Hospital emergency departments are the only part of the health care system that is required by federal law to provide care to all patients, regardless of ability to pay. A sizable number of patients who visit the ER do not require the level of care that an emergency room provides. In Maryland, for example, patients with non-urgent medical problems account for over 40 percent of ER visits.
Jammed with increasing numbers of uninsured Americans and enrollees in public programs, emergency rooms find their overcrowding further aggravated by outdated federal and state policies. Worse, while many emergency rooms are already operating at peak capacity on a day-to-day basis, the emergency medical system is incapable of absorbing the massive enclave of patients should a natural disaster or terrorist attack occur.
My company recently gave a leading with values seminar that stressed the importance of a “pause button”. I totally understand your frustration Lindsy. Perhaps I could send you one of my pause buttons! I carry it with me throughout my day. It’s my reminder to “pause” before you give a knee jerk reaction.
Hospital emergency departments are the only part of the health care system that is required by federal law to provide care to all patients, regardless of ability to pay. A sizable number of patients who visit the ER do not require the level of care that an emergency room provides. In Maryland, for example, patients with non-urgent medical problems account for over 40 percent of ER visits.
Jammed with increasing numbers of uninsured Americans and enrollees in public programs, emergency rooms find their overcrowding further aggravated by outdated federal and state policies. Worse, while many emergency rooms are already operating at peak capacity on a day-to-day basis, the emergency medical system is incapable of absorbing the massive enclave of patients should a natural disaster or terrorist attack occur.
My company recently gave a leading with values seminar that stressed the importance of a “pause button”. I totally understand your frustration Lindsy. Perhaps I could send you one of my pause buttons! I carry it with me throughout my day. It’s my reminder to “pause” before you give a knee jerk reaction.