So, I went to the ER one day last week because my doctor told me to go. Chest pain, they don't want to fool around, etc. I got there around one, one-fifteen. They drew blood, had me pee in a cup, took an EKG, an x-ray, a cat scan. They gave me toradol in an IV, the iodine dye in the cat scan, and three percosets to go. I left around six, six-thirty with no diagnosis but advice to see my PCP as soon as possible to determine the source of my chest pain.
Total bill?
6595.25.
The breakdown, and brief commentary, below the cut.
Fortunately I have insurance, which leaves me with a 50.00 co-payment.
This is just insane, though.
Emergency Room-1075.00. That covers, I suppose, triage, and sitting on a gurney in the hall after the fifteen minutes or so I was in the actual examining room and they determined I wasn't going to die on them. Probably also includes the doctor's charges, the nursing, and the being wheeled back and forth to various locations.
IV Solutions-1134.00. The only IV solutions I was given was two small injections of saline that flushed the iodine dye and the toradol. Unless those are included, and if so, that's still a hell of a lot of money.
Pharmacy-1531.50. Three percosets? Or, conversely, three percosets, a toradol injection, and an iodine dye injection? You gotta be kidding me.
Lab-334.75. That actually seems reasonable.
x-ray diagnostic-248.00. I'm guessing that was the regular chest x-ray.
x-ray imaging-2033.00. That's gotta be the cat scan. Holy shit.
and finally, ekg/ecg-239.00.
No wonder people go bankrupt. This is a crime and a sin and a shame. This shit needs reformed NOW. There is no way I got six freaking THOUSAND dollars worth of anything in five hours.
I don't really have a lot of commentary on this. The hospital staff was wonderful, efficient, compassionate, overworked, harried, attentive, and all in all very nice. I am lucky enough to have health insurance. However, the very health insurance that provides me with the ability to go to the ER if needed is what makes the costs so high. They know that the insurance will pay it, so they charge exorbitant amounts for the services.
I would love to hear your comments and similar experiences you've had. I have not been to a hospital for any reason for over fifteen years, and this came as quite a shock to me.