Help please

Thomas · Oct 10, 2019

UPDATE....
I received the bill from the hospital in Myrtle Beach yesterday. $458.00 U.S. ($581.66 CDN) for my 3 minute hospital admission and doctor visit to get a prescription for 10 warfarin pills ($4.00). Highway robbery.
Note to self.... Don't trust anyone with your medications, ever! Even if you don't think you need to worry about it, do so; you never know what might happen.

dick0236 · Oct 10, 2019

Thomas said:
UPDATE....
I received the bill from the hospital in Myrtle Beach yesterday. $458.00 U.S. ($581.66 CDN) for my 3 minute hospital admission and doctor visit to get a prescription for 10 warfarin pills ($4.00). Highway robbery.

.....Agreed!!

tom in MO · Oct 10, 2019

Thomas said:
UPDATE....
I received the bill from the hospital in Myrtle Beach yesterday. $458.00 U.S. ($581.66 CDN) for my 3 minute hospital admission and doctor visit to get a prescription for 10 warfarin pills ($4.00). Highway robbery.
Note to self.... Don't trust anyone with your medications, ever! Even if you don't think you need to worry about it, do so; you never know what might happen.

You went to a hospital for a non-emergency situation. It's not "highway robbery" it's a full fee to discourage use of emergency rooms in nonemergency situations. In the US a lot of people use emergency rooms for things they should go elsewhere for. Even with good insurance, just the copay for ER is $150 and up.

The way I look at it, I need warfarin to live and allergy medication to enjoy life, thus it always travels with me, on person.

Protimenow · Oct 10, 2019

That's interesting. If you've got the card that came with your valve, or the nurse practitioner is able to hear the click (he or she would have to be part deaf to miss it), you may be able to get a warfarin prescription. The NP's primary fear MAY be the fear of prescribing a wrong dose. However, there should be no reason WHY you would intentionally tell the NP that you're taking a dose that you aren't.

They may even be able to take your INR at a clinic, if it's equipped to do so (or, if you traveled with your meter, you may be able to do a test there, to demonstrate that your INR is (probably) in range, and that you are on anticoagulation therapy.

Protimenow · Oct 10, 2019

Emergency vs Non-emergency?

Yes, some people will use an E.R. for primary care. I imagine that many of those have not doctors, have little abilitiy to pay, and have few other places to go for treatment.

In the United States, it's not often easy to find a place to go with an 'urgent' issue -- and for many people, it may be hard to tell what's an emergency from what isn't - especially late at night.

If I was in the United States, but lived in the EU or another country, I'd probably be perplexed about where to go to get a prescription for warfarin. Even if it's not a life or death emergency, it's serious enough. Unless I knew to look for an urgent care center (which would probably still charge a lot for a prescription), or knew to look for a walk-in clinic, I'd be faced with some unpleasant choices.

If I only had to go for a day or two without warfarin, I wouldn't be too concerned -- if I knew I could start it back up by day three -- but I wouldn't be comfortable without it for more than three or so days. Is getting warfarin an emergency at that point? Probably not. Is it worth the risk of waiting?

Thomas · Oct 10, 2019

Let's say it was a somewhat urgent situation. No, it wasn't a car accident but if I had had a stroke?! (yes I know it's a bit over dramatic in the time frame involved) it would have been a dire emergency.
I understand the costs involved at a hospital, they have their costs and rates. My issue is more with the two walk-in clinics that wouldn't see me before that because they "weren't equipped to do an INR test". In my eyes, taking blood and sending it to a lab would have worked even if they didn't have a meter! Also: ironically, the hospital didn't do one. The hospital doc just took my word for it all.

I didn't have a meter but I did have my card with the valve info.I didn't get that far with them. They were a flat out no as soon as I said what I needed.