The waiting arms race continues. A 30-minute wait is yesterday’s news. Now, ERs promise zero-wait. How do they do that? Probably by bringing the patient into the room immediately and having them wait in there instead.
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This is in the suburbs of Detroit. Somehow I’ll bet that at Detroit Receiving Hospital, there isn’t Zero Wait.
I was under the impression that a large number of ER patients have no ability to pay and that hospital are often not fully reimbursed for services provided, which often causes them to lose money. Can someone explain this hospital’s motivation?
In a good demaographic location (people have insurance) this is a selling point of the hospital. Yes ER’s lose money, but they are also the entry point for admission on a large number of insured patients.
Would you like Fies with ear infection!! The way ER’s accomplish this type of service is to institute algorythmic check box type of care, skimp or eliminate any meaningful interview with patients and give them what they want, if they need it or not. Antibodics even if there not indicated for that cough, sure, here you go. Vicodin for that back ache, you got it. Can I get you a value meal. As a ER Nurse I find this type of prostitution of medical care concerning.
This is easy. in the suburbs, it’s usually low acuity, high reimbursement. Opposite of tertiary care, high acuity, low reimbursement. The reason they can offer “no wait” emergency medicine is that the majority of these patients need no emergency care at all.
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