Beware the Emergency Room Sign

Ensuring we’re not paying too much or getting taken to the cleaners when purchases are made is a challenge for those of us who practice frugality.

It sometimes takes a lot of research and diligence to not overspend.

And that’s just for everyday items like groceries, cell phone plans and entertainment, whose prices are fairly easy to determine.

Who knew that we’d need to watch out for our medical care pricing, too?

You see we’ve been conditioned to not price shop for medical care. Over the years, most of us have been provided health insurance via plans offered by employers, or individually purchased off the health insurance marketplace. And with the way health insurance is structured, we don’t worry about pricing of our health care, just how much the co-pay is and, ultimately, the plan’s deductible.

One gotcha with today’s health insurance is that Emergency Room care is oftentimes not covered as fully as other medical care, meaning individuals who visit the Emergency Room are likely to pay much more of the bill out of their own pocket. And Emergency Room charges tend to be much higher than if you were to go through your primary care physician or Urgent Care facility for similar treatment.

Increased pricing may not be as big a deal for those with traditional health insurance plans that may, or may not, pick up a large portion of the cost, but it’s a very big deal for those whose health care coverage comes from high-deductible type plans where personal dollars are being spent.

Which makes it all the more important to be aware of a new operational system hospitals around the country are instituting.

I learned of this from an NBC Nightly News report. You can view the video report in its entirety at the link below.

Or the written story here.

It turns out, hospitals are beginning to set up stand-alone Emergency Rooms, nowhere close to the actual hospital with which they are affiliated.

Strip malls are one of the areas where these Emergency Rooms are being established.

And it’s these unusual locations that are surprising many people who are seeking medical care.

It’s not the locations that are so surprising, but the medical bills that are being received after seeking treatment at these unique locations.

You see, who would ever consider an Emergency Room associated with a hospital would set up business in a strip mall?

If I’m going to a hospital’s Emergency Room, then I’m at least somewhat aware of the potential financial consequences of making that choice.

But health care facilities located in strip malls, and the like, are more associated with Urgent Care type facilities that don’t carry the inflated pricing structure that Emergency Rooms do.

Is this an intentional move by hospitals as a way to increase revenue? I’ll let you be the judge.

I pass this new trend along only to ensure you look closely at what kind of facility you’re using the next time you or someone in your family needs medical care outside of your primary care doc.

That new “Urgent Care” facility that just opened next to your grocery store might give your pocketbook quite a shock when it comes time to pay.

Emergency image courtesy of nbcnews.com