Community Chat

[Lila Belle]

Those who bemoan the fact our fellow Americans are now able to obtain care fail to realize that they themselves will get better quality and more services as a result than ever before.

Urgent care centers will be able to care for more everyday illnesses and allow the ERs to to better and more efficiently treat trauma and true emergency cases.

[Gooday]

On 1/3/2014 Sox2 said:

Thanks for the information, Terrier ... this hits home because we have a PPO with BC/BS ... thought I could use it anywhere we travel. Guess I'm wrong

I would check first. A lady from our neighborhood back home works for Jewel (a grocery store). For years she went to a certain hospital. She saw her PCP who ordered a CT scan but he told her you need to go to "B" hospital (15 miles away) because A hospital (3 miles away) is no longer taking BC/BS. "B" hospital is taking BC/BS and hospital "C" a mile from B and a TRAUMA CENTER is no longer taking BC/BS. If anyone of you posters who live in the Chicagoland area on the southwest side, hospital C is well known for patients being taken by ambulance for gun shot wounds and crime victims. It is one of the best known hospitals who given excellent care due to their vast experience. They will now take United Health Care and Aetna. The public aid and Medicaid system in Il. is broke, broke, broke. So, I still can't wrap my head around who is signing up in Il. and who will cover the costs.

[reese2]

Dagna and kdgn (and anyone else, if I've missed you) THANK YOU! I worked for an EMS service as an administrator and my son is a Firefighter/EMT, and I can tell you that once they are dispatched through 911, they cannot refuse to transport if the "patient" insists. The only time they can, is when the police have been called for some sort of suspected criminal situation, and it's clearly a legal issue, not a medical one. There are instances where the responding officer doesn't feel like taking someone to the hospital, say for a blood test for a suspected DUI (drugs or alcohol) so they want the EMS crew to transport, then they will follow to await the results. They don't want the bother of someone vomiting in their cars or becoming combative, so just let the EMS crew transport. That's ridiculous!

My son has refused to transport in those instances, unless the "patient", knowing what's about to happen, decides to stall by saying they are ill and want to go to the hospital. Trust me, no crew I've ever known wants to transport for the money. Then try billing for those non-essential calls. Guess what? No reimbursement, and if you pad the trip sheet and embellish the call, you can be prosecuted. Is there no fraud? Doubtful, but I seriously dispute that any EMS organization takes any and every call for the money. They will end up being fined and shut down.

ETA, and not to be snarky, but I've never known an "ambulance driver". They are EMTs or EMT/P (paramedics) who are highly trained medical personnel. If the call is ALS (advanced life support) the paramedic attends the patient and the EMT drives the rig. If it's a BLS (basic life support) call, the EMT attends the patient and the medic drives. At least that's the way I've always known it to be.

[SoX]

On 1/3/2014 Gooday said:

On 1/3/2014 Sox2 said:

Thanks for the information, Terrier ... this hits home because we have a PPO with BC/BS ... thought I could use it anywhere we travel. Guess I'm wrong

I would check first. A lady from our neighborhood back home works for Jewel (a grocery store). For years she went to a certain hospital. She saw her PCP who ordered a CT scan but he told her you need to go to "B" hospital (15 miles away) because A hospital (3 miles away) is no longer taking BC/BS. "B" hospital is taking BC/BS and hospital "C" a mile from B and a TRAUMA CENTER is no longer taking BC/BS. If anyone of you posters who live in the Chicagoland area on the southwest side, hospital C is well known for patients being taken by ambulance for gun shot wounds and crime victims. It is one of the best known hospitals who given excellent care due to their vast experience. They will now take United Health Care and Aetna. The public aid and Medicaid system in Il. is broke, broke, broke. So, I still can't wrap my head around who is signing up in Il. and who will cover the costs.

Know it well ... that's because it's part of the Advocate system ... blame Advocate. That's why I'll stick with Northwestern and my husband's PCP is at the University of Chicago ... both take BC/BS.

BTW, "Hospital C" (Christ Hospital) is the only Level I Trauma Center for the entire south side ... All others got out of the trauma business years ago ... too costly and not enough reimbursement funding.

[RetRN]

Our Urgent Care closes at 7pm and our pharmacies close by 9pm. I wish the Urgent Cares could be open 24/7 and have pharmacies on site. If those things could be done along with some type of transportation service I think life would be good. I know, I'm dreaming.

[Lipstickdiva]

I am very, very lucky that I have never had to go to the minute clinic type places such as they have in Walgreens, CVS, etc. I have not heard good things about them. We have few Urgent Care Centers in our area and the hours they are opened are very limited.

I hesitate to ever go to the ER because I know what it's going to cost me, even with insurance. However, people on Medicaid don't have to pay a dime so our local hospitals have a huge problem with Medicaid recipients using the ER as their family physicians. That needs to stop.

Many people also know that if you are transported to the hospital via ambulance, you are taken right in whereas if you walk in, you sit in the waiting area sometimes for hours upon hours. The last time I had to go to the ER it was for my DH. This was at 7:30 at night and there was a woman who had been there from noon with a tooth issue.

I'm also very lucky that my doctor's office keeps a certain number of appointments open for people who call in that day needing to be seen. But you must call right when they open to get an appointment.

[terrier3]

On 1/3/2014 RetRN said:

Our Urgent Care closes at 7pm and our pharmacies close by 9pm. I wish the Urgent Cares could be open 24/7 and have pharmacies on site. If those things could be done along with some type of transportation service I think life would be good. I know, I'm dreaming.

It's not a dream.

Our urgent care centers are open 24/7 and some now have vans.

Our Walgreens are open 24/7 too...at least the city stores are.

[Mj12]

On 1/3/2014 RetRN said:

Our Urgent Care closes at 7pm and our pharmacies close by 9pm. I wish the Urgent Cares could be open 24/7 and have pharmacies on site. If those things could be done along with some type of transportation service I think life would be good. I know, I'm dreaming.

It must depend on the facility. The chain of Urgent Cares in my area are open 7am till midnight, 365 days a year, and they do have pharmacies on site that accept insurance co-pay.

[Cakers1]

On 1/3/2014 terrier2 said:

People use the ER because they have limited alternatives.

The ER/ambulance companies/labs/pharmacies have no incentive to change things. They make a ton of money providing this kind of care to everyone who shows up.

We need family practice neighborhood clinics open 7 days a week and late hours. They need to have labs/pharmacies attached. Anyone can come in for treatment....like the new immediate care facilities that have been opening lately.

As long as ERs and ambulance companies get reimbursed big bucks for people looking for a cheap way to treat a sore throat late at night...costs will continue to rise.

Every time I have posted this...it gets poofed.

We've had these for the past 10 years. No big news or new idea.

Honestly, do you stay up all night worrying about who is making $$ and how?

[Irshgrl31201]

I live in Raleigh and we have many low cost/sliding scale clinics that have labs on site. They have to wait a little longer for their pharmacy but only by an hour and in most cases the drugs are free or greatly reduced.

I was watching the news last night and they were talking about a study that showed people who have Medicaid are 40% more likely to use ER services that those that have no insurance even if their illness doesn't meet ER criteria. I don't understand why they would use the ER if they have insurance to see a doctor especially if it isn't an emergency.