with it, and have priveleges to practice there.
Just walking in the door of the ER costs you $150 here; that’s the flat-rate “you’re breathing” fee.
I had a recurring pilonidal cyst that I caught very early, and I wanted to get on antibiotics for it ASAP, so I went to the ER after work…the Doc just looked at it.
And after paying the $150 fee that day, I got billed separately for:
1.) $28 pregnancy-test fee, for the antibiotics prescription
2.) $178 Doctor’s fee, for the ten seconds he looked at it.
[sub]I posted a Pit thread about the whole thing, entitled “Would You Pay For This Kind of ‘Treatment?’” bitter[/sub]
If you go to the ER for actual hands-on treatment and it costs you less than a grand, you’re lucky.
This is where I feel really sorry for you people over the sea.
In the UK it would be absolutely free.
So would a major operation plus long hospital stay. Or any other medical procedure you care to think of. First class specialist care, first class docs and nurses. Free.
The only drawback to National Health Service is that waiting times can be long, particularly for non-urgent ops, and quality of hospital can vary.
But after reading this thread and others like it, I don’t feel like complaining.
I’m betting, hmmm, $900 if you didn’t see a specialist, and $1100 if you did. ER fee, X-rays, stitches, supplies…
(I’m basing this on my uninsured broken leg, which cost about 2K in ER/ambulance/X-ray/painkiller/ortho specialist fees. And that doesn’t count the night I spent as an inpatient. Very expensive mistake to be uninsured; see my post in the “Your Most Costly Mistake” thread.)
By separate billing, are you saying you get an actual separate bill for each service? What a freakin’ nightmare that must be! All services rendered here are billed as separate charges on a single bill. When I file a claim with an insurance company, an itemized bill usually accompanies it. Especially high dollar claims. I recently filed a claim that was almost $500,000 and the itemized bill ran nearly 70 pages! The claim itself was four pages long and had about 60 different line items.
How very nice for you, that you live in a land where those first class doctors and nurses donate all their time and effort and expertise for free, where the medical supply companies give away all their products, and the Health Care Fairy magically provides you with everything else you might need.
Here in the Real World, somebody’s got to pay for all the expenses involved in medical care, whether it’s the recipient who pays directly, or people pay for each other’s care via insurance companies, or taxpayers pay for everyone via the government.
