Q&A: Triage charge for ED visits

Q: Can you tell me if your facility charges a triage charge for the ED? If a patient comes in and gets triaged, has vitals taken, protocol for labs, and then leaves, do you charge a Level 1 Triage for this or write everything off? Also, do you charge a suture fee if the patents comes in to ED for just suture removal?

A: We do charge this service if full triage is completed and then the patient leaves before being seen by a physician. This is typically billed directly to the patient, as most insurance companies do not see this as a billable service. We do not charge a suture removal fee if the initial sutures were provided during an ED visit to our organization.

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