What’s the Real Cost of an ER Visit?
The Problem with Putting a Price Tag on Saving a Life
Before we discuss the Cost of an ER, let’s put everything into perspective.
How do you know when the price of something is worth its value?
Think about a situation when you felt whatever the price you paid for something wasn’t worth it, regardless of how cheap it was.
My “Aha!” moment happened when I rented my first place and had to go grocery shopping for the first time, I was on a tight budget, and bargain hunting seemed like the reasonable thing to do. I went as cheap as I could and felt proud of how much I had saved. While I admit some things really didn’t have much of an impact in my life, the old supermarket sushi certainly did.
When the expired sushi kept me in the bathroom all day, I understood that there are some things you can’t go cheap on:
- Sushi
- Toilet paper
- House Paint
- Tattoo
- Your Lawyer
- Fixing Your Car
- Hiring an inexpensive baby sitter
- The doctor you’re hiring to save your life
The other problem we have is,
we spend indiscriminately on things we don’t need to survive.
Things like watches, expensive sneakers, video games, outfits we may never wear but which must have matching shoes and purses just in case we ever do wear them. Yet, we squirm at the thought of paying for quality healthcare, especially when the cost of an ER visit comes to mind.
This is especially true when we are faced with an emergency, we are afraid to go a quality free-standing ER like those operated by Altus Emergency Centers, and instead opt to go to an Urgent Care clinic or drive distant miles to the nearest Hospital ER
in the hopes they can save our lives and our wallet.
What if I can prove to you that it’s been all a lie made up of smoke and mirrors?
Let’s cut through the fine print and cut to the chase.
Where to Go in Case of an Emergency
Urgent Care clinics are a good option when you have a minor medical emergency, like if you cut your finger while cooking and need a couple of stitches. However,
these centers (Urgent Care) are not equipped to handle serious medical emergencies, because they don’t have the necessary diagnostic and treatment equipment nor the specialized staff.
If you go to an Urgent Care clinic because you are experiencing chest pains, they won’t be able to treat you, instead what they will do is refer you to an ER, and you will have wasted precious time. Now you will have to consider the cost of an ER as well as what was spent at the urgent care clinic.
Summary of Cost Differences for Each Scenario
SCENARIO 1: CHEST PAIN
Total Cost
ALTUS ER
$4,328.63
Altus Savings of
$1,183.37
Hospital #1
$5,512.00
SCENARIO 2: ABDOMINAL PAIN
Total Cost
ALTUS ER
$9,754.68
Altus Savings of
$1,389.19
Hospital #1
$11,143.87
SCENARIO 3: BACK/FLANK PAIN
Total Cost
ALTUS ER
$6,755.48
Altus Savings of
$2,627.52
Hospital #1
$9,383.00
SCENARIO 4: HEAD INJURY
Total Cost
ALTUS ER
$8,010.63
Altus Savings of
$584.37
Hospital #1
$8,595.00
Know Where to Go in Case of an Emergency.
Freestanding ER vs. Hospital-Based ER Real Cost Differences Revealed
In most cases, the staff at Urgent Care centers will refer you to a hospital-based ER, this may not always be the best call, either because of distance, complications with traffic, and most importantly wait times, not to mention it could end up costing you more.
As of January 1st, 2019, all hospitals operating in the US are required by law to publish their standard costs for procedures online. This made it easy to make price comparison for standard tests to diagnose and treat a severe condition like chest pains:
| Procedure | CPT | Altus ER | Hospital 1 |
| FAC LEVEL (FACILITY FEE) | 99285 | $ 2,744.25 | $ 2,690.00 |
| EKG | 93005 | $ 472.00 | $ 884.00 |
| CBC (BLOOD TEST) | 85025 | $ 242.00 | $ 426.00 |
| BMP (BASIC METABOLIC BLOOD TEST) |
80047 | $ 145.38 | $ 205.00 |
| TROP (CARDIAC BLOOD TEST) | 84484 | $ 281.00 | $ 442.00 |
| CHEST X-RAY | 71015 | $ 392.00 | $ 779.00 |
| ASPIRIN | N/A | $ 5.00 | $ 4.00 |
| NITRO SL | J3490 | $ 5.00 | $ 71.00 |
| VENIPUNCTURE | 36415 | $ 42.00 | $ 11.00 |
| TOTAL COST OF AN ER VISIT |
$ 4,328.63 | $ 5,512 |
As you can clearly see,
receiving treatment for chest pains at Altus ER will save you nearly $1,200 compared to treatment at a hospital ER, and because a doctor will see you immediately if you are in fact having a heart attack, your chances of survival are much higher.
In the event of a life-threatening medical emergency, only your life should matter, but it’s reassuring to know that Altus Emergency Centers firmly believes
Your Life is Priceless, and our doctors will do everything they can to save your life.
Afterwards, our Patient Advocate will do everything they can to protect your wallet. After we place everything into perspective the choice is clear. If you are in an emergency, do not hesistate, visit your nearest emergency center to get the care that you deserve. Never forget that your health matters, you matter. Don’t let insurance companies put a price tag on your life.
In most cases, the staff at Urgent Care centers will refer you to a hospital-based ER, this may not always be the best call, either because of distance, complications with traffic, and most importantly wait times, not to mention it could end up costing you more.
As of January 1st, 2019, all hospitals operating in the US are required by law to publish their standard costs for procedures online. This made it easy to make price comparison for standard tests to diagnose and treat a severe condition like chest pains:
| Procedure | CPT | Altus ER | Hospital 1 |
| FAC LEVEL (FACILITY FEE) | 99285 | $ 2,744.25 | $ 2,690.00 |
| EKG | 93005 | $ 472.00 | $ 884.00 |
| CBC (BLOOD TEST) | 85025 | $ 242.00 | $ 426.00 |
| BMP (BASIC METABOLIC BLOOD TEST) |
80047 | $ 145.38 | $ 205.00 |
| TROP (CARDIAC BLOOD TEST) | 84484 | $ 281.00 | $ 442.00 |
| CHEST X-RAY | 71015 | $ 392.00 | $ 779.00 |
| ASPIRIN | N/A | $ 5.00 | $ 4.00 |
| NITRO SL | J3490 | $ 5.00 | $ 71.00 |
| VENIPUNCTURE | 36415 | $ 42.00 | $ 11.00 |
| TOTAL COST OF AN ER VISIT |
$ 4,328.63 | $ 5,512 |
As you can clearly see,
receiving treatment for chest pains at Altus ER will save you nearly $1,200 compared to treatment at a hospital ER, and because a doctor will see you immediately if you are in fact having a heart attack, your chances of survival are much higher.
In the event of a life-threatening medical emergency, only your life should matter, but it’s reassuring to know that Altus Emergency Centers firmly believes
Your Life is Priceless, and our doctors will do everything they can to save your life.
Afterwards, our Patient Advocate will do everything they can to protect your wallet. After we place everything into perspective the choice is clear. If you are in an emergency, do not hesistate, visit your nearest emergency center to get the care that you deserve. Never forget that your health matters, you matter. Don’t let insurance companies put a price tag on your life.
