With America’s health care system poised on the brink of some big changes, the load carried by most local emergency rooms is a real concern for a number of reasons. The first reason is that ERs around the country are already at maximum load capacity and are being forced to turn people away and direct them to other hospitals. The practice of “loading” patients is also prevalent and dangerous. Loading refers to bunking sick people on stretchers or any available bed in hallways until a room comes open or a bed frees up.
The bottom line here is that ERs are designed for the medical emergencies in life that need instant, urgent care such as heart attacks, broken bones, head trauma and other serious life threatening accidents or illnesses. Those who come to ERs with a cough or cold or other minor illnesses are clogging an already desperately backed up emergency health care system.
The second reason that backlogged ERs raises red flags is that with the recession, unemployment and people losing their health benefits, more of them make their way to emergency rooms for treatment that is best done at a doctor’s office. Emergency rooms are required by law to see every patient, whether they can pay or not.
Simply put, there is no more room to cram anymore people into ER waiting rooms and something will have to give. Usually what gives is the quality of care those needing it receive. Any revamp of the health system will need to address overcrowded emergency rooms.
Of particular concern is the number of seniors who are now becoming the most frequently seen segment of the population in emergency rooms. Many fear some of the coming changes to Medicare will drive this number even higher. The real pressing questions then become how to treat over 120 million people in emergency settings, and how to handle the rising costs of doing so?
With no end in sight for the recession that has America in its grip, there is another dilemma facing hospitals and the medical community – the soaring cost of absorbing unpaid medical bills and treating patients without insurance. The costs of delivering care without getting paid is a serious hamstring for the health system and yet, the haunting question remains: “What other options do people have if they lose their health insurance or can’t afford health insurance?”
The nation is poised on the brink of significant changes to the health care system and right now we can only wait to see what the overall impact of the proposed changes will be. For now, the wellness of the health care system is reflected in our emergency rooms.
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