Finding Health Care During an Emergency

A post by a friend and business adviser, Jan Triplett, underscores the issues patients face navigating the health care system in an emergency.  It's a frightening story of a lady who spent nearly 24 hours trying to get medical help for her mother who was having a suspected heart attack or stroke.  The first facility did not take medicare or the supplemental insurance her mother carried.  They would not admit her nor would they assist her in locating another hospital.  After that came a series of missteps that no one wants to go through in a medical crisis. 

The best advice for every family is to walk through, research and document the steps and contacts that will be needed in an emergency.  Make sure the emergency care you choose accepts the level and type of coverage you have. Make sure you have a primary care doctor with access to the emergency facility. Keep this information updated and handy. Contact your chosen primary and emergency facility yearly as well as every time you change coverage to insure that your plan will be viable in an emergency.  Don't wait for an emergency to begin figuring this out - it could mean the difference between the life or death of someone you love.