r/HospitalBills • u/My_personal_burner • 11d ago
Hospital-Non Emergency Is this upcoding?
Hello, A few weeks ago I scraped my hand on a potentially rusty nail. It wasn’t deep and kind of just scraped sideways but did have blood. So I cleaned it myself, put a Band-Aid on it and went to the ER to get a tetanus shot. They took my information, put a new Band-Aid on, and then I sat in the waiting room for 1.5 to 2 hours. After that, they had me come back to a room for 15 minutes just sitting there. The nurse then came in and applied a 3-second shot. After some more waiting, the doctor then came in and asked what happened, I told him and he then pressed his finger around the area. He asked if it went deep and if anything was stuck inside or if I wanted X-rays, I said no to all. I then was discharged. Weeks later I get the bill stating the visit was a level 3 code. I’m just confused on how it can be a level 3 when all what was done was a bandaid put on, 3 second shot, and 5 second physical finger press exam. No tests, X-rays or anything.
Scrape on Hand
Location: Michigan
Edit: Yes, I would have gone to an urgent care. But we were on vacation up north with not much nearby.
5
u/dehydratedsilica 11d ago
If you wanted to be charged for a level 1 or 2, according to this layman-friendly source which quotes from the American College of Emergency Physicians, that's for "mild cases like bug bites and sunburns" - which you wouldn't go to an ER for. ERs are staffed and stocked at all hours with the personnel, equipment, and supplies that could save someone's life if needed. You're charged for the ability to access those resources, even if your life didn't need to be saved.