Did I just get hosed by the eye doctor?
 

I'm self employed. I have no health insurance. I am a tough sob. and over the years, it has worked out for me. I don't go to the doc, unless I think I am dying, or whatever appendage that I have severed cannot be re-attatched with mechanics wire and permatex. (You should see some of my field bandages)
So I got something in my eye on Friday, happens all the time, and I have become masterful at removing objects from my eyeballs, but this one stuck in, and I was in so much discomfort for 3 days, I bit the bullet, and went to the local urgent care. They did not want to mess with it so sent me to the eye doc. I sit in the waiting room for 3.5 hours, they take me in, pull the piece out of my eye, and within 5 minutes of entering the examining room , I am at the counter ready to pay. $585.00!!! It is an understatement that I am out of touch with pricing for medical procedures , and I am quite happy to not have jagged metal in my eyeball anymore, but I was more prepared for a $100-200.00 sized bill.

I paid $215 to get a piece of metal removed from my eye a couple years ago.

My Optometrist handled it.

yes the union medical profession is good at extortion
and they think they deserve it

negotiate
ask for a itemized bill
ask what insurance would pay them
they will not raise the bill
and may lower it

or say I forgot my wallet and run

Considering the overhead of the urgent care facility and the fact that it would have cost you beau coup more than $585 to learn what the eye doc knows, doesn't sound unreasonable to me.

Were you wearing safety glasses when it happened?

Pay it, be more careful and be glad you can still see.

Unfortunately, you are paying for the system and those that can't pay as well as exorbitant malpractice insurance.

Glad it all worked out for you, sorry you had all the discomfort.

A buddy works hospital collections against insurance agencies. He says that most insurance companies get a 30% discount if paid within 30 days....

there are two types of "eye doctors" and you don't say which type you visited

it is expensive to train people for years and years AFTER college + you get to help pay for all the people who cannot pay

anyway, call their office, tell them you are having trouble with the bill (assuming you are), have no insurance and do they have a lower cash price? or can you work something out? etc.

or do that next time as it is also not clear if you already paid

What.....you don't own a set of easy outs?

I paid the bill on the spot, I expect to pay when I go . I have not paid a dime for any health insurance for over 20 years, so I have no right to cry about the occasional medical bill when needed.
My past experience is that you usually get a reduced rate when you are self paying. I have gone in for other stuff in the past, and they have taken care of me fairly, and usually offer discounts if you pay on the spot instead of making them chase you. I don't expect any handouts either. $585 is far better than the metal in me eye. I would not have been able to work. They were super busy, should I call and see if that is the going rate for self pay vs whackin' the insurance companies?

well, if you call now you are asking for a post-hoc discount...

Did the MD know u were paying cash? I typically give discounts immediately.

Compare to lawyer who would bill u $125 for 1 line email response. At least, you can call the doc for a discount for free.

Friend recently had a huge kidney stone/s sound blasted into smithereens (except five remaining fragments he later painfully passed) at a hospital his wife drove him to in extreme pain.

After the demolition, the doc sent him back home (wasn't admitted to the hospital) and he later received the bill. He's insured and doesn't yet know what his copay will be, but the total bill was $17,000.00! :eek:

I assume you went to someone's private office. Discussing the rate beforehand is ok, especially if paying cash. In a small office they will certainly give you a break...guys like you are what I love taking care of.
The bigger the office..and certainly at the hospital, the walk-up cash price is usually WAY inflated because they know you will have a hard time shopping around with an exploded eyeball. You can sometimes negotiate a price before but afterwards at a hospital is usually the best for an urgent item because they don't know what will be involved.

All that being said you have said that you are content paying that price for a clean globe. Therefore the price is right.

That seems like a reasonable price to get a guy with a minimum of 12 years of post-graduate training, his/her staff, facility, clean instruments, and ability to sue (ie malpractice) and in an emergency fashion. Medicare pays about $70 to the surgeon if a slit lamp was used in an outpatient setting no matter how long it takes.....you were certainly billed 2-3 times medicare (for the surgeon) which might be what insurance would pay plus everything else added on. Ask for an itemized bill and find out.

I guess at this age in life, I should probably be looking into health insurance. I did have it at one time, and supplied it for me employees, but back then I never used it, paid for it for 2 years, and never once went in. My neighbor just went through a prostate cancer scare, and that got me thinking about the cost of medical bills as I age. Maybe I need to start shopping. I am not 20 years old anymore, and also have a family who needs me.

You're paying for those who don't!

If it is a private office, the doctor is not taking those who can't pay. In this case, you get what you pay for. Could you have found someone for cheaper? Sure. Would they have been able to get what ever was in your eye out without damage? Maybe, Maybe not. You pay for experience. Thank goodness you came away with no damage. Now wear your safety glasses and be more careful.:)

Holy snappin' ducksh$t. I shoulda been a Doc in the U.S!!

About medical insurance: I always thought I was in good health til my doctor wouldn't sign off for my racing physical back when I was 48 because my blood pressure was consistently a little high. After a few tests it was found I had polycystic kidney disease. A few years later I had a kidney transplant. The bill for THAT was $96,000. Fortunately I have coverage from work.

with many yrs working the ER..
I have no problem with the bill..
cheap really..
I do have a problem with you waiting 3.5 hrs..
there had better have been some serious rod & gun action in the back..
otherwise..
poor triage..

Rika

u got screwed bad.

i had same thing happen to me. called everywhere, everywhere the doc wasn't in. i walked into Super Target's optometrist. she happened to be in. took it out. 10 minutes. gave me a prescription for steroid drops. $90