Autumn Daniels went to the hospital with a severe migraine. After four hours in the waiting room, she left to try a different facility — but the ER still charged her.
It’s the doctor the day before that suggested going to an ED the next day—literally not an emergency—and her actually doing it. They must’ve actually said something like, “If it starts getting unexpectedly worse, Id recommend going to an ED, otherwise just keep doing what you’re doing.” And she took that as “If it’s still sore on Day 7, it’s suddenly an emergency.”
Unless that migraine started in the last few hours and is escalating at an alarming rate, that initial exam room is sending her back to the waiting room and her priority of “emergency” is going to be so low compared to everyone else the staff in the ED will see that week.
The other hospital that saw her as quick as an hour and a half must’ve been having the cruisiest day of the year.
If I got that bill, but I wouldn’t where I live, I’d look at it as a fine for calling the fire department on a trick candle I couldn’t put out.
The first Doctor was an urgent care center. They are usually very limited on what they can provide. They are generally MUCH cheaper than an ER, but they can only do so much and do not provide any in patient care. He suggested an ER, because if her migraine had not gone away by then, then she was going to possibly need more advanced care than he was able to provide. ER’s can diagnose to a higher level and then provide that advanced care.
I think of urgent care as a midpoint between school nurse and an actual hospital.
Kind of frustrating that she ultimately only received the same level of care at the ER, that she got at the urgent care clinic. But to the original Doctor’s point, he was not going to be able to provide anything further than they already had, so if there was anything else that could be done, or another contributing condition that he could not diagnose, the ER is where she would need to be, to determine that.
I see my PCP for my migraines, but he has hours, so if I have an episode that does not respond to meds, and is not going away, they also tell me to go to an ER.
Yeah, that is how the health care system works over there. What’s the news?
Honestly, it’s not the billing for me.
It’s the doctor the day before that suggested going to an ED the next day—literally not an emergency—and her actually doing it. They must’ve actually said something like, “If it starts getting unexpectedly worse, Id recommend going to an ED, otherwise just keep doing what you’re doing.” And she took that as “If it’s still sore on Day 7, it’s suddenly an emergency.”
Unless that migraine started in the last few hours and is escalating at an alarming rate, that initial exam room is sending her back to the waiting room and her priority of “emergency” is going to be so low compared to everyone else the staff in the ED will see that week.
The other hospital that saw her as quick as an hour and a half must’ve been having the cruisiest day of the year.
If I got that bill, but I wouldn’t where I live, I’d look at it as a fine for calling the fire department on a trick candle I couldn’t put out.
The first Doctor was an urgent care center. They are usually very limited on what they can provide. They are generally MUCH cheaper than an ER, but they can only do so much and do not provide any in patient care. He suggested an ER, because if her migraine had not gone away by then, then she was going to possibly need more advanced care than he was able to provide. ER’s can diagnose to a higher level and then provide that advanced care.
I think of urgent care as a midpoint between school nurse and an actual hospital.
Kind of frustrating that she ultimately only received the same level of care at the ER, that she got at the urgent care clinic. But to the original Doctor’s point, he was not going to be able to provide anything further than they already had, so if there was anything else that could be done, or another contributing condition that he could not diagnose, the ER is where she would need to be, to determine that.
I see my PCP for my migraines, but he has hours, so if I have an episode that does not respond to meds, and is not going away, they also tell me to go to an ER.