3 ms·
> Why is an ER fundamentally so much more expensive than another office visit? Two main reasons: you need to use personnel, equipment, and rooms that can offer
by mlyle 3y ago
> Why is an ER fundamentally so much more expensive than another office visit?
Two main reasons: you need to use personnel, equipment, and rooms that can offer the highest levels of care. And you need to pay for having a facility staffed to handle worst case loading (with triage) 24/7.
You also tend to have pretty exhaustive testing on the "emergent" side to make sure everything is immediately OK prior to discharge.
- nradov 3y agoRight, and ERs also charge high prices to insured patients in an attempt to recoup losses from treating uninsured patients (including those with serious chronic mental disorders).
- katbyte 3y agoEven here in Canada where all citizens generally have insurance ER visits are still far more expensive then if a patient visits a primary care provider or has has any sort of care before the issue takes them to the ER
- jmye 3y agoThis has vastly less to do with the cost than the level of care they have to be prepared to provide. I get that people really want to beat the medical cost horse, but it’s sometimes helpful to understand it, first. People use the ED as a PCP across the spectrum because they don’t know better, because they can’t find other options, and sometimes because they don’t have other options - and all of those things tend to cost the hospital, state or insurer vastly more than the patient. Further, tacking on “serious chronic mental disorders” is basically a non-sequitur and could’ve been replaced with “diabetes” or “broken legs” or “tooth pain”.
- deleted 3y ago[deleted]