As Benjamin Franklin said, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” This is certainly true when it comes to emergency room care. The more that you plan for an emergency, as ironic as that sounds, the more smooth the situation will be when there is really a crisis. For this reason, here are a number of tips for emergency room trip preparation.
Before anyone in the house needs to go to the emergency room, here are the things that should be done:
1. Keep all emergency numbers by the phone. These should include the police, the fire department, the poison control center, the name and number for your primary care doctor, and your insurance carrier. In time of a crisis, people often forget things and having them right by the phone will be very helpful. In addition, if you have a babysitter in the house or someone else, they’ll know how to get in touch with the help they need.
2. Know what your insurance policy covers. Before anyone needs emergency care, find out what to do in case of an emergency. Do you have to call your primary care physician first and get permission to go to the emergency room? Are certain emergencies covered by your insurance, while others aren’t? Do your homework now so that you don’t pay out of pocket later.
3. Have a list of all medications that you take and allergies that you have. This list should be in an easily accessible place, either with your health insurance card or on your Blackberry in an obvious place. Someone else should know where you keep this information, in case you can’t tell anyone about it when you need emergency care.
These preventative steps can make a big difference when an emergency strikes.
