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- Path: sparky!uunet!think.com!ames!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!alan
- From: alan@elroy.Jpl.Nasa.Gov (Alan S. Mazer)
- Subject: Re: Doctor ripoff, or just reality?
- Message-ID: <1992Nov11.213259.1158@elroy.jpl.nasa.gov>
- Sender: news@elroy.jpl.nasa.gov (Usenet)
- Nntp-Posting-Host: cogswell.jpl.nasa.gov
- Organization: Image Analysis Systems Group, JPL
- References: <1992Nov10.214207.10802@bradley.bradley.edu> <Uf0C8uW00YUnQ1TElU@andrew.cmu.edu> <1992Nov11.160714.29909@netcom.com>
- Date: Wed, 11 Nov 1992 21:32:59 GMT
- Lines: 28
-
- In article <1992Nov11.160714.29909@netcom.com> strnlght@netcom.com (David Sternlight) writes:
- >The biggest doctor ripoff is emergency room treatment. I went into
- >the Huntington Memorial Hospital in Pasadena, CA with a sprained ankle.
- >Emergency room charges, X-ray charges, and a separate charge for the
- >physician to glance at the X-ray, say "It's just a sprain" and splint it
- >($300) ran to almost $1000.
- >
- >The second time that happened, I went to my orthopedist--by some
- >accounts the best man in Beverly Hills. He did x-rays in the office,
- >spent considerably more time than the emergency room physician,
- >provided a much better newer technology "air splint" was much more
- >experienced and famous in his field, and the total bill was $300.
-
- Let's be fair here, though. Huntington's emergency facilities include a
- trauma center. Their emergency room is open 24 hours a day, ready to handle
- any situation. You chose to use their highly skilled staff and equipment for
- a sprained ankle. As someone who has been in emergency rooms a couple myself
- and other times with friends, I don't expect the same level of service I
- would get from a specialist or even my own GP. I expect that they will
- stabilize a critical situation and I expect to pay for my share of the costs
- of keeping this staff and equipment around. Next time you get seriously ill
- at night or on a weekend, try calling your orthopedist's office and see what
- happens.
- --
-
- -- Alan # Mountain Dew and doughnuts...
- ..!ames!elroy!alan # because breakfast is the most important meal
- alan@elroy.jpl.nasa.gov # of the day.
-