Insurance Pays for AMA Patients

Terrific myth-busting letter to editor in this month’s Annals.

“…we retrospectively reviewed 104 consecutive cases of patients with insurance leaving against medical advice in 2008 from a suburban level I trauma center that sees 57,000 ED visits per year. Our review included 19 insurance companies, including HMOs, PPOs, Medicare, Medicaid, and workman’s compensation. We found that all 104 visits where the patient left against medical advice were fully reimbursed by their respective insurance company.”

Thank you, Wigder et al.

doi:10.1016/j.annemergmed.2009.11.024