Health care costs for emergency room services seem to be increasing each year. The average cost of an ER visit can cost you as much as one of your mortgage payments or even a car note. When an emergency medical situation occurs, the first priority is receiving immediate care and hospitals know this. There is little to stop ER departments from charging high prices for services. For those who don’t have insurance coverage, the rates can be even higher with minorities and patients with little financial resources receiving the greatest hit.

The average cost for an emergency room visit will vary on whether or not you have insurance. A typical co-pay for emergency room services is $50-$100 which may or may not be waived if you are admitted to the hospital. If you do not have health insurance, an ER visit can cost anywhere from $150 to several thousand dollars depending on the severities of your injuries or illness. In extreme cases where critical care is needed, the charges could be as high as $20,000. If you require an ambulance, the fees can be over $1,000 depending on the service.

Charges for air ambulance services can be even higher. An electrocardiogram charge can range from $40 to $100. With such a wide fluctuation in charges for ER services, it is difficult for a patient to know what kind of bill to expect when going to an emergency room for treatment.

Some insurers are putting emergency room visit charges under the microscope and scrutinising whether the visit was for a true emergency. Others insurers are refusing to pay full charges for emergency room visits if the insurer decides the hospital is charging too much for its emergency room services. This can leave the patient with an unpaid medical bill for emergency room charges not covered by the insurance company.

With a good CRM tool like Salesforce can be used to help improve the business of healthcare better, fill gaps in their current tools and processes and break down barriers to providing the best care possible.

Getting back to the basics of education and training and using the right CRM tools like Salesforce can make a positive difference in patients’ lives like reducing emergency room visits, and thereby reducing emergency room costs.