Free removal of stitches... in the ER

My experience has been generally most places I have worked we take them out in triage unless it is a complex issue. Typically we dont charge the patient another visit unless they have a complication the requires further MD evaluation. If the doctor sees them again they typically they incur just that fee. Or if we have to use excessive supplies.

Rj

that sounds great! i wish more places did this... you don't know how many people i see walking around in walmart with nasty stitches. i remember i sat behind a girl in my stats class one year that got stitches and didn't get them removed for months - and the skin had grown over them. and when she did get them removed, she had a big nasty gash on her ankle. if she had just gotten them taken out when she needed too, it wouldn't have been so ugly!

We would tell the patients to come back to the ER when their sutures were due to come out. We would have them sent to the Fasttrack area or just a hall cart and do it there. Easy and fast, like it was said earlier, better than the patient doing it themselves to avoid a charge.

Me too.

steph