Healthcare Providers' NurseLine; How it saves time and money

In the past when one in my family had a high fever, we would call or go to the hospital. What else can you do really? Yes you can self-diagnose online but not everything you see on the internet is true. So you drive to the hospital, wait forever, spend money you don't have but feel better that a professional helped you. Well in the past this has been a horrible experience and I have recently found a productive solution to the hospital issue. Through my healthcare provider (UnitedHealth) they offer a free NurseLine. This was an excellent service and helped us figure out our issues without the nuisance of the hospital environment. I will compare one of our recent hospital trips to the NurseLine service and let you decide for yourself.

Our last trip to the hospital was one of the worst. Our daughter was running a high fever and was not getting any better. I called the closest hospital to see if they could recomend something to us or tell me if this is really bad enough for us to come in (her pediatrician was unavailable). I spoke with a nurse at St.Mary's and she told me she couldn't help us over the phone. She told us to just come to the hospital if we think it's bad, but she cannot offer advice over the phone. Well I wasn't looking for advice, I was wondering if it was something to worry about and if we should come in.

We decided to come into the hospital because we didn't have much support.When we got there, people were everywhere! Bandages, pneumonia , and a crazed person high on something! It looked like a warzone medical tent mixed with a Salvador Dali painting.There was no place to sit and a four to six hour wait. Bye, see you never.

We drove to the next hospital. It was Childrens Hospital, one of the best in the city and it was only a little further away. We got there and it was a little busy with concerned parents and sick kids but no where near the last wait. We fillled out the paperwork and were told there would be a two hour wait. We weren't going to keep hospital jumping so we decided to stay. 4 hours later they brought us into a room. Our poor little girl was sick and tired, but we just needed to make sure she was going to be ok. They assessed her symptoms and after (what seemed) another hour, you know what they told us? Just give her some more Childrens Tylenol...really? From beginning to end we wasted almost 6 hours just to be told that?

We were happy she was going to be ok and it made us feel better but this is something that could have been answered over the phone. It would have saved us time and made things more comfortable for our daughter. Instead, we had to spend six hours and pay $200 for something we were already doing.

This seems like a first world problem but as I said, it was the most recent trip to the hospital. I vowed to never do this again. I was sick of hospitals and sick of having to pay for things I could do at home. I was able to find my solution through my healthcare provider. They offer a FREE NurseLine. This was exactly what I was looking for. A professional telling me if what we are doing is correct and if there is any need to proceed further.

I was recently able to use this feature and couldn't have been more pleased. My wife was sick with a stomach ache and had a bit of a fever last weekend. I was soo excited! Not that she was sick, but because I got to try out the NurseLine instead of wasting all our time and money. I called the line, and after giving some of my account information was on the phone with an RN. I expressed all the symptoms and what we were doing. At first she gave me a disclaimer, expressing that without being there she couldn't be certain. Then she told me that my wife had what sounds like the stomach flu. The Nurse went on to say how to best handle it and what to eat and not to eat. If the temperature went too high to immediately go to the ER. Then she asked how my daughter and I were doing and if there was any other health related questions.

I almost couldn't believe how helpful this was. I paid NO money, only spent about 15 minutes on the phone and received information and support from a healthcare professional. We applied the advice we were given and in two days my wife was better. This was an amazing feature (that I pay to have) and it was quick, concise and helpful. This nurse was caring, empathetic and wanting to know how she can help further. Is there anything better than quick and free professional help that works? Usually it is just assurance we require when there is a minor sickness and this nurse was able to provide that instead of us waiting for six hours and paying $200.

I am not saying that a service like this will apply to every symptom but it is definately the best starting point. The United Healthcare NurseLine can help you understand what is happening, offer you advice, and direct you further in case you have a bigger concern. I am thankful that something like this exists, if only for the quick response time it gave me. If you have healthcare I would suggest finding out what provider options are available to you. No one thinks they need to look into their coverage options until there is an issue. At least once a year you should check what they can provide, so that you can take advantage of great services like the NurseLine too.