Disputing an emergency room bill

[chinner54]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? FL

I visited an ER with a bleeding eye. I was attended to by a nurse who filled out my bio graphic info, took my temp and pricked my finger for an machine glucose test. I was told to wait in the general waiting room to be called. After an hour I was told to take a seat in an examination room. Up until 4 hours later, a physician had not visited the room to examine me and I went to the nurse's station and informed them that I would seek attention at an optometrist.
I later received a bill from the hospital for $400. My insurance paid $200. Is this charge excessive given that I was never seen by a physician? If so what recourse do I have?
Brian

 

[ecmst12]

Not at all. If you'd seen the doctor it would have been more. Next time, don't go to the ER if it's not really an emergency.

 

[Zigner]

$400 is CHEAP

 

[TIMMAAYY]

1) I'd say a "bleeding eye" would be an emergency.

2) The ER is always the most expensive place to go.

3) $400 isn't that bad.

Hope your eye is ok.

 

[TheGeekess]

$400 is CHEAP

And 4 hours is not a long time in an ER, especially if it's a Level I Trauma Center.

 

[ecmst12]

One might THINK a bleeding eye is an emergency, but since OP was able to walk back out of the ER without treatment, it would appear it was not.

 

[lealea1005]

Is this charge excessive given that I was never seen by a physician? If so what recourse do I have?

OP still received services from the facility and generated a medical record, then left without being treated by a Physician (considered "against medical advice"). S/he's lucky their insurance paid anything at all after leaving AMA. They owe the remainder of, IMHO, is a very reasonable bill for an emergency room.

 

[TIMMAAYY]

One might THINK a bleeding eye is an emergency, but since OP was able to walk back out of the ER without treatment, it would appear it was not.

If YOUR eye was bleeding, would you go to the ER, or just wait to make a doctors appointment that might take a few days? Being able to walk out of the ER is not hardfast evidence that she did not have an emergency. I could lop my arm off and walk in and out of the ER.

 

[justalayman]

If YOUR eye was bleeding, would you go to the ER, or just wait to make a doctors appointment that might take a few days? Being able to walk out of the ER is not hardfast evidence that she did not have an emergency. I could lop my arm off and walk in and out of the ER.

whether it was an emergency of not is irrelevant. Depending on why my eye was bleeding, I might go to the ER, an urgent care center (generally cheaper than the ER), or to my doctor who does accept urgent but not emergency treatment during normal office hours.

bottom line; OP signed into the ER so OP is going to be charged for the visit and rightfully so.

 

[ecmst12]

My point was for OP to think harder about whether a problem is a true emergency before going into the ER. If his problem was truly life threatening, or even eyesight-threatening, he probably would have been given higher priority in the triage. As it was, he had to wait a long time, the bleeding probably stopped on its own, he left and made an appointment with an eye doctor. He could have stayed home, waited for the bleeding to stop, and made the appointment with the eye doctor, and saved himself $200.

 

[TIMMAAYY]

Not to beat a dead horse, but I can't imagine any circumstance in which someone with a bleeding EYE wouldn't think there was something seriously wrong... we're talking about your vision here, not something you can stick a bandaid on and call it a day. It could be something as simple as an infection, or it could be a hemorrhage. Your vision is a precious thing and I wouldn't be one to simply wait out something that might be serious.

I would go to the ER if my eye was bleeding, or at the very least, an urgent care center... not everyone lives close enough to any other medical options than the ER so that's where they go when something serious comes up. Sheesh.

NEXT

 

[justalayman]

Not to beat a dead horse, but I can't imagine any circumstance in which someone with a bleeding EYE wouldn't think there was something seriously wrong... we're talking about your vision here, not something you can stick a bandaid on and call it a day. It could be something as simple as an infection, or it could be a hemorrhage. Your vision is a precious thing and I wouldn't be one to simply wait out something that might be serious.

I would go to the ER if my eye was bleeding, or at the very least, an urgent care center... not everyone lives close enough to any other medical options than the ER so that's where they go when something serious comes up. Sheesh.

NEXT

and if the OP believed it to be an emergency, why would they then leave the ER without treatment? Surely they couldn't think they could leave the ER and find some other place for treatment and expect it to take less time than just waiting at the ER they were already checked into.

 

[TIMMAAYY]

Well, I would have to assume that as soon as their eye started bleeding, they high-tailed it to the first medical treatment facility they could find, and in this case it was the ER.

They didn't KNOW it would turn out to NOT be an emergency.

Let's say your lower right side starts hurting unbearably, for no reason, and it keeps getting worse and worse until you can't even sit up or function.

Do you hold off and hope that it's cramps, or do you wait for your appendix to burst? You won't know what it is until you at least have someone look at it.

If your eye started bleeding right now, and the only thing open was the ER, would you go? Or would you sit and wait to see if it gets worse? We're talking about your vision and the possibility of a hemorrhage, or maybe it's just an infection. Go ahead and play with your own eyes, but hacking on the OP for going to the ER is a bit outlandish.

 

[SuperLitigator]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? FL

I visited an ER with a bleeding eye. I was attended to by a nurse who filled out my bio graphic info, took my temp and pricked my finger for an machine glucose test. I was told to wait in the general waiting room to be called. After an hour I was told to take a seat in an examination room. Up until 4 hours later, a physician had not visited the room to examine me and I went to the nurse's station and informed them that I would seek attention at an optometrist.
I later received a bill from the hospital for $400. My insurance paid $200. Is this charge excessive given that I was never seen by a physician? If so what recourse do I have?
Brian

You were waiting in the examination room for four hours??? I would not pay. I have seen people wait 8 hrs for sprains & other minor stuff like yours. They cannot dump you in a 6 by 8 room for 4hrs and really expect you to pay. And, for future reference: ERs are horrible places to go if you have something in your eye, or other eye related issues -- you were lucky they did not treat you in reality. I once was scheduled for a physical, got in the exam room & waited 1 hr. After that I went to the receptionist and inquired as to my physical. The nurse said all the Dr.s went to lunch 5 min ago & would be back in an hour. I told them I was leaving and if they sent me a bill I would be back and the experience would not be a pleasant one for them..no bill was sent. People think that "you went in there so you gotta pay"; but right is right, you cannot put someone in a 6by8 room & expect the person to pay if he leaves. Your insurance co. has no idea this occured I'm sure or they would not have paid. If you were just waiting in the ER admitting room where you could walk around, go outside, etc. thats another story. I have waited many more than 4 hrs in a ER admittance room. I avoid the ER at all costs.

 

[Proserpina]

Have we established exactly where the bleeding originated?

I mean, are we talking about a grazed eyelid?