McDad
I can't brain today; I has the dumb.
- Joined
- Jan 3, 2011
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Just to verify... ER visits are not free for non-emergency, uninsured patients, correct? So, it would be a bit ridiculous to go to the most expensive form of care when you don't have insurance?
Honestly, ER abuse is one of the biggest wastes of Medicaid money. WITHOUT QUESTION, my patients with TennCare are the most likely to go to ETCH or an outlying ER with cold symptoms, minor injuries, etc that are much more appropriately seen in my office. However, the ER is free and they don't need an appointment, so there's no deterrent to wasting taxpayer money and the ER staff's time.
Most private insurance carries a much higher copay for ER visits, so they will wait and see me unless it's a true emergency.
If Medicare started refusing payment for that kind of stuff at the ER, it'd be a great treatment for a lack of impulse control.100% agree. Some of it is intellect. Some of it is they don’t care because they’re not paying. Some of it is mental illness driven (my BPD and schizophrenic patients for example).
Had one go to the ER recently “to discuss HSV”. She had no lesions. She just wanted to talk about her recent lab work from my office. Everything could have been addressed with me the next day or she could have called and spoke to my nurses. But she saw it on her patient portal in the middle of the night and obviously discussing herpes is a medical emergency
If Medicare started refusing payment for that kind of stuff at the ER, it'd be a great treatment for a lack of impulse control.
You're doing God's work, amigo.Agreed. It’s hard too though because there’s always shades of gray. I have two specific schizophrenic patients.
Patient 1: he shows up and always requests bloodwork because “the midgets injected me with bleach”, or some other wild complaint that I can blow off. So I just have my nurses get his vitals, I talk to him, examine him depending on the complaint, and then send him on his way without ever officially signing him in or treating it as a visit. Because it feels like fraud to charge Medicaid for daily visits.
Patient 2: schizophrenic who always shows up with pain and claiming she has fallen. Anything you touch always hurts. And she frequently complains of vomiting. On that I need to check her potassium, sometimes order X-rays, etc. So it’s a lot harder in her situation to know if a visit is warranted.
FWIW, people without insurance still abuse the ER the same way. If they can’t pay the bill, they don’t care how big the number is. The cost to collect (beyond sending a letter) is more than the hospital would ever get in most cases.There are many free medical clinics for indigent individuals.
If there’s anyone near Oak Ridge that doesn’t have health insurance then click the link.
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Free Medical Clinic
www.fmcor.org
I'll try. But to be clear you have shown no data.Inform me. Please. Show me data proving your point
FWIW, people without insurance abuse the ER the same way. If they can’t pay the bill, they don’t care how big the number is. The cost to collect (beyond sending a letter) is more than the hospital would ever get in most cases.
Also they’re statistically less healthy so they probably go more often.
I imagine the cost gets absorbed by the hospital and passed on to paying patients.
OK. If they don't want to compromise and give healthcare to illegal aliens under any circumstance, why would they be nuts? Especially if you didn't think that illegal aliens deserve free healthcare, why would it be "nuts" to not want to give them something that they don't deserve?I never said that. I said there was room and need for compromise.
The nuts on here said there was no room for compromise.
Go back and look if need be.
FWIW, people without insurance still abuse the ER the same way. If they can’t pay the bill, they don’t care how big the number is. The cost to collect (beyond sending a letter) is more than the hospital would ever get in most cases.
Also they’re statistically less healthy so they probably go more often.
I imagine the cost gets absorbed by the hospital and passed on to paying patients.
Because we will treat a child with life threatening injuries at any emergency room, regardless of ability to pay.OK. If they don't want to compromise and give healthcare to illegal aliens under any circumstance, why would they be nuts? Especially if you didn't think that illegal aliens deserve free healthcare, why would it be "nuts" to not want to give them something that they don't deserve?
FWIW, people without insurance still abuse the ER the same way. If they can’t pay the bill, they don’t care how big the number is. The cost to collect (beyond sending a letter) is more than the hospital would ever get in most cases.
Also they’re statistically less healthy so they probably go more often.
I imagine the cost gets absorbed by the hospital and passed on to paying patients.