Free removal of stitches... in the ER

[vampiregirl]

OK, someone help me understand the logic of this...

A friend of mine had a pumpkin carving mishap that resulted in a visit to her local ER for stitches. She was told to return there in two weeks for them to be removed. They told her it would be free to have them removed in the ER. When she called her PCP office, they told her that they would have to charge her if she came there, but it was no cost if she returned to that ER.

Here's my question... why would an ER encourage non-emergent routine visits like suture removal to go to the ER? A PCP office can easily remove sutures, and provide any follow-up assessment/ care. Is there something I'm not considering?

[mdwdfw]

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.

[Spidey's mom, ADN, BSN, RN]

noc4senuf said:

I have 4 kids and most of them have had stitches at one time or another. I have always removed them myself.... saves me a trip. I have also done it on two different dogs.

Me too.

steph