How to price, I found this interesting

Jim_47

I found this in the letters to the editor of my local newspaper. Complaints about ambulance prices. Next time I see a car in the ditch on a rainy night and see the paramedic providing aid, I will remember this and wonder how much this will cost the victim. Its obvious the wife does not feel that her husbands condition was worth $540.00.

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Ambulance bills are out of control
My husband recently had a diabetic spell, during which he went into convulsions. I had no injection to give him, so I was forced to call 911. An ambulance came and the paramedic was able to start an IV and give my husband an injection.

I am very grateful for this, but very disgusted with the bill. The expense was at least two times the expense of the emergency room, where he would have had a doctor care for him. The company billed our insurance $540 for 15 minutes of time. This is outrageous.

Our community is mainly elderly and uninsured. To think of how we are getting ripped off is just unbelievable. Our insurance rates increase every year and I feel this is one of the reasons why. I feel they should get paid for their services but they need to be more reasonable.

It takes physicians four to seven years to get a degree, and then they have to pay ungodly amounts in malpractice insurance. Their time is also valuable, they can spend and hour or more with a patient and they are lucky to receive $200. Also, with physicians, we as patients have choices, unlike ambulance services, where you have to take the company that the town has contracted with.

Something needs to be done to put more control on ambulance paramedics and how much they can bill. Maybe their fee should be based on the time spent with the patient, or what care they gave. We do appreciate what they do and how they help to save lives, but just feel that the cost factor is out of control.
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SO THE NEXT TIME SHE CALLS A PLUMBER SHE WILL MOST LIKELY NOT BE HAPPY WITH HIS BILL EITHER. THERE IS NO PLEASING SOME PEOPLE

Jim_47

How to price, What is the value? I found this intresting

I found this in the letters to the editor of my local newspaper. Complaints about ambulance prices. Next time I see a car in the ditch on a rainy night and see the paramedic providing aid, I will remember this and wonder how much this will cost the victim. Its obvious the wife does not feel that her husbands condition was worth $540.00.

---------------------------
Ambulance bills are out of control.
My husband recently had a diabetic spell, during which he went into convulsions. I had no injection to give him, so I was forced to call 911. An ambulance came and the paramedic was able to start an IV and give my husband an injection.

I am very grateful for this, but very disgusted with the bill. The expense was at least two times the expense of the emergency room, where he would have had a doctor care for him. The company billed our insurance $540 for 15 minutes of time. This is outrageous.

Our community is mainly elderly and uninsured. To think of how we are getting ripped off is just unbelievable. Our insurance rates increase every year and I feel this is one of the reasons why. I feel they should get paid for their services but they need to be more reasonable.

It takes physicians four to seven years to get a degree, and then they have to pay ungodly amounts in malpractice insurance. Their time is also valuable, they can spend and hour or more with a patient and they are lucky to receive $200. Also, with physicians, we as patients have choices, unlike ambulance services, where you have to take the company that the town has contracted with.

Something needs to be done to put more control on ambulance paramedics and how much they can bill. Maybe their fee should be based on the time spent with the patient, or what care they gave. We do appreciate what they do and how they help to save lives, but just feel that the cost factor is out of control.
------------------------------------------------------------
SO THE NEXT TIME SHE CALLS A PLUMBER SHE WILL MOST LIKELY NOT BE HAPPY WITH HIS BILL EITHER. THERE IS NO PLEASING SOME PEOPLE

Jim_47

How to price, What is the value? I found this intresting

I found this in the letters to the editor of my local newspaper. Complaints about ambulance prices. Next time I see a car in the ditch on a rainy night and see the paramedic providing aid, I will remember this and wonder how much this will cost the victim. Its obvious the wife does not feel that her husbands condition was worth $540.00.

---------------------------
Ambulance bills are out of control.

My husband recently had a diabetic spell, during which he went into convulsions. I had no injection to give him, so I was forced to call 911. An ambulance came and the paramedic was able to start an IV and give my husband an injection.

I am very grateful for this, but very disgusted with the bill. The expense was at least two times the expense of the emergency room, where he would have had a doctor care for him. The company billed our insurance $540 for 15 minutes of time. This is outrageous.

Our community is mainly elderly and uninsured. To think of how we are getting ripped off is just unbelievable. Our insurance rates increase every year and I feel this is one of the reasons why. I feel they should get paid for their services but they need to be more reasonable.

It takes physicians four to seven years to get a degree, and then they have to pay ungodly amounts in malpractice insurance. Their time is also valuable, they can spend and hour or more with a patient and they are lucky to receive $200. Also, with physicians, we as patients have choices, unlike ambulance services, where you have to take the company that the town has contracted with.

Something needs to be done to put more control on ambulance paramedics and how much they can bill. Maybe their fee should be based on the time spent with the patient, or what care they gave. We do appreciate what they do and how they help to save lives, but just feel that the cost factor is out of control.
------------------------------------------------------------
SO THE NEXT TIME SHE CALLS A PLUMBER SHE WILL MOST LIKELY NOT BE HAPPY WITH HIS BILL EITHER. THERE IS NO PLEASING SOME PEOPLE

Bob Gagnon plumbing and heating

clown pay

a girl I know is looking to hire a clown for her childs birthday, the cheapest clown was $120. per hr. the one she wanted was $200. But he was booked solid. why will people pay more for a guy in makeup, tying balloons, than an experienced tech who installs and repairs their plumbing and heating systems? Bob

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Mark Hunt

Perhaps


we should all start wearing clown make-up and offer insulin injections when we respond to service calls?


I'm kidding.

Mark H

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Ed_13

Billing prices

A long time ago I went on a no heat call at night, and gave the customer the bill when I was done.

He got angry at the price saying to me that “the heating contractor down the street charges Twenty dollars an hour less”.

I asked him why he didn’t call that guy. He told me he did, but the other guy didn’t answer his phone.

I told the customer that when I don’t answer my phone, and I don’t come out, I charge thirty dollars less, so I am actually cheaper than he his.

But this is the price that I charge when I do answer the phone, and I do come out and do the job of making your house warm again in the middle of a cold night.

As his jaw dropped, I politely shook his hand, handed him the bill, and left.

Oddly enough, he paid the bill, and was a regular customer thereafter.

True story

Ed Carey

Weezbo

Sounds like It Could .... Work:))

hell ,i'd even amputate the people arms and legs for that kinda money ...Wheres my JAMA Hand book article on amputation by computer ...I think I could Go The clown shoes:) I always sortta Liked them:) maybe i could get Samsung To make me some special LCD sown right into my clown shoes and thread the screens for multiple spread sheets:) see how that would work out? I could get some fantastic endorsement from nikkY and maybe a few extra chips from Samsung Man Now You Have my interest again....all id need is my Big Grips and a roto zipp and a baloon with a smiley face on it to keep the kids happy:) maybe a few ear plugs so i wouldnt have to listen to the incessant screaming from the patients:)i dont advertise so it maybe Hard to get ahold of me:)

John Starcher_4

A visit to the E.R........

.....would usually end up costing a lot more than $540, at least around here. 'Specially for someone with a diabetic reaction.

Many cities now routinely charge $450 and up for a call. The rates vary depending on the level of care given. If a paramedic administers medication, you are looking at the top end of the scale. The comment about having choices is bogus - her husband was experiencing a life-threatening problem, she called 911, the medic unit responded. What the hell more does she want??????? People like this just slay me.

To receive certification as a paramedic, one must endure approximately 1000 hours of training, along with clinical time spent at ER's. Continuing education hours must be maintained each year. Every time the alarm bell rings, the medic must respond - usually without knowing what he will encounter when he arrives at the scene. Then, once there, he will place his life and health in jeopardy. So many bad "bugs" out there - bloodborne pathogens, etc. Now factor in the working conditions - often times at the scene of a multiple vehicle accident, in the middle of the night, in the rain and mud, debris and potentially explosive material all around him, surrounded by blood, puke, and any other bodily fluid available. Not quite the same as a sanitized doctor's office, is it Mrs. Jones?

Most cities use a "soft" collection system. They will bill the insurance company, and bill the patient only if there is no insurance coverage. Rarely will they pursue actually collecting the money in the case of an uninsured person or elderly patient who simply can't afford it.

Simple solution for her - if she doesn't want to pay the bill, then don't freaking call!@!!!!!!!!!

Jim S

She obviously

hasn`t been to the emergency room lately if she thinks a visit would cost less.

never mind the wait involved ,although in her husbands` case they probably would`ve taken him right away.

Apparently her husband`s life has a set limit.

RB_2

here's one reason

Its not how we see ourselves...its how other see us...perception - as sad as it is - after awhile becomes group think...this national ad in an essentially womens magazine says "you can't trust a plumber". Which is why at the ISH seminar we'll be talking about how to use a little marketing judo on the consumer psyche...

joel_19

costs

In my area it seems that I see almost as many ambulance companies that go belly up as I see contractors not making it. So if we all make soooooooo much money how come they go out of buisness??? How about this our town recently got it's first ambulance service, directly from the town. This was done because they had too many problems with the independent companies not showing up etc. So the biggest benifit is for our older residents, who will rely upon it the most. Guess who was flipping out about the cost the most ! Yep! I told one older gentleman "look when your having a heart attack what will you care more about the ambulance getting here in 5 minutes vs a half hour or the extra 50$ it might add to your tax bill?" Or another guy i know. I pointed out the BALD tires on his wifes minny van, "Ya but I can't afford any right now" This as he was putting two cases of beer into the back of her van at the locale packy!!! Hello? Anybody home?

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Bryan_16

Billing and collecting

are two very different things. I am a volunteer EMT-B on our local ambulance service. I get very little more than the satisfaction for helping someone for all the time I put in on calls and in Continuing Education hours(48 hrs every 2 years). Our billing process is very dependent on Medicare and government regulations, we charge as much as possible under these rules and regulations. If we had to run our service as a "for profit business" we would be out of business in 6 months. No way to collect on every call. The very nature of health care doesn't allow us to sue people for collection of their bill. We don't have Paramedics on our service, but $540 sounds pretty cheap for saving a life. Another example of perception vs. performance. We know that the Paramedic certainly did not keep all the cash for himself.

Mitch_4

Oh Yeah!

That was BEAUTIFUL!!!! I love it and if you don't mind I am going to use it

The best laugh I had all day!

Mike