Wait for ambulance or Go on your on?

[Bird]

There's another consideration that I haven't seen mentioned so far. If you drive yourself or a family member to the emergency room, you may have a much longer wait sitting the waiting room than if you arrive on a stretcher in an ambulance. Some people in Dallas learned that long ago, especially those with no insurance and are not going to pay anyway. A wait of many hours in the waiting room is common; some have even been known to die before being seen. So they've learned to call an ambulance.

 

[crusty 1]

As a past first repsonder if you can call 911 and safely meet an ambulance thats an option in rural areas.Many people can,t keep a calm manner when in a bad situation so it depends on the individual.Your personal medical info should be on your person at all times

 

[DanielVT]

On a related note, here's a tip I got from a neighbor - when you're working with the chainsaw, don't block your path to the hospital. Move your truck to the road side of the work. That way you have the option of driving yourself, assuming you have enough limbs left to do so.

 

[tulenutn2o]

There's another consideration that I haven't seen mentioned so far. If you drive yourself or a family member to the emergency room, you may have a much longer wait sitting the waiting room than if you arrive on a stretcher in an ambulance. Some people in Dallas learned that long ago, especially those with no insurance and are not going to pay anyway. A wait of many hours in the waiting room is common; some have even been known to die before being seen. So they've learned to call an ambulance.

So that's why the ambulance bill is $1000+ each call. Money talks. I cut my knee with chainsaw a couple weeks ago and was required(by wife) to go to ER. (I told here, it was no gig deal. I would just super glue it). Anyway, Er just wiped it with a gauze and super glued it. This was my exact remedy. Then i got the bill and nearly had a coronary. I was in the ER a total of 45 min-1 hr- 10 mins TOTAL with person. That's total for both 5+5. Bill was $907. But they cut me a break since I was on a high ded. plan( I pay $$$$.$$'s up front first. Final bill $600 +. Imagine the money they'll make when everyone is required to have insurance! Anyway, I drive myself to the ER.

 

[mjarrels]

Went to a pot luck lunch at a Doctors house on mothers day. He said that you get billed for $500.00 just to walk into the emergency room at the local hospital without receiving any care. Enter the hospital using the wrong door... $500.00 bucks.

mark

 

[dmccarty]

So that's why the ambulance bill is $1000+ each call. Money talks. I cut my knee with chainsaw a couple weeks ago and was required(by wife) to go to ER.

Chainsaw chaps are $50-75. Sounds like they would have stopped the injury.

I guess we are lucky for a couple reasons. Our ambulance rides over the years out of plan and in plan have not been more than $600. We have a private ambulance company in town and they are maybe 6 miles from the house. We have not one but two level 1 Trauma Centers we can go to. One of my kids has had a few surgical procedures at a children's hospitial attached to the trauma center.

A officer was shot and the bullet went under his vest and came close to killing the officer. The officer almost bled to death and it took over a dozen pints of blood to keep him alive. Turned out the surgeon that saved the officer's life was the same one who operates on my kid. I knew the surgeon was good. Nice to know he is REALLY good.

Later,
Dan

 

[Bird]

I guess we are lucky for a couple reasons. Our ambulance rides over the years out of plan and in plan have not been more than $600. We have a private ambulance company in town and they are maybe 6 miles from the house.

I know it's gotten very expensive in Dallas and the charge is even higher if you're a non-resident. I'm not sure what the charges are in our city. But when we lived down in the country, we had a nearby volunteer fire department with an ambulance and some trained volunteer paramedics. There was no charge for their services. It was funded by donations and an annual fundraiser. But we also had a private ambulance service owned by a hospital and you could buy a family membership for $48 a year and then pay nothing if you used the ambulance. Of course they would bill your insurance company and/or medicare, but accepted whatever those paid, even if it was nothing.

 

[Cat_Driver]

In my area they post private ambulances around the city just sitting with the engine running. I asked why they do that and they said so they can have quick response times all over the city which is needed per their contract.

I see them sitting in church parking lots, rural stores, parking lots etc. pretty good idea in my opinion.

 

[RobertN]

If you need to go, I would at least call 911, so they know someone is speeding towards the hospital. Nowadays, you can be pretty far out in the sticks, but you'll get EMS by medic unit(ambulance), or a medic helicopter.

The other thing I would warn, is go straight to an ER hospital unless 911 dispatch indicates otherwise. Have had people come straight to the fire station; we just happened to be in house. Another minute, and we would have missed them because of a dispatch.

 

[Ray2210]

Around here if you are not extremely close to a city the way they find you is by land location. ie SW quarter of section 20 township 25 range 3 West of the 3rd meridian. Most roads are not named. There could be 10 houses on that quarter or 1. You might be 30 or 40 miles from the nearest ambulance and they might have to find you in the dark. They will tell you to call 911 and wait. I can tell you that when my father in law had a major heart attack My BIL put him in the truck and drove like **** to the best not the closest hospital. He survived and probaly wouldn't have if they had waited the 40 or minutes for the ambulance to arrive and tranport him back another 40 to a lesser equipped hospital. I live pretty close to the city but response time would still be 20 minutes for the ambulance and first responders sooner. With something nasty it could still be a pretty long round trip. The upside to getting the paramedics on something like a heart attack is that there are no better trained professionals to deal with it. Lots of Paramedics here are actually contracted to the hospital as ER staff.