I had to go to the ER at Northside today to get my TB skin test read (that would have taken all of 5 min) and I decided that since I’d finished all the Keflex (antibiotic) I had and I’m still coughing up green junk that I’d check in and get something else. Granted for something like this I’d normally got to my doc’s office or a walk-in clinic, but I’ve only been here for 1 week so therefore I am not established with a doc in this area. A Walk-in clinic in this area wouldn’t be covered by my insurance and it would cost about $110 (or that’s how much it was 2 years ago in Memphis). The absolute max an ER that took my insurance could charge me is $125. I checked online and the nearest HCA facility (better coverage from the insurance, $75 max) is 2 1/2 hours away in Virginia. Ick. I’m not going there. So I check in for the sinus infection and they tell me it’s busy…. I’m the only one in the waiting room, but after triage they take me straight back to Fast track #6 (this is the exact same room I went to for my preemployment on Fri afternoon, how ironic). So I’m settling down for a long wait. I’ve got a book. Now keep in mind that I’m used to Methodist University’s “long waits” and “busy” which can be up to 12 hours wait sometimes. My philosophy, I’m in a room, they will find me eventually. Anyway doc come in to see me and asks all his questions. States that Keflex “isn’t that great for sinus infections.” The nurse comes back and hands me my checkout stuff, script, and reads my TB skin test and makes me a personal copy (the NH I worked for kept losing mine so I got into the habit of keeping a personal copy). The lady comes from billing to tell me my copay is $50. She has this “I hate to ask you for money” expression on her face and she used the words “How do you want to pay for it?”. I had looked at my account before coming in and calculated that I could pay upto $50 today and I’d have to have them bill me for the rest above that amount. So when I said, “How about a check?” without missing a beat, she looked relieved. My personal opinion is that she doesn’t like that part of her job very well. Anyway with thier “busy” ER what was my total time in there? About 1 1/2 hours total. Hello, when I got bumped to the top of the line at Methodist and taken directly back to a room it still took 2 hours.