| Q. |
I am often confused by the number
of bills I receive from one visit to the Emergency Department.
Can you please explain them? |
| A. |
You will receive one bill from
the hospital and a separate bill from the Emergency Department
physician who provided your care. You will receive additional
separate bills from any physicians who performed specialty
services, such as x- ray interpretation, EKG (electrocardiogram),
pathology tissue examination, and so forth. |
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|
| Q. |
Why was another person taken in
before me when I got here first? |
| A. |
Patients are treated based on the
severity of their illness or injury. This is called triage.
For instance, someone who is having difficulty breathing needs
more urgent help than someone who has a cough — even if
they've had the cough for three days. |
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|
| Q. |
Can I have something to eat or
drink while I am waiting? |
| A. |
The Emergency Room physician or nurse
may ask you to refrain from eating or drinking if doing so could
impact the results of tests you are having or if they suspect
that you might need a diagnostic test or surgery that requires
you have no food or liquid in your system. |
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|
| Q. |
What health plans do you accept? |
| A. |
We accept all health plans. Federal
law prohibits us from discriminating or delaying treatment
based on a patient's ability to pay. |
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|
| Q. |
What should I bring with me to
the Emergency Department? |
| A. |
It would be helpful if you could
bring the following information with you:
- Your medical history.
- The names and dosage of all medications you routinely
take.
- The name and telephone number of your primary physician.
- For minors: It is important that patients who are minors
have a medical consent form, signed by their parent or legal
guardian, if that person is not with them.
|
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|
| Q. |
Why is the Emergency Room more
expensive than my doctor's office? |
| A. |
The Emergency Department is a full-service
facility with immediate accessibility to all of the hospital's
state-of-the-art medical technology, and it provides immediate
diagnosis and intervention. A physician's office is a scheduled
service and, though it may provide services similar to that
of the Emergency Department, it normally does so only over a
period of days or weeks. |
