DoctorTricks.Com

So, sadly, the infection that hospitalized me in February came back about 3 weeks after it had been determined to be cleared up. I made an appointment with my regular doctor for the next day, but the rate of its spread had me concerned. So it was off to the emergency room again, but this time with my eyes open a bit more.

Now, I went to a different hospital, still fairly close, but where I’d pre-confirmed through my insurance’s provider directory that the emergency medicine facility took my insurance. And, because I was merely concerned, instead of shivering and in pain, I was able to look more closely at the paperwork they handed me.

Nowhere on it did it say that their doctors might not take my insurance. You know where that was? It was in an optional handout by the registration desk, labeled “Patient Financial Services”.

Now, this wasn’t a handout they gave me. It was just in a rack next to the desk. It was something I could take and read if I was interested. And where was the disclosure? It started at the third sentence of the last paragraph on the front page.

It said: “Keep in mind that most, but not all, medical professionals providing you services while at [Hospital Name] are contracted with the same insurance plans as the hospital. Most patients have medical insurance that covers all or part of their charges, but polices [sic] vary on which services are covered. If you have a question about how your insurance company will process charges for a service or procedure, or if you have questions about how they paid a claim, please contact your insurance company or review your benefits handbook.”

That’s the disclosure available in the Emergency Room. They don’t give it to you, make you sign anything to state you’ve read and understand it. And if you have any questions, you should contact your insurance company, i.e. “it’s not our problem.” And apparently that is all they’re legally required to do.

Now, medical services are like anything else in that they’re a commodity you buy. And, to some extent, one can say “let the buyer beware”. But is this really enough of a disclosure in the Emergency Room? On the other side of the sheet, they list the plans the hospital accepts. Since many of the major departments like Emergency and Radiology are controlled by single doctors’ groups, couldn’t they list those departments that do or don’t accept the same plans? Well, maybe the phrase “couldn’t they” is inaccurate, because it’s obvious they could. Shouldn’t they list those departments that do or don’t accept the same plans? And for that matter, shouldn’t they be handing you this rather than putting it in a rack off to the side where you can grab it if you’re interested?

What do you think?

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