I went to the emergency room at Sharp Coronado with what I thought might be a MRSA infection next to my shin. My doctor had given me antibiotics and told me to go to the emergency room if my leg became worse over the weekend. I was delayed in the waiting room at Sharp for nearly three hours before I was admitted to the emergency room. A doctor looked at my leg for 2 minutes at the most, and told me to see my doctor on Monday. She agreed that it was probably MRSA, but did not conduct any tests. No blood test. No cat scan. Nothing. (I later received an ultrasound in Tijuana, where I learned that the problem was caused by a blood clot in an artery in my calf.) When I received the bill from Sharp, I was stunned to find they were charging me $789 for the sole benefit of wasting my time. I have been unemployed for three years now, and the bill was devastating for my family. These costs are way out of line for the service, or lack thereof, that was rendered on my behalf. Had I known how much I would be charged for the visit, I would have gone to urgent care for $50 at Scripps Cinic in La Jolla. Unless you have insurance, or you are giving up your last grasp on life, avoid emergency rooms at all costs, and especially Sharp. You'll be paying for a long time if you cross their threshold.
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