How much is this going to cost?
ER costs are hard to predict. Here’s why your doctor often can’t tell you what a test, hospital stay, or transfer will cost.
Articles
Clear explanations of the emergency department, one question at a time.
Can the ER turn me away?
Most ERs cannot simply turn you away. EMTALA requires an appropriate emergency screening, but it does not guarantee every test, treatment, or admission.
Will the ER treat dental problems?
The ER can treat pain, infection, bleeding, trauma, and dangerous complications around a tooth—but it often cannot provide the procedure that fixes the tooth.
ER or Urgent Care? Or Neither?
There often isn’t one correct answer. Primary care, walk-in clinics, telehealth, urgent care, and emergency departments overlap considerably, but they are built to do different things.
Why am I being treated in the hallway?
Sometimes the ER has more patients who need care than it has rooms. Here’s why you may be treated in a hallway, and what that means for your care, monitoring, and privacy.
An ambulance is more than a ride to the ER
It’s easy to think of an ambulance as a taxi with lights and sirens, but Emergency Medical Services offers much more than transportation. And sometimes that care matters before you ever reach the ER.
Aren’t you going to call a specialist?
Emergency physicians routinely perform procedures and manage serious conditions without another specialist at the bedside. Here’s when a consultant is needed—and when the emergency physician is already the right specialist for the job.
I’ve been admitted. Why am I still in the ER?
The ER clinician said they’re going to admit you. At least, you think that’s what he said. You’ve been sitting in the same ER room for four hours since then. What gives?