Protocol when going to ED

[peanutter]

I have always presented myself / my child, as it's never been an emergent (is that the word?) situation, and/or I will get them/myself there faster, and I have been comfortable relying on the triage system to make sure I/the person I'm taking will get seen to at an appropriate priority.

That being said, I have heard enough times (and from my DH's observations when working as security in a hospital) that due to the relationship between the paramedics and the hospital staff that people coming in ambulances will get tended to faster - so if I was ever worried and thought that I need that extra speed in the system, I would call an ambulance for that reason.

Obviously, if it was ever a situation where I was concerned about moving them, or in an emergent situation where an ambulance would get to me before I could get to a hospital (eg: no hospitals on Hamilton Island, but there was an ambulance, and DS1 had a really bad croup attack - ambulance!) or anything that I thought in and of itself needed an ambulance, I would have no hesitation in calling one.

But generally speaking, I have not needed an ambulance, we've presented ourselves, and it's been fine.

[Mildez]

Breathing concerns in a baby I'd definitely call an ambulance.

A week ago my 3yr old sustained a head injury from a fall. I drove her straight to the bigger hospital 50kms away. I was not calling an ambulance for them to transfer her to our local hospital only for them to decide she needed to be at the bigger hospital and waste hours waiting for a transfer. We walked straight in and was triaged and sent straight to trauma. It would be the same for any pregnancy complications. Or I'd drive or be driven to a destination where I could be sure they would take me to the bigger centre.

[Tinks]

That being said, I have heard enough times (and from my DH's observations when working as security in a hospital) that due to the relationship between the paramedics and the hospital staff that people coming in ambulances will get tended to faster - so if I was ever worried and thought that I need that extra speed in the system, I would call an ambulance for that reason.

This is actually untrue. The way they get to the hospital has nothing do with it, everyone is given a score upon arrival according to their symptoms, and are seen accordingly. Someone who was driven in with asthma symptoms would be seen long before someone brought in by ambulance with a broken leg. It sometimes appears that people who are brought in by ambulance see dr's quickly but in reality, they wait just as long as people in the waiting room, they just wait more comfortably.

[AnyDream]

This is actually untrue. The way they get to the hospital has nothing do with it, everyone is given a score upon arrival according to their symptoms, and are seen accordingly. Someone who was driven in with asthma symptoms would be seen long before someone brought in by ambulance with a broken leg. It sometimes appears that people who are brought in by ambulance see dr's quickly but in reality, they wait just as long as people in the waiting room, they just wait more comfortably.

Yep. I've arrived at the ED both ways with a similar set of problems both times & waited the same amount of time. At the hospy I went to, there is a bay where they park the stretchers, so you can't see them from the regular waiting room, which is usually 75% full of people who probably don't need to be there. But one time I arrived by car for something potentially serious, and i was triaged into a private room (they had no bays available at the time) and seen by the head of the ER in about 2-3 minutes of arriving.

Where I think it might make a difference is in a situation where the person might not know what to say to the triage nurse to communicate the severity of their symptoms. But in an ambulance, the ambos assess some of that and that info informs the triage score.

[peanutter]

This is actually untrue. The way they get to the hospital has nothing do with it, everyone is given a score upon arrival according to their symptoms, and are seen accordingly. Someone who was driven in with asthma symptoms would be seen long before someone brought in by ambulance with a broken leg. It sometimes appears that people who are brought in by ambulance see dr's quickly but in reality, they wait just as long as people in the waiting room, they just wait more comfortably.

As stated, my comment was from what I have been told directly and from what my DH saw while working in a hospital. While you may have been told (and observed) differently, and while it's certainly possible that the policy is as you say, my views are based on what I have been told (including by Drs working in hospitals).

No one should be taking this to extremes (eg: someone with a papercut in an ambulance is hardly going to be seen faster than someone with chest pains who has brought themself in) but that is what I have been told in no uncertain terms.

[Tinks]

It's not true, Peanutter. You can argue until the cows come home. It's not true.

[luna moth]

they wait just as long as people in the waiting room, they just wait more comfortably.

Lying on a spinal board is *not* comfy. That is all I have to add.

[Tegam]

Lying on a spinal board is *not* comfy. That is all I have to add.

Or a junior doctor trying to get some blood out of you

And on another note, Going to an emergency department should never be fun. If you are bored or cranky about the wait you are too well to be there!

[Lily Dust]

I myself, was taken from one hospital to another and then transferred to another, $4500 those cost me, but we were covered.

we have never paid for hospital to hospital transfer. I thought that was up to the hospital to pay? Perhaps it's different state to state? Thankfully though because our trips have been 25kms, 120kms & 160kms hospital to hospital!

And if you're not convinced yet about having private cover for these things, imagine the cost of a helicopter transfer!

You have to pay for those too!?!? There you go, I always just assumed that was free. Don't know why I did though...

[Little Chicken]

I think ambulance victoria ran an advertising campaign about this recently. A non complex short trip was about $900. A helicopter retrieval about $13,000, and yes, you do pay for helicopter pickups.

[Little Chicken]

Current costs of ambulance transport in Victoria taken from here Fees - Ambulance Victoria

FEES
The following are our standard fees for the different services we offer. For protection against these fees and total Australia wide ambulance fees, coverage is provided through genuine Ambulance Victoria Membership.

This outlines the costs and related billing charges from transport in an ambulance in Victoria.



Emergency attendance fees - no transport
Metropolitan, Regional and Rural $481.00



Emergency road transport fees
Emergency cases classified by the Emergency Services Telecommunications Authority as having a final priority of 3 or lower will be charged as emergency transports.

Metropolitan Emergency Road $1,115.00

Regional and Rural Emergency Road $1,645.00



Non-emergency road transport fees
Please note that where an emergency resource is used to undertake Non-Emergency Patient Transport, cases classified by the Emergency Services Telecommunications Authority as having a final priority of 4 or higher will be charged as non-emergency transports.

All Users Stretcher Clinic Car
Metropolitan Non-Emergency Road $301.00 $99.00
Regional and Rural Non-Emergency Road $509.00 $99.00


Air transport fees
The classification of emergency or non-emergency is not relevant for air transport fees. The type of transport - rotary or fixed wing - determines the fee. Reflecting the cost of service delivery, fees for air transport comprise two components: 1) a fixed charge based on respective usage which is levied separately in advance via a lump sum(s); and 2) a variable charge for each time the air transport is used which is levied per transport.

*For other users of fixed wing aircraft, this is combined into the one variable fee - charged per transport. For other users who use the rotary aircraft, Government has waived the fixed charge.

Air transport fees do not include any road transport associated with the air transport. Road transports a billed separately, as per the fees above.

TAC DVA VWA Public Hospitals Other users*
Fixed Wing
Variable charge (per transport) $1,977.00 $1,977.00 $1,977.00 $1,977.00 $4,651.00

Rotary
Variable charge (per transport) $9,946.00 $9,946.00 $9,946.00 $9,946.00 $9,946.00


All transport fees are GST exclusive.

[peanutter]

Yep, if it's not covered by your PHI, absolutely worth paying the membership fees, as even an uncomplicated trip can be equivalent to YEARS of membership.

And the brilliance of it being Australia wide doesn't go astray - the only time I've ever needed an ambulance was when DS1 wasn't breathing properly in Qld (first time he'd experienced genuine humidity, and it didn't go so well). Check whether your PHI has national ambulance cover, and if it doesn't, seriously consider getting your own.

Hopefully you'll never need it, but even needing it once can make it worthwhile.