Walk in URGENT CARE vs Walk in ER - Page 2

Frosted Cake · ‎02-01-2016

@Kachina624 wrote:
I got a shock once when I went to one of my insurance approved hospital ERS for treatment. Only after the fact did I learn that the ER physicians worked for a private corporation that billed separately and was not on the insurance approved list. I never did pay their bill except for what insurance allowed and they didn't pursue it after I threatened to call the attorney general's office.

There should be full disclosure at hospitals just like everywhere else.

I used to work for a hospital, you have to be very aware of hidden costs, especially those ER fees by ER docs. I'm glad you refused to pay. They don't disclose it and unsuspecting patients, during a trauma, are cheated. You have no idea when you go to an ER which docs are contracted with the hospital and which are not.

Hospitals will also give you Tylenol type meds and bill enormously for something you can get at the drug store for $5.00 a bottle! They bill you for the lotions and mouthwash too.

And don't get me started with ambulance fees! They don't tell you that either.

MaggieMack · ‎10-01-2014

@winamac1, ouch! Both for your pocketbook and for your GI tract! I feel your pain!

@LTT1, ouch for the noncovered charges for you! I haven't had but one problem. Went to my derm last November. Of course she submitted stuff for biopsy. Just got an EOB from my supplemental insurance saying they weren't paying the biopsy charges since they were sent to the lab not in my network. Called the Derm and they said they sent it to the wrong lab. I told them they could pay the bill since it's their fault, not mine. And I'm not backing down!

No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted. - Aesop

granddi · ‎03-16-2010

@I am still oxox wrote:
What is a C pak, could you mean Z pak

@granddi wrote:
Our community has numerous walk in Urgent Care Clinics but lately we are seeing Walk In ER. I didn't think much about the name difference until reading an article about a man in the Phoenix area. He sought care at walk in ER for sinusitus and was shocked to see an insurance billing for $9,000.00. He was expecting a C-pac and a steroid shot but got a $6500.00 base fee for Emergency Room and CT scan and then Rx for infection.

Insurance covers ER visits with higher deductibles so your out of pocket could be a surprise. Az proposed legislation would require disclosure of "ER" fees before treatment but apparently Hosp Lobbiest are objecting.

Z not C sorry for the typo.

m0rgan · ‎09-30-2012

Check out "Money Grab" from Amazon.com, it's enlightening.

bri20 · ‎03-10-2016

Our insurance (BCBS HMO) does not cover urgent care or walk-in type clinics. They cover the ER 100%, but the co-pay is $250.

Luckily, we're not sick very often. I would only go to the ER unless it was a true life-threatening emergency.

winamac1 · ‎12-29-2010

@MaggieMack wrote:
@winamac1, ouch! Both for your pocketbook and for your GI tract! I feel your pain!

@LTT1, ouch for the noncovered charges for you! I haven't had but one problem. Went to my derm last November. Of course she submitted stuff for biopsy. Just got an EOB from my supplemental insurance saying they weren't paying the biopsy charges since they were sent to the lab not in my network. Called the Derm and they said they sent it to the wrong lab. I told them they could pay the bill since it's their fault, not mine. And I'm not backing down!

Thanks Maggie. It was AWFUL. Sorry about your derm charges--that stinks!!!

"friends don't let friends drink white zinfandel"

Kachina624 · ‎03-10-2010

@LTT1 wrote:
@granddi @millieshops @I am still oxox @Kachina624 @MaggieMack

It keeps happening ... these "out of network' charges! You were right to question these charges.

Medical charges are getting so complicated that I am tempted to make a list and keep it in my wallet.

Has anyone else had the "demand up-front" payment? That is a "bear" to get back $$ owed back to you after the fact!

The best thing since sliced bread - a Medicare Advantage Plan. I can go to any medical provider anywhere and I've never, even with major surgery, spent one penny out of pocket. They're not all necessarily that good, I'm lucky. And the best part, it's free to me.

New Mexico☀️Land Of Enchantment

lovesrecess · ‎03-14-2010

If ER is in the name, they will probably bill the insurance company as if you go to the ER at the hospital...sounds rather misleading to me to have ER in the name. They need to change it to something that reflects the urgent care clinic it is.

Trinity11 · ‎11-16-2014

@lovesrecess wrote:
If ER is in the name, they will probably bill the insurance company as if you go to the ER at the hospital...sounds rather misleading to me to have ER in the name. They need to change it to something that reflects the urgent care clinic it is.

No, the costs are far less in an Emergency Med Urgent Care. I was treated in one recently for pneumonia with chest x-rays and the bill was exponetially less than when I went to the emergency room of our local hospital a few years ago.

SeaMaiden · ‎03-10-2010

@Frosted Cake Can I ask how do I prepare myself so I am not taken by these hidden costs if a situation comes up? I do not want to be taken advantage of in an emergency. Thanks so much.