"Emergency Room Visits Cost You More Money" - PEIA
PEIA Urges Urgent Care to Save Money
The following article appeared in the May 2002 issue of PEIA NEWS:
We are into the second quarter of 2002 and emergency room (ER) use by PEIA members continues to climb.
"Cost alone should hold down ER use to emergency situations", says PEIA Member Services Administrator Gloria Long. "PPB Plan members can see their doctor during regular office hours or use an urgent care facility and pay just a $15 copay plus deductible and 20% coinsurance on any required tests or lab work.
"Unfortunately, many members are going to the ER where they must pay a $50 copay, plus deductible and 20% coinsurance, based on the hospital's ER charge, which is much higher than urgent care or office visit charges.
"We don't want to discourage our members from using the ER in a real emergency," Long said, "but much of the ER use we see doesn't fall into that category".
According to the most recent research from the National Center for Health Statistics, up to 53% of emergency room visits are not considered actual emergencies.
Cost of Treating the Flu
DOCTOR'S
OFFICE
URGENT CARE CENTER
EMERGENCY
ROOM
Total allowed charge
$57.88
$57.88
$350.00 on average
PEIA member responsibility:
Copayment
15.00
15.00
50.00
Deductible
0
0
150.00
Coinsurance
0
0
30.00
Total Member Payment
$15.00
$15.00
$230.00
Members should plan ahead to save money, time, and discomfort. Chances are that at some point we're all going to be hurt or sick and need medical attention after office hours. Talk with your doctor about what to do if you have a medical problem when the office is closed. Choose, in advance, where you'll turn for urgent care. There are alternatives to the ER.
Urgent care centers around the state are a good alternative. They generally are open seven days a week with extended office hours and offer treatment for illness and minor injuries that include basic lab and x-ray services. Since they don't treat major emergencies, your waiting time is usually substantially reduced.
NOTE: Article appears word for word, as it appeared in PEIA News. The bolded parts, are however, ours, for the purpose of highlighting information relevant to urgent care.
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