When You go to the Emergency Room, How Long do You Wait?

[lsiberian]

Why would a senator not know what money was going to?

Black projects still need oversight, and evaluation, and fiscal responsibility. Rubber-stamping something because "it's secret" is silly.

Black projects don't exist.

 

[MatthewB.]

I have worked in a variety of hospitals for over 20 years in both Tucson and Phoenix and can tell you that ER visits in AZ are the worst. Because we have a insanely huge illegal immigrant population, the illegals will come to the ED for the friggin sniffles. I'm not shytting you either. Every illegal mother brings in every kid for the sniffles.

Last week we had an illegal mother bring in all six of her kids because one of them had the sniffles, she threw a fit saying that it was the H1N1 virus and demanded vaccination for all her kids. Now not even the staff at the hospital has recieved this shot yet (it's back ordered) but this mother who can't speak a word of english and has no insurance and probably not even a job, is demanding all this free hard to get medication, because her kid went "sniff"

Healthcare in America is outrageous and I blame the illegals, unisnured and those who know how to manipulate the system with why we have 10 hour waits in line and what friggin amazes me (cause I see this daily) is how many people who don't even plan on paying a dime are so rude to nurses and doctors (cause they had to wait or worse the doctor didn't just give them the medication free and wrote them a prescription knowing they will have to pay).

I wish registry would demand either a government form of ID or paycheck stub to be allowed to be seen by a doctor and a sign should be posted on every room, if doctor determines your ER visit was not needed the cost of this bill will be garnished from your paycheck without insurance approval and if it is determined you have no valid government ID, Immigration will be called and waiting for you upon discharge. (This sign will be in both English and Spanish)

Another key to cutting costs is automatically charging a 50.00 visit the moment you walk in to ED. I have to pay a 20.00 fee to see my doctor on every visit, if my emergency requires a visit to the ER then I should be charged 50.00. If the doctor detremines that it is a true emergency then my "fee" will be immediatly refunded, if the doctor determines it's not, then they keep the 50.00

I guarantee that if that mother had to pay 50.00 for each of her six kids, she would've gone to the pharmacy bought a bottle of robitussen and told the kids to swallow and that would be the end of that and a true emergency could've been seen alot quicker.

We had one guy who swallowed a crapload of pills right in the ER parking lot, I mean why? If your gonna kill yourself go out in the desert where nobody will see you, don't pull this, drama induced I'm gonna fake kill myself and be saved at the ER crap. Personally I would've let the F'er drop in the parking lot, I mean one less idiot taking up valuable oxygen in my eyes.

Now I know some of you are gonna say, Matt you work in a hospital and have no compassion, but I do. For true emergencies, you cut off your arm and are bleeding in the ER waiting room, I'll take off my shirt and use it to help stop the blood, but if you get a paper cut and yell and scream to see a doctor, I hope they douse it in lemon juice to clean out the cut and kick you out the door with a hefty bill (and 50.00 less out of your pockert).

I see stupidity on a daily basis. We had two drug overdose deaths in two days. One was a 32 year old Meth addict with a heart condition (great job there Einstein, one less douche in my book) and the other was a 21 year old who OD'ed on Heroine. Hope you enjoyed that last "high" cause 21 is far too young to throw it all away.

I have seen people who walk in after being shot, not complaining as much as people with a headache or splinter in their foot. This world just friggin amazes me.

Sorry so synical but after 20 years you tend to not feel sorry for all the morons of the world costing me and you in time and money.

 

[JerryLove]

I wish registry would demand either a government form of ID or paycheck stub to be allowed to be seen by a doctor and a sign should be posted on every room, if doctor determines your ER visit was not needed the cost of this bill will be garnished from your paycheck without insurance approval and if it is determined you have no valid government ID, Immigration will be called and waiting for you upon discharge. (This sign will be in both English and Spanish)

So then the 6-year-old child of an illegal who *does* have the swine flu will die from it as a result? What did the 6-year-old do to deserver such apathy/hatred?

Another key to cutting costs is automatically charging a 50.00 visit the moment you walk in to ED. I have to pay a 20.00 fee to see my doctor on every visit, if my emergency requires a visit to the ER then I should be charged 50.00. If the doctor determines that it is a true emergency then my "fee" will be immediately refunded, if the doctor determines it's not, then they keep the 50.00

So, again, the extremely poor, even if actually having an emergency, might not be able to be seen.

Sorry so cynical but after 20 years you tend to not feel sorry for all the morons of the world costing me and you in time and money.

The problem with your position is that your advocated changes effect more than the people you are concerned about.

As to your actual example: would it really have been much better with a non-illegal? Just say "no" and send them on their way. I remember my last ER visit. I had symptoms consistent with appendicitis. They ran me through a bunch of tests (that I recall a lot of bills for) and then pointed me at the door. I was in pretty significant pain, but they said they couldn't send me home with a prescription because the cause was undiagnosed; and they would do nothing more because "it isn't an emergency"

I actually agreed with the "nothing more for us, not an emergency" except for the fact that some pain management to survive the weekend would have been appropriate.

Turned out to be a pretty significant ulcer-type-thing. When the GI doctor finally looked in the right place (a month later) I was mostly better. 60lbs lighter, but mostly better. You ever see someone 6'1" at 125lbs? It ain't pretty.

 

[Nemo128]

So, again, the extremely poor, even if actually having an emergency, might not be able to be seen.

Let's be honest Jerry. Reading enough of the threads here, I've realized there are quite a few people who couldn't possibly care less about the poor and would prefer that they die, turning their noses up to the less fortunate because the poor didn't work hard enough to achieve their level of success. Too often, people throw around the ideas that money isn't unlimited and people are a burden on all systems, yet they maintain this narrowminded idea that everyone can succeed and be financially stable, that everyone is capable of their standard of achievement.

Balance. For every success, there must be a suffering, for every fortune, there must be a failure. If that weren't the case, money would be unlimited and plentiful, job availability would be a 1:1 ratio with work-eligible people, and education would be completely and truly equal opportunity with no cost barriers preventing those who make the effort from attending.

People are just too concerned with their image to admit their real underlying thoughts, but their prejudices, whether racial or religious or cultural or gender or financial, comes through loud and clear in their words.

 

[GO-NAD!]

I have worked in a variety of hospitals for over 20 years in both Tucson and Phoenix and can tell you that ER visits in AZ are the worst. Because we have a insanely huge illegal immigrant population, the illegals will come to the ED for the friggin sniffles. I'm not shytting you either. Every illegal mother brings in every kid for the sniffles.

I don't understand. If they are illegal immigrants, why aren't the cops called?

 

[Nemo128]

I don't understand. If they are illegal immigrants, why aren't the cops called?

Every hospital employee has the right to immediately call the INS if they really want to. Apparently some people would rather shrug it off because, although they want to complain about it, it's not their responsibility to do anything about it or they're too busy to deal with it. I bet ya, however, that if there were cops stationed there consistently ready to deal with illegal immigrants, people would complain that there are always cops there. Oh the hilarity.

 

[Matt34]

I don't understand. If they are illegal immigrants, why aren't the cops called?

The Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (42 U.S.C. § 1395dd, EMTALA) is a United States Act of Congress passed in 1986 as part of the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act. It requires hospitals and ambulance services to provide care to anyone needing emergency healthcare treatment regardless of citizenship, legal status or ability to pay. There are no reimbursement provisions. As a result of the act, patients needing emergency treatment can be discharged only under their own informed consent or when their condition requires transfer to a hospital better equipped to administer the treatment.

 

[Nemo128]

It requires hospitals and ambulance services to provide care to anyone needing emergency healthcare treatment regardless of citizenship, legal status or ability to pay.

Very true, however all hospitals are required by law to report, for example, gun shot victims to the police for inquiry. Just because you have to treat someone doesn't mean they become immune to the authorities. To report illegal alien activity, here's the number:

1-866-DHS-2-ICE
1-866-347-2423

Does no one else find it interesting that agreeing to military service gets you temporary residency almost immediately compared to the normal waiting periods? If you don't think it's true, you never worked for the military and witnessed it firsthand.

 

[JerryLove]

It requires hospitals and ambulance services to provide care to anyone needing emergency healthcare treatment regardless of citizenship, legal status or ability to pay.

To be fair: a hospital could stop taking medicade/medicare (such as the Shriners) and be exempt.

As a result of the act, patients needing emergency treatment can be discharged only under their own informed consent or when their condition requires transfer to a hospital better equipped to administer the treatment.

Or when stable.

But yes, you are not allowed to let someone bleed to death on your ER floor because you are concerned they won't pay you.

If only we could make some single "Payor" responsible for all medical bills.

 

[GO-NAD!]

The Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (42 U.S.C. § 1395dd, EMTALA) is a United States Act of Congress passed in 1986 as part of the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act. It requires hospitals and ambulance services to provide care to anyone needing emergency healthcare treatment regardless of citizenship, legal status or ability to pay. There are no reimbursement provisions. As a result of the act, patients needing emergency treatment can be discharged only under their own informed consent or when their condition requires transfer to a hospital better equipped to administer the treatment.

I don't see any statement in there saying that you're not allowed to call the cops.

We have government-paid health care here, but you still have to show your health card to get it. Oh, the ER will take care of you without one, but you will receive a bill for it if you don't have one.

 

[Matt34]

I don't see any statement in there saying that you're not allowed to call the cops.

We have government-paid health care here, but you still have to show your health card to get it. Oh, the ER will take care of you without one, but you will receive a bill for it if you don't have one.

It doesn't matter if they call the cops, they are still getting treated on our dime regardless of the severity.

 

[lsiberian]

Should people be going to the ER for a simple illness?

This is another example of a failed system. You see having clinics to handle the small stuff would help reduce the load at the ER for big stuff.

 

[MatthewB.]

My point was not to shun the poor (or illegal) but to put something that would cause people (mostly poor and illegal) to stop abusing the healthcare system, hence why if it is an emergency, they get the money refunded.

 

[MatthewB.]

Also a nurse (or Dr) could call the cops, but the police in AZ don't want the hassle of all the paperwork when they know the guy will be back one day later.

 

[JerryLove]

It doesn't matter if they call the cops, they are still getting treated on our dime regardless of the severity.

...if their illness or injury is life threatening. If, on the other hand, they are stable: there is no requirement to treat.

 

[Matt34]

...if their illness or injury is life threatening. If, on the other hand, they are stable: there is no requirement to treat.

You are correct, there is no requirement per say but defining emergency care seems to be a question with some. Hospitals have been subjected to lawsuits brought on by illegal immigrants for not being provided care.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125379759000037539.html


Other hospitals have found that flying a patience back to there home country is cheaper than providing long term care to illegal immigrants.

The cost to arrange medical transport of an illegal immigrant back to a home country ranges from $35,000 on the low end up to $200,000. That's not cheap, but it's far less than the $1 million per patient the nonprofit Phoenix hospital estimated it was spending for ongoing dialysis treatment.

http://www.lvrj.com/news/54286002.html

 

[GO-NAD!]

It doesn't matter if they call the cops, they are still getting treated on our dime regardless of the severity.

Yes, but if they are reported, you should only be treating them once....

 

[Matt34]

Yes, but if they are reported, you should only be treating them once....

If we had a secure border, sure.

 

[GO-NAD!]

Should people be going to the ER for a simple illness?

This is another example of a failed system. You see having clinics to handle the small stuff would help reduce the load at the ER for big stuff.

The problem here is that you cannot legislate intelligence or common sense.

 

[JerryLove]

The problem here is that you cannot legislate intelligence or common sense.

I don't know if that has been tested. Certainly, if it is possible, it would require the legislators who passed it to have intelligence or common sense.