Out of country care is a good subject, and for those living near the border, or traveling, a necessity.
I was hoping to keep the discussion in the more specific area of emergency room costs, and some way to avoid what so often turns into multiple doctor examinations, tests and periods of room rental, which seem to occur more often when the personnel and the facilities are right there and available.
In our town(s) we are seeing a proliferation of limited facilities, beginning with wellness clinics in Walmart, (staffed by nurses, with limited basic tests, as well as the ability to prescribe medications) for more difficult emergency situations, these clicnics act as triage for reference to hospital emergency rooms, or to direct the patient to a doctor.
From the Walmart Clinic site:
All in-store clinics offer essential preventative and routine health services for common ailments as well as screening exams that can be performed without urgent or emergency care. Clinical services may include:*
Allergy Care Common vaccinations
Acne care Earache treatment
Bladder infection treatment Flu treatment
Blood pressure checks Insect bite and sting treatment
Blood sugar testing Sinus infection treatment
Camp / school physicals Upper respiratory infection care
Cholesterol screening Wart removal
The typical charge is $65 for the visit.
There are additional businesses, variously described as "Clinics", "Urgent Care" or other general terms . Wikipedia has a article that delves in to the kinds of services that are offered, and the standards that are required for designation as Urgent Care... by the Urgent Care Association of America.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urgent_care
We now are also seeing new limited "outpost" hospital facilities, located in malls or industrial type parks... closer to the local community, and fully staffed with nurses and General Practitioners.
In our limited experience, the use of these "alternative" healthcare sites avoids the basic cost for emergency room service, which is posted in our hospitals at or above a $500 minimum.
In years gone by, the standard action to be taken has been to go directly to the hospital emergency room. For those with insurance, the cost of doing this is often paid or subsidized so the patient doesn't see or have to be concerned with the large bill.
So the question is, do you know what services your local alternative healthcare can provide? When an emergency occurs, the decision of where to go could make a difference... either because of the longer distance to a hospital ER, or the possibility of going to a nearer service where the best care may not be available.
So aside from the cost, knowing where and what capabilities are offered could be critical in an emergency.
The other question that one might ask his/her doctor, is whether that doctor would accept patients on an emergency basis, and if so, for what kind of cases.
Better to know before, than after making an urgent care decision.
