conductor
11-08-2005, 10:50 PM
My mother's doctor decided that she should get an injection of Demerol 75mg and Phenergan 25mg. The doctor didn't have those medications in her office, but she decided to speak to the local ER physician. So, while we were there, the doctor spoke to the ER physician--who refused to comply with the orders. My mom gets a severe migraine about once every two years and requires this type of injection. All of her tests and related records are located at our local hospital--where this ER is, of course, located. The on-duty doctor refused to take any of this into consideration.
Needless to say, mom's doctor was PO'd with this lack of professional courtesy. So, she wrote a prescription to the one local pharmacy that regularly compounds injections of this nature.
So, we went to the pharmacy, and we were completely blown away at the price of this combination medication. When we go on our two-yearly trek to the ER to mom's shot--which usually requires an "examination" involving a 2-minute conversation ultimately resulting in the same Demerol 75/Phenergan 25 shot, we pay approximately $220 (including both the hospital bill and the separate physician bill). The medication charge from the hospital is usually around $70.
Well, the cost of the injection from the pharmacy was $8.00. Yes: Eight dollars. This did not include insurance coverage because injectables of this nature are not covered. Hello?? $8.00??!! We were thrilled, OF COURSE!! Just shocked.
After we purchased the shot, we drove back to the doctor's office, and she gave mom the injection. This total migraine ordeal cost $63.00 ($55 for the office visit + $8.00 for the medication)! I, then, drove mom home where she completely recovered from her migraine by the next morning. We will never attempt the ER again if our doctor is available!
Again, I'm still shocked at the low price of the injection. I even questioned the pharmacy worker because I thought they had miscalculated the cost. It just seems absurd for the prices to be so drastically different.
Don't misunderstand! We are not unhappy. We are just truly shocked!!
Needless to say, mom's doctor was PO'd with this lack of professional courtesy. So, she wrote a prescription to the one local pharmacy that regularly compounds injections of this nature.
So, we went to the pharmacy, and we were completely blown away at the price of this combination medication. When we go on our two-yearly trek to the ER to mom's shot--which usually requires an "examination" involving a 2-minute conversation ultimately resulting in the same Demerol 75/Phenergan 25 shot, we pay approximately $220 (including both the hospital bill and the separate physician bill). The medication charge from the hospital is usually around $70.
Well, the cost of the injection from the pharmacy was $8.00. Yes: Eight dollars. This did not include insurance coverage because injectables of this nature are not covered. Hello?? $8.00??!! We were thrilled, OF COURSE!! Just shocked.
After we purchased the shot, we drove back to the doctor's office, and she gave mom the injection. This total migraine ordeal cost $63.00 ($55 for the office visit + $8.00 for the medication)! I, then, drove mom home where she completely recovered from her migraine by the next morning. We will never attempt the ER again if our doctor is available!
Again, I'm still shocked at the low price of the injection. I even questioned the pharmacy worker because I thought they had miscalculated the cost. It just seems absurd for the prices to be so drastically different.
Don't misunderstand! We are not unhappy. We are just truly shocked!!
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wirry1422
11-08-2005, 11:06 PM
Don't be so suprised. Hospitals, especially private hospitals, who routinely itemize their bills (ie charge for everything individually), usually charge $6 to $10 for ONE 325 mg tablet of tylenol (and the little plastic cup and tap water w/ice, of course).
Chaddyfriend
11-08-2005, 11:42 PM
i got an even bvetter one for u guys. 325$ for a visit that i got 2 perc 5's, that is not including the visit and examination charges. That is their base pharmacy cost or osmething liek that......beat that...
feelbad
11-09-2005, 09:57 AM
And people wonder why the cost of their health insurance premiums are so flippin high.Thats just sick,really.marcia
Shoreline
11-09-2005, 10:21 AM
I happened to look at an explanation of benefits "EOB" after going to the ER several years ago for an obstructed kidney caused by a Kideney stone. The ER charged something like 18 dollars for th demi and 22 dollars fo the Visterill but the negaotiated price on the EOB for the Demi was $1.22 and the Hydroxine was 80 cents. This is obviously whole sale price but not a loss.
The next time you think of a car salesman as ths scum of the earth that is trying to rip you off by maintaing a 20% gross margin of profit just remeber the ER bill and what they would charge a cash customer. 20 times the actual cost of the medication used. The biggest rip offs and scams are not the salesman in furniture stores and car lots trying to maintain a minimal margin of profit to stay in buisness and think about the time You were charged 8 bucks for a tylenol or 22 bucks for a 2 dollar shot of demi.
The thing that caused me to change PM docs several ywars ago after fighting my insurance to aprove an out of network doc every month was when I had to pay 280 dollars for an ofice visit with a physiatirist where 4 trigger point injectioins were given. 2 bucks worth of meds used, 20 minutes of the docs time and 280 bucks out a disabled person pocket for a miniscule amount of relief. That was the straw that broke the camels back and led me to a full service "in network" clinic that can do anything from full anesthesia for interventional procedures and medication infusions on site to a simple med check, TP injection or eval. In network those same TP injections cost me a 20 buck copay and the other 40 is paid by the insurance. What happened to 280 bucks for the same services from a less qualified and less educated doc to perform the same service. The needle guy at the clinic is an anesthesiologist that spent twice as much time learning his speicalty and pays 5 times the mal practice rates than a physical med doc.
I guess someone has to make up for the write offs docs agree too when they have acepted 1.2 mil up front to except HMO patients whether they ever see them or not but agree to the HMO fee schedule should their services ever be needed by a member of that HMO. So charge the folks without insurance who can least affrd it. :rolleyes:
Another classic was when MY NS was asked to give a 15 minute deposition for MY SSD Apeal. He wanted his surgical rate, $1500 a half hour to sit on the phone and give a depo to my attorney. The moral is, be nice to your car salesman, likely he's not working off the same profit margin or lieing to you anywhere near the magnitude of what most health care profesionals do that provide life saving neccessities and charge you 10-20 times the actual cost of a med, and do it with a smile as if they are doing you a favor.
Interesting that a compounding pharmacy would be so much less than what a doc charges for an 80 cent ampule of demi.
Have a good day, Dave
The next time you think of a car salesman as ths scum of the earth that is trying to rip you off by maintaing a 20% gross margin of profit just remeber the ER bill and what they would charge a cash customer. 20 times the actual cost of the medication used. The biggest rip offs and scams are not the salesman in furniture stores and car lots trying to maintain a minimal margin of profit to stay in buisness and think about the time You were charged 8 bucks for a tylenol or 22 bucks for a 2 dollar shot of demi.
The thing that caused me to change PM docs several ywars ago after fighting my insurance to aprove an out of network doc every month was when I had to pay 280 dollars for an ofice visit with a physiatirist where 4 trigger point injectioins were given. 2 bucks worth of meds used, 20 minutes of the docs time and 280 bucks out a disabled person pocket for a miniscule amount of relief. That was the straw that broke the camels back and led me to a full service "in network" clinic that can do anything from full anesthesia for interventional procedures and medication infusions on site to a simple med check, TP injection or eval. In network those same TP injections cost me a 20 buck copay and the other 40 is paid by the insurance. What happened to 280 bucks for the same services from a less qualified and less educated doc to perform the same service. The needle guy at the clinic is an anesthesiologist that spent twice as much time learning his speicalty and pays 5 times the mal practice rates than a physical med doc.
I guess someone has to make up for the write offs docs agree too when they have acepted 1.2 mil up front to except HMO patients whether they ever see them or not but agree to the HMO fee schedule should their services ever be needed by a member of that HMO. So charge the folks without insurance who can least affrd it. :rolleyes:
Another classic was when MY NS was asked to give a 15 minute deposition for MY SSD Apeal. He wanted his surgical rate, $1500 a half hour to sit on the phone and give a depo to my attorney. The moral is, be nice to your car salesman, likely he's not working off the same profit margin or lieing to you anywhere near the magnitude of what most health care profesionals do that provide life saving neccessities and charge you 10-20 times the actual cost of a med, and do it with a smile as if they are doing you a favor.
Interesting that a compounding pharmacy would be so much less than what a doc charges for an 80 cent ampule of demi.
Have a good day, Dave
conductor
11-09-2005, 08:12 PM
Dear Shoreline,
I wanted to tell you that the local compouding pharmacy is tremendously friendly to the community. In fact, I would call them a "narcotic friendly" pharmacy because they have practically every opiate available all the time. Furthermore, they seem to have every additional odd item that requires compounding available, too!!
Certainly, they do not advertise this, but the word of mouth spreads quickly. However, they are rather discerning in the type of patients they accept. That sounds harsh in a way, but they will research the doctor and the reasons for your opiate Rx's! This makes me appreciative because they are extremely cautious about dispensing to those who seem to show up a little too often from too many different physicians!
In fact, they have a separate office where they "interview" the patients. I went through a lengthy "interview" when I first started using them. They informed me they would contact my doctors to verify my condition(s)--that I should tell my doctors to expect a phone call! They did as they said, which helped develop the mutual trust we now share.
What a great place!
Sincerely,
Jon
P.S. Dave, you are such a help to us on these boards. Thank you!
I wanted to tell you that the local compouding pharmacy is tremendously friendly to the community. In fact, I would call them a "narcotic friendly" pharmacy because they have practically every opiate available all the time. Furthermore, they seem to have every additional odd item that requires compounding available, too!!
Certainly, they do not advertise this, but the word of mouth spreads quickly. However, they are rather discerning in the type of patients they accept. That sounds harsh in a way, but they will research the doctor and the reasons for your opiate Rx's! This makes me appreciative because they are extremely cautious about dispensing to those who seem to show up a little too often from too many different physicians!
In fact, they have a separate office where they "interview" the patients. I went through a lengthy "interview" when I first started using them. They informed me they would contact my doctors to verify my condition(s)--that I should tell my doctors to expect a phone call! They did as they said, which helped develop the mutual trust we now share.
What a great place!
Sincerely,
Jon
P.S. Dave, you are such a help to us on these boards. Thank you!