They bill as though the visit was an office visit, instead of a hospital visit, as Urgent Care does (we just got the bill for Amira's visit in February - guess what? Not only was it much larger than the payments we've had to make at Prompt Care, but it was inaccurate, what a surprise). Their service is faster, their hours are later in the evenings and longer on the weekends, they bill for office visits, so you don't get stuck with a huge amount, they bill properly and can explain their bills.

It's really a shame that MultiCare has these billing issues, because the medical care we received there for Elijah was really quite excellent. His surgeon was great, and we were happy with her as a doctor as well as a person whom we've gotten to know a little better than we might have because of how much we had to deal with her and her office, she even came to Elijah's first birthday party that we threw for all the people who had helped us leading up to his birth, during his birth and afterward.

Franciscan has in its favor the billing clarity, as well as also having excellent medical care. The only reason we even dealt with MultiCare at all was because of their having the children's hospital and specialty NICU. The only annoying thing that happened there during our medical dealings and stay at the hospital was that when a nurse prayed with me before the surgery, the anesthesiologist started cross examining everyone there to figure out who authorized this whole praying thing (and yes, I had indicated on the forms my religious preference, and yes the nurse asked me if I belonged to any particular faith and if I wished to pray before the surgery began; at all points I could have either refrained from giving information that indicated a religious sensibility or refused her offer, which was not presented as hospital policy or mandatory practice before surgery. Isn't it idiotic that I have to clarify that, though?). At Franciscan, nobody calls the legal department if someone says God bless you. Our first two visitors at the hospital after we had Amira (at Franciscan) were priests, in their clericals, and nobody batted an eyelash, or rushed in to ask us if we were feeling oppressed.

Anyway, so pretty much our decision after six years of dealing with MultiCare and this one instance of going to the Urgent Care center instead of the Prompt Care where we've normally gone when we've had to do things after hours is that we will not darken MultiCare's door again. We have told all our babysitters that if they have to call in for help or take the children to a medical center to go to Franciscan, all sports or scouting leaders that our favored hospital is a Franciscan hospital, and I think it would take quite the catastrophe and all of Franciscan hospitals being shut down before we would go back to MultiCare.

Labels: Family