<p>When I go to our local ER it’s full of people with what appear to be mild flu symptoms. I’ve gone to ERs when my kids got injured out of town (and it always seems to be a weekend or after hours!), or when my parents have issues severe constipation of an elderly relative in one instance. Thankfully there are now more medical clinics with better hours that might be my first choice now.</p>
<p>Don’t they always try to collect for medical care? Whether they get anything or not, I thought they always bill. Probably, though, he’ll try to sue the hospital for not detecting Ebola in the first place, if he survives.</p>
<p>We have never called an ambulance, it would have to be completely life threatening, unexpected, and sudden, to call. If someone was just getting sicker, at some point we’d take them to the doctor or emergency room. Even when my husband severely injured his knee, the patellar tendon became detached and he was in severe pain. He had to go up 100 stairs, backwards on his butt, with my son holding his leg up, and me holding ice onto his swelling knee. The ER doc was annoyed, said we have excellent ambulance service and probably wouldn’t have cost us anything with insurance. I think sometimes you get so used to taking care of yourself, you don’t even think to call for help.</p>
<p>I called the ambulance twice when my younger kid was a toddler - once for seizures (ended up overnight at childrens hosp) and a few months later when she passed out with hives. Scariest times of my life. We had excellent insurance back then and the ambulance service still tried to bill us. Had to call insurance both times to fix their “mistake”
We’ve also driven to the ER for kids fractures – the wait times are terrible.</p>
<p>My older kid drove an ambulance one summer. It’s an awful job. About the billing, for the most part non-payers are a very transient population. Chances are they won’t get a bill because they don’t give the correct address or have moved by the time billing happens. And, usually they don’t have jobs. They can’t pay and everyone knows this.so those who can pay will pay a lot more. That’s the system. When my son found out how much his rides cost he was floored and figured out immediately that most of those people he was transporting couldn’t possibly pay those bills. There were alot of teenagers and homeless people, so yeah. </p>
<p>The doctors I think were just a little careless or maybe on automatic with the antibiotics.</p>
<p>There are cultural differences. I was in the ER again Thursday night because my mother is critically ill. At one point, all visitors were locked out of treatment area because of a trauma. My borough is a community of 500,000 people served by two medium-sized priivate hospitals and no public hospital. When I was sitting in the waiting room for that hour or so, I noticed some surprising things (to me). The majority of people were there for things that weren’t true emergencies, but culturally, they “go to the hospital” for pretty much everything, and the experience is so expected and familiar that they don’t see a problem. When you don’t see a problem, you don’t look for a solution. Additionally, being In the ER waiting room is a social thing. Your cousin might bring pizza or sandwiches, various people will come and visit with you in the waiting room. You expect to be there for hours, you tell many people you know that you are going to be there and they come keep you company while you wait. When we were there, most of the other people there at that time were people with heavy accents that led me to think that at least some were recent immigrants. I can’t imagine that they had private doctors and they all were completely fine with the situation, which I suspect is better than what they were used to.</p>
<p>Both times that I went three weeks ago, I was basically taken right back to an exam room upon arrival. In fact, the first time I went in the morning, I was able to access their website, and check in online to hold a spot for me when I arrived. </p>
<p>That being said, I suspect anyone who has a recent history of sepsis and is there for an infection, gets noticed fairly quickly. Because I was at the same ER of the hospital I was in for five days, they were able to look at my chart before they came in and saw me. When the M.D. came in the room the first time, one of the first things he said was that he saw the recent sepsis history in my EMR. </p>
<p>However, when he wanted to put me on two antibiotics after he lanced it, I specifically remember saying, “Are both antibiotics necessary? I’m not a fan of taking antibiotics unless they’re necessary.” He told me yes. Several hours later, when I returned to the ER (this time a different one, because the ambulance would not take me back to the one I had been at earlier since that would require passing up another ER to get there) and they saw how sick I was, and I told them I wasn’t going to take those antibiotics again, that ER doc was willing to give the finger a couple of days to see how it responded to being lanced, and let me follow up with my own M.D. So I never took any antibiotics and the finger has healed nicely. So, yea, I obviously didn’t need them to begin with. </p>
<p>Interesting, the difference in policies in our country and some others about prescribing antibiotics. I became very ill on a trip in Switzerland, and was convinced I had a sinus infection. Had to go back to work in a couple of days, and really needed to get well quickly. The only medical facility nearby that was open was the emergency room. They kept me there for 1 1/2 hours, looking at me, doing blood tests—to determine if I had a sinus infection. Must have spent ten minutes just examining my ears and throat. Over here, I’d get the ten second lookover, then antibiotics, out the door.
They refused to give me antibiotics, saying it wasn’t a sinus infection. Probably a cold and a brief incident of food poisoning. I felt fine the next day. The entire bill was only about $450. Most thorough examination ever, for an accurate diagnosis.</p>
<p>I can’t imagine going to an ER just to keep someone (not in my care) company. I agree with Sheldon - you can could catch something really bad in hospitals - specially in waiting areas!
Even visits are better done to the person’s home when they are feeling better, unless they are in the hospital long-term.
FWIW my doctor agrees with me - avoid hospitals as much as possible.</p>
<p>busdriver11 - I used to have an ENT (he retired earlier this year and I need to find a new one), who knows that I’m susceptible to eardrum ruptures if I fly with a cold or sinus congestion, so he always told me, if I ever found myself in a situation where I needed to fly, but had a cold, call him, no matter when, and he would meet me (I’m guessing in the ER) to put a very small hole in my eardrum (he claimed it doesn’t hurt) to help equalize the pressure so I could fly. However, if he does that, I won’t be able to swim if where I’m going is for a warm-weather vacation. Thankfully I never had to take him up on it, but I do wonder if when I find a new ENT, if he’ll make the same offer. I wouldn’t trust just any ER doc to do it; I’d want an ENT. </p>
<p>Teriwtt - I don’t really think an average ER doc would do that for you. They would probably just send you home with antibiotics. 
</p>
<p>It is not as simple to get “free” or reduced price care as many of you think it is. The hospital will indeed bill you–and at a MUCH higher rate than a person with insurance, frequently double or more. You then have to apply for Medicaid and be rejected. You then submit your financial info to the hospital, which MAY grant you free or reduced price care. For the hospital’s portion of the charge. Anyone you see who is not strictly a hospital employee–in my case, the supervising OB/Gyn–will also bill you at the inflated rate charged to uninsured patients. Then you have to work it out with them on your own. They may reduce the charge to something closer to the “reasonable and customary” insurance cos pay, and allow you to pay it on time. All of this takes a lot of time, English language skills, negotiating ability, persistence… </p>
<p>Those who have not been in that situation believe a lot of stuff that simply isn’t true, virtually all of which portrays the patient in a negative light.</p>
<p>I would add that the availability of walk-in clinics varies widely. In CT, there were plenty. Up here, there was only one in the greater Portland area. I came down with a dreadful UTI when moving here, and had no doctor and could find no one who would see me right away. They all told me to go to the ER, ironically, which I refused to do. Luckily, I eventually found the sole walk-in. I can imagine many of you saying here “Who goes to an ER for a UTI?” As if no decent, rational person would do so. Think again. </p>
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<p>Well, they should have detected Ebola in the first place. They had the information that he’d recently been in West Africa. In fact, the hospital is now saying that the ER doctors DID know about his travel history, which makes the decision to release him even more inexplicable. And according to an epidemiologist at the hospital, the hospital had just completed Ebola training. So yes, they really should have detected it.</p>
<p>ER abuse by non-payers is not a myth. And, yes they should have heard alarm bells if the information was communicated on the first visit. It’s a little hard to believe they didn’t. But, it looks like they didn’t. That’s a screw-up. But, I don’t know if it’s a lawsuit since getting misdiagnosed or blown off in ER and having to come back two days later is not uncommon at all. Also, he could be headed to jail in Texas or Liberia.</p>
<p>You never know. They might try to do that. Which is why I need to find a new ENT in case this happens; I need to have someone to call at last minute, or if it’s over a weekend. Most people who are nervous flyers are that way because they worry about a plane crash. I worry because of my eardrums. </p>
<p>"busdriver11 - I used to have an ENT (he retired earlier this year and I need to find a new one), who knows that I’m susceptible to eardrum ruptures if I fly with a cold or sinus congestion, so he always told me, if I ever found myself in a situation where I needed to fly, but had a cold, call him, no matter when, and he would meet me (I’m guessing in the ER) to put a very small hole in my eardrum (he claimed it doesn’t hurt) to help equalize the pressure so I could fly. "</p>
<p>Gosh, that sounds like a serious preventive measure. I would feel uncomfortable flying somewhere with that sort of risk. I’ve heard eardrum ruptures are very painful. What if you travel somewhere, and then you get a cold? I can’t imagine someone who doesn’t know you, being willing to do that. But maybe it’s a standard procedure that people get done.</p>
<p>However, if you are in a situation that you are starting to feel congested, I’ll tell you what pilots generally do. They never fly anywhere without a bottle of Afrin, and there is super powered Afrin now that you can spray into your nose before you fly, that may last a long time. Plus a dose of Sudafed. Many people fly through a cold this way, though it is not a good idea to do it for long. Sometimes you just need to get through a couple of flights!</p>
<p>There’s somebody vomiting on a quarantined plane at Newark International, right now. Sigh.</p>
<p>"A vomiting passenger has prompted the quarantine of United Airlines Flight 998 from Brussels after landing at Newark Liberty International Airport early Saturday afternoon, reports say.</p>
<p>Two passengers — a father and daughter — believed to be from Libera were removed from the flight of 255 passengers from Belgium after exhibiting signs of the deadly Ebola virus during the seven hour flight,"</p>
<p>So anyone still think it’s a bad idea to have a flight ban from these countries?</p>
<p>Ditto on the sigh, actingmt. The people in charge here will probably continue to have the same attitude about this that they have about everything. It’s fine, don’t worry, nobody is in danger, we have it under control, trust us, we don’t need to do anything. Oh, whoops, too late! Now we have to take serious action to prevent what is now a greater disaster. Gee, how did this happen? We couldn’t have predicted this, it’s not our fault.</p>
<p>@teriwtt my older D gets terrible ear pain when she flies. The “earplanes” ear plugs help her a lot. Have you tried those?</p>
<p>My previous ENT said he had a few pilots as patients who would call him if they had to fly or getting out of it was next to impossible.</p>
<p>I always carry Afrin with me, but I didn’t know they made a super powered dose. I also always have Sudafed, as well as Mucinex; however, Sudafed gives me the jitters pretty bad, so I don’t take it unless I absolutely have to. And I have the EarPlanes. The last time it happened, it was about seven years after 9/11. I had driven with D2 out to her college so she could have her car for the summer, and was going to fly home. I came down with the cold before we left, but had no choice. She had to get back to school. With about 20 minutes left of the flight, I was in severe pain; in fact, I wanted to cry out loud, but was afraid if I did, someone would think I was some crack job and have me arrested when we landed. I just sat there with tears rolling down my face, until the eardrum finally ruptured. Once it ruptured, the pain basically went away. But it was miserable. And once I got home, I turned around and went to the acute care center to get some antibiotics, then saw my ENT the next day.</p>
<p>Oh, I’ve also tried the trick where you have the flight attendant give you a styrofoam cup that has a napkin soaked in hot water at the bottom, and you hold the cup around your ear to get a seal, so hopefully the steam/moisture will help open up the eustachian tube. But I’m always looking for new tricks. </p>
<p>@teriwtt I usually get these from Walmart
<a href=“http://www.amazon.com/EarPlane-Pressure-Regulating-Plugs-Adult/dp/B00023DIFO”>http://www.amazon.com/EarPlane-Pressure-Regulating-Plugs-Adult/dp/B00023DIFO</a></p>
<p>Oops missed that you said you’ve tried them
My D was like that – crying from pain. :(</p>