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I also noticed that they will only take you to the closest appropriate facility. I'm hoping that means that if you need a Trauma Center that they would take you to Wakemed Main instead of Wakemed North even though North is the closest facility. As far as I'm concerned, Wakmed North is just a a very expensive urgent care clinic.
I also noticed that they will only take you to the closest appropriate facility. I'm hoping that means that if you need a Trauma Center that they would take you to Wakemed Main instead of Wakemed North even though North is the closest facility. As far as I'm concerned, Wakmed North is just a a very expensive urgent care clinic.
That's a very good point - and an important one. The single time that I needed an ambulance, they said the best place would be Duke Main in Durham because they were a full-fledged stroke center. That would NOT have been the closest Emergency Room.
Peace of mind = having the funds to cover an unexpected expense without it causing a major change in our financial picture. I believe insurance is to cover expenses that MIGHT be difficult to pay.
$700 isn't going to cause a major change in our lives - it's easily covered, even if it means putting it on a credit card and paying it off over 2-3 months. A $5,000 home repair or $15,000 totaled car? That's real pain. THAT kind of pain is what insurance is for.
I fully recognize that our ability to cover the $700 expense is NOT everyone's situation. For some, the $60 a year makes total sense. A family with kids? Yeah, that's probably a good reason.
Fair enough. I think for a lot of people, it would take away the need to stop and think "can I afford to pay for an ambulance?" at a time when that should be the last deciding factor on whether or not to call 911.
I know someone who drove to the ER because he didn't want to have to pay for an ambulance. Luckily he made it in time, but he put himself and others on the road in a lot of danger.
WakeMed North is about one-tenth the size of "big Wake" on New Bern Ave. Unless it's an obstetrics or orthopedics problem, yeah, tell them to take you to big Wake. That's what I did when I had my first and only ambulance-with-siren ride back in February.
It's worth noting, though, that WakeMed Cary is a level III trauma center. UNC Rex and Duke Raleigh have no trauma designations.
I also noticed that they will only take you to the closest appropriate facility. I'm hoping that means that if you need a Trauma Center that they would take you to Wakemed Main instead of Wakemed North even though North is the closest facility. As far as I'm concerned, Wakmed North is just a a very expensive urgent care clinic.
I would hope they would take you to the appropriate location, based on your immediate needs. According to their web site, there are two Trauma Centers, one a Level 1 and one a Level 3.
https://www.wakemed.org/care-and-ser...trauma-centers
"As Wake County’s only provider of trauma services and a regional trauma referral center, our two trauma centers—a Level I Trauma Center at Raleigh Campus and a Level III Trauma Center at Cary Hospital"
I also noticed that they will only take you to the closest appropriate facility. I'm hoping that means that if you need a Trauma Center that they would take you to Wakemed Main instead of Wakemed North even though North is the closest facility. As far as I'm concerned, Wakmed North is just a a very expensive urgent care clinic.
Not correct. They will transport you to the facility of your choice including UNC or Duke if you request it. If it's a trauma obviously EMS will transport you to WakeMed main.
Not correct. They will transport you to the facility of your choice including UNC or Duke if you request it. If it's a trauma obviously EMS will transport you to WakeMed main.
See Section 5a of their Terms and Conditions (put it below as well).
It states that "THEY" determine where you will go. I'm hopeful that if they deemed it a trauma situation that they would go to a trauma center but what if they can't decipher in the short ride to Wakemed North that it would really require Wakemed Main? Almost every single time I go to Wakemed North they claim they don't have the equipment and correct staff to handle my emergency and want to ambulance me to Wakemed Main. This is after they have already charged me thousands of dollars for being in their facility for a short time in addition to the $2306 ambulance ride from North to Main that isn't covered under this EMS Subscription.
Regardless, it is such a small amount to pay so we are going to subscribe to it anyway. Hopefully we don't have to use it and if we do I hope that they will take me to somewhere else besides Wakemed North.
T's and C's
5) Transportation That is Covered as Part of This Subscription:
a. Emergency Ground Ambulance Transportation: I understand that emergency ground
ambulance transportation covered in this subscription is limited to medically necessary and
reasonable emergency ground ambulance transportation to the closest appropriate medical
facility. This means that patient cost-sharing obligations for medically necessary and
reasonable emergency ground ambulance transportation by Wake County Emergency
Medical Services System will be covered by your subscription fee without you incurring any
additional out of pocket expenses. (Determinations of medical necessity, reasonableness
and closest appropriate facility shall be made by Wake County Emergency Medical Services
System.)
Not correct. They will transport you to the facility of your choice including UNC or Duke if you request it. If it's a trauma obviously EMS will transport you to WakeMed main.
I think you misunderstood the point being made. EMS will transport you to the facility you request, but the $60 EMS subscription will only cover the cost of transport to the nearest appropriate facility.
just out of curiosity but if something did happen to me, what is the best hospital to go to for an emergency around here?
IMHO, it's entirely dependent on two things:
1. The cause for the need to go to an ER
2. Your location when the need occurred.
Using my case as an example, the EMT team believed there was a possibility of stroke. They recommended Duke Stroke Center instead of the closest ER.
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