Another rant

[lavacarancher]

Have any of you noticed the number of "emergency rooms" popping up? Seems like there are more now than gas stations. Ordinarily that would be a good thing but I've had two bad experiences with the neighborhood "emergency rooms".

First time was when I broke three ribs in five places. Went to the closest emergency room and got absolutely no services - none! Waited in the exam room 45 minutes when the paramedics showed up and transported me to a real, hospital emergency room. The bill for that was over $3000 not counting the real emergency room service nor the ambulance bill.

Next time my back went out and I went to one of the so called emergency rooms. This time I asked what they expected to do to me. Their reply was sign the insurance paperwork and I would be admitted. Well, what are you going to do? Nothing! Then I found out they don't even have a doctor on site and no one can even write a prescription!

Folks, this is a scam! Stay away from these places. If you have a real medical emergency bypass the neighborhood places and go straight to the hospital.

OK, rant over.

 

[James T]

Have wondered if any of those places are worth it. I guess they are to the proprietors. They seem to be popping up on every other block in the suburbs of Houston. I would bet they are just cherry picking.

 

[Jogeephus]

They keep lowering the standards so I imagine in our lifetime we will see these places in Walmart.

 

[cow pollinater]

Go to any real emergency room here in CA and look around and you'll see why they do it that way... Emergency has significantly different meanings for a lot of people. 90% of emergency room traffic here is crap that can easily be solved over the phone with a doctor. If you go to the urgent care centers with a real problem here you're going to the real ER by ambulance but if they didn't have them the ER would be over-run with everyday crap.

 

[backhoeboogie]

I passed out last week. Heart rate at 46 and blood pressure a little elevated. That bought me a ride in the meat wagon. No check in at ER. They EKG'd me and stuck me over and over.

Pretty sure my kidney stones are back. That's all that's wrong. Bleeding out thru the kidney. Finally see a urologist this coming Friday. White blood count at 1300. Indicative of infection.

Because I passed out they put me on FMLA and I'll need a release. I have seen 4 doctors and 1 nurse practioner. No antibiotics yet.

If I could have gotten in to a urologist 2 weeks ago I probably would not have passed out. I have had kidney stones before but they've never hurt this bad. Last Thursday I could not get my shoes off.

This new system is for the birds. A person could die. Maybe I should just go to TSC and get Durapen. Shoot myself in the arse and see if I get over this infection.

I have pain meds. Anti-inflamatory meds. Muscle relaxers. That's what's been prescribed so far.

Maybe I'll get better before I get worse. Blood vessels normally bulge in my arms. You can't find them right now.

 

[TexasBred]

Go to any real emergency room here in CA and look around and you'll see why they do it that way... Emergency has significantly different meanings for a lot of people. 90% of emergency room traffic here is crap that can easily be solved over the phone with a doctor. If you go to the urgent care centers with a real problem here you're going to the real ER by ambulance but if they didn't have them the ER would be over-run with everyday crap.

Most of those are the sorry sob's with no insurance taking advantage of medicaid. Daughter has taken the grandsons to an urgent care center a couple of times on weekends but it is fully staffed and does a good job. I'm sure anything they are not actually set up to handle would be referred to a hospital.

 

[TexasBred]

Dam Boogie..I'd be mighty tempted to get the wife to drive me to the ER and tell them to get to work...I need some relief. !!!!!!!!! I don't think they want to handle anything too quick now days though. Not until ever doctor in the system has got his claim filed for looking in on you.

 

[highgrit]

Oh boy this doctor stuff is brutal. I have to get a PCF to sign off on my health before I can have neck surgery. And my Urgent Care nurse practitioner isn't qualified to do so. I'm trying to find a doctor that's not booked solid and get on with it. Twenty minutes in a tube with a bunch of pinging and clicking cost $3,150. dollars with obama care. The same MRI cost me $525. cash 3 years ago. Someone is getting screwed and my guess is, it's the taxpayers.

 

[kenny thomas]

Fell on the ice at work and fractured my arm 6 weeks ago yesterday. Have seen the Workers Comp Dr. 3 times but just now getting approval to see an orthopedic surgeon. It will be at least 2 more weeks before I can get an appointment. Dr has already said they will probably have to rebrake my arm so they can set it correctly because its been so long. Not sure I will allow that.

 

[Workinonit Farm]

But this new way of handling our "healthcare" is so much better! Yeah.....right. Don't get me started. It is rapidly becoming a clustermess.

 

[fenceman]

Several years ago i had a employee cleaning the shop. Atthe end of the day i sent him home. I went to put a feed sack in the burn barrel and it exploded. (He had put about a dozen aerosol cans in the burn barrel. The explosion knocked me unconscious burned my clothes off. I came to the skin on my arm from the elbow down was hanging about 12 inches below my fingertips. I found my melted cell phone and called my wife at work to come home. I drank all the beer in the house waiting on her. Went to nearest er. Nurse did great job on cleaning wound doc. Shows up looks at it and leaves. Little latter several paramedics show up with gurney. Say there taking me to san Antonio. I refuse , dont want to go. We go home no antibiotics no nothing. Doc had said probably 6 months rehab. My wife found leather mittens at harbor freight. Wrapped it up and taped on mitten and was welding at killeen rodeo arena 3 days later. Still fighting bill for ambulance ride to san Antonio. That i never took......about 3 years ago was down in far pasture on mule. Stoped to take a leak and like someone shot me was knocked down in pain(kidney stones are way worse than burns) sat in er 6 hours in pain while people with colds flu etc. Were treated. Probably with no insurance. Finally passed the stone in the er restroom. Got my wife and started to leave. They asked why. Told them i've been here so long I've healed. My insurance was billed for that also. Two biggest medical issues of my life ive ended up dealing with myself and still been billed.

 

[backhoeboogie]

Dam Boogie..I'd be mighty tempted to get the wife to drive me to the ER and tell them to get to work...I need some relief. !!!!!!!!! I don't think they want to handle anything too quick now days though. Not until ever doctor in the system has got his claim filed for looking in on you.

This system is terrible. 15 years ago I had 4 stones. Good Shepherd Hospital in Longview let me come home to my doctor. Doc looked at MRI and couldn't believe I was up walking. Got me on antibiotics and I passed the stones. Now days I am 16 days into this. Know I did not have a heart attack. Did not have a stroke. Passed out from blood loss. Pain excruciating but have not had an MRI yet of my kidney.

Different times. Different rules. Same insurance. Back then there was no history but I had confirmation THAT day. Antibiotics that day too.

 

[jedstivers]

Dam Boogie..I'd be mighty tempted to get the wife to drive me to the ER and tell them to get to work...I need some relief. !!!!!!!!! I don't think they want to handle anything too quick now days though. Not until ever doctor in the system has got his claim filed for looking in on you.

This system is terrible. 15 years ago I had 4 stones. Good Shepherd Hospital in Longview let me come home to my doctor. Doc looked at MRI and couldn't believe I was up walking. Got me on antibiotics and I passed the stones. Now days I am 16 days into this. Know I did not have a heart attack. Did not have a stroke. Passed out from blood loss. Pain excruciating but have not had an MRI yet of my kidney.

Different times. Different rules. Same insurance. Back then there was no history but I had confirmation THAT day. Antibiotics that day too.

I had a stone the 5th of March, knew what it was too. Not my first roedo withe them. Went to the ER at daylight, thankfully all the people that don't "feel well" we're gone by then. They but me right in and started a iv, shot me full of dimerall and did a ct. Said I had 4 more of them. Gave me another tordal shot and a script and sent me home. I was good by then, the one had passed. Now I'm waiting on the next 4.

 

[Nesikep]

BHB, one of my friends gave himself a shot of LA200 once for some infection he had.. said it worked like a hot dam... I'd have to be pretty desperate to try that though

 

[hurleyjd]

Most of the hospitals in my area have a triage unit and will see the worst first. Wife is still suffering from the sore on her heel and has a wound vac on it now. The ER doctor tried to set the bones and cut off the circulation in the foot with the splint he applied and in a couple of more days the foot would have to be amputated. My experience at a emergency room when I had the twisted intestine was they had be diagnosed and a tube down into the stomach and on a pump by the time the wife parked the car.

 

[lavacarancher]

They keep lowering the standards so I imagine in our lifetime we will see these places in Walmart.

Funny you should mention that. Passed by our local CVS pharmacy yesterday and they were putting up a sign announcing they were starting an "emergency care" center. There's already one across the street, another two blocks away and yet another less than a mile away. If you don't think this is a scam follow the money.

 

[chippie]

There is a clinic in our HEB and we have used it quite a bit.
First time was for a sports physical for our daughter. $35 compared to $120 at the doctor (insurance does not cover this)
Last month, for our youngest daughter. Turned out she had Influenza B. Visit, flu test and prescription - all less than going to our doctor, plus she was able to walk in.
The clinic is part of the Memorial Health Care system.

 

[lavacarancher]

There is a clinic in our HEB and we have used it quite a bit.
First time was for a sports physical for our daughter. $35 compared to $120 at the doctor (insurance does not cover this)
Last month, for our youngest daughter. Turned out she had Influenza B. Visit, flu test and prescription - all less than going to our doctor, plus she was able to walk in.
The clinic is part of the Memorial Health Care system.

I agree they could be good but the name is a misnomer. When a sign posted on the front of the building stating it is an "Emergency Room/Clinic/etc" one would expect it to be staffed by doctors and have the instruments and equipment to take care of minor emergencies - not the case at all. And certainly for the price they charge one would and should expect more. I'm also glad you got in out out for less than a doctors office visit would cost, but your exposure to the facility was NOT an emergency.

As far as the sports physical the school should have provided something. Tomball did for my Grandson and it was a LOT less than $35. You went to one of these place that could write a prescription????? At a HEB????? I doubt that but maybe you live in a different part of S. Texas than I.

 

[chippie]

Yes, they have nurse practitioners. They can write prescriptions. As I said, it is a part of the Memorial Health Care System. The hospital is across the road.

 

[lavacarancher]

Yes, they have nurse practitioners. They can write prescriptions. As I said, it is a part of the Memorial Health Care System. The hospital is across the road.

OK, Chippie. Don't want to carry this on but how much do you think they would charge for an real emergency (three broken ribs) and what would you think they would have done about it? And you are right about some of them being part of a bigger network - the one I went to was. I can tell you first hand they charged my insurance a little over $3000 and did absolutely NOTHING except pick up a phone and call an ambulance which transported me to "their" hospital. Ambulance cost - about $1000. Would have been much better off going directly to the hospital emergency room and about $4000 richer. Oh, by the way. Nurse Practitioners can NOT write a prescription for pain killers without a doctors approval.

You went to HEB for medical care???????? Really???? OMG! Did you pick up a dozen eggs while you were there?