A lot of my friends have told me to take an ambulance instead of walking into the emergency room because I’ll be seen faster. Obviously, if it’s a bad injury you have to call an ambulance immediately. I’m talking about issues where you could walk into the emergency room if you had to because it’s urgent but not an emergency. I am a volunteer at a hospital and I asked around. Most people told me that even if you arrive by ambulance the emergency room will determine how severe your injury is and that’s how fast you’ll be seen. So even if you arrive by ambulance they might ask you to wait in the waiting room.
I’m not sure if anyone else has knowledge about this issue. If you have an injury that is not urgent and you arrive by ambulance, your insurance will charge you for the ambulance and may not pay the full amount. Also, if the insurance company determines that an ambulance wasn’t necessary they may not pay for it. That’s my guess. I don’t want to try it and see just so I can test whether my insurance will pay for it or dispute it. But I know that insurance companies are being more careful about paying bills.
I’ve always wondered about that. I guess the most serious injuries are treated first and that makes sense.