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When called to the country in E Multnomah county to care for my husband lying on the road beside his bike. The ambulance crew determined he had a head injury and that they were too far from a trauma ER to transport him (criteria >20 mins?). They called LifeFlight and transported him to the school football field for pick up.
The issue: insurance initially (2 yrs) refused to pay the ambulance because they "don't pay for transport except to an ER." Their words. Even after the ambulance co. contacted the insurance co. and got coding directly from them, they refused until we intervened. How can you provide services if it takes 2 years to get paid?
BTW care at Legacy Emanual was top-notch. The trauma doc knew his stuff. Obviously, if you come in by Life Flight, you don't do much waiting. When I got there, the waiting room was a zoo.

posted 4 years, 5 months ago
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