ER Visit
 

The other day, I had to go to the emergency room.

Not wanting to sit there for 4 hours, I went to the Army-Navy store, and bought some OD pants and a shirt.
Then I sewed a couple of patches on which I grabbed from the Internet..

It was amazing how many people left as I walked in.
I guess they suddenly decided they weren't that sick after all.

Here is the patch that you can sew on your clothing if you are in need of quicker emergency service.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1151699921.jpg

heh heh, awesome

A couple of months ago my 2 year old was VERY sick. We went to the family practitioner and he said it would have to run its course. It was a nasty stomach virus. He had the runs for 3 weeks straigh. After a week we saw the doc. After 3 weeks we saw the doc. When we entered the 4th week we called him and he said, "go to the emergancy room." This pissed me off to no end.

We went to the E-room and it was packed to the rafters. We would never would have known sitting in the empty waiting room for 1.5 hours. When the nurse bagan to walk us to the back I was amazed to see people everywhere just waiting. They had every examining room filled and the halls were lined with people. Mosty of Hispanic origin.

I turned to the nurse and asked her "You have to be kidding me , right? Are all these people waiting? (Dumb question I know) She responded yes, I turned around and walked out. Porbably saving myself a clean 5-7K in doctor and hospital bills for nothing.

He did a lot better about 3 days later, he never exhibited any signs of dehydration just the runs and bouts of vomiting.

I will do everything I can in the future to aviod going to an E-room.

I do like your trick Byron, I might have to go to the army navy store myself.

Jim,

I would get another doctor as well. This one seems not to care...

This is an easy one to get around. Tell the admitting nurse that (besides whatever is really ailing you) that you've noticed blood in your stool. They will take you in immediately, no waiting.

Turns out that they are trained to know that if you have blood in your stool it could be VERY serious internal bleeding; kidney, liver, lower intestines, etc. failing. It could be life threatening.

Then when the doc comes in and asks you about it just pass it off. As in you were'nt sure, it may not have been blood. I've done it and It works. A doctor friend told me about this years back when I was complaining of the same issues with the time spent waiting at the ER

"This is an easy one to get around. Tell the admitting nurse that (besides whatever is really ailing you) that you've noticed blood in your stool. They will take you in immediately, no waiting."

Yeah, that is a great idea. Why don't we all just say we are having crushing chest pain. Then lets give a fake name as well, then it is free. Then the patients that are truely sick, and truely have internal bleeding, or an actual MI can sit and wait as well. Yes they have to triage- vomiting for 3weeks is not likely to change in the next 2 hours, the fellow patient sitting next to you with chest pain might. Our ER's are packed to overflowing partially because somehow people think they can do any stupid thing they want, they don't have to have any insurance, and they can show up in the ER and people have to take care of them- and they do. If you don't want to wait try one of the walkin clinics that usually open around the ER's. They only take patients that are not really critically ill, and can pay. You get in and out a lot faster, but of coarse these profit centers are just sucking more money from the ER itself. Our collection rates from ER's averages about 30%- that is right about 1 out of 3 patients actually pays for their services. You seem to think the government somehow supports this system- nope, at least not to the doctors. This is going to get worse before it gets better.
Gary

I didn't create / manage / staff / the system. It is what it is regardless of my intent or personal feelings. When I am in serious pain or hurt (which I have been) I'm not waiting 3-5 hours just because the hospital elects to (as most do) understaff the ER.

Well, with a 30% collection rate, I can certainly see why emergency rooms are understaffed and offer slow service.

gchappel and turbo6bar, I have come to the realization that some people will just never "get it" regarding the realities of healthcare, today.

The fact that your SCHEME works, actually shows that the system is not completley broken. Critically ill patients can and do get in quickly. The guy that came in behind you with a massive MI didn't staff the system either, but the hell with him, right? Me first. I'll lie and get in quickly. You certainly deserve to be evaluated or triaged quickly- that is the job of the nurse at checkin. Patients are ranked in order of the severity of symptoms.
Patients that complain about long waits are almost universally not critically ill. I am not saying they are not sick, and I am not saying that long waits are ok. ER's are now used as walkin clinics, for every little ache and pain. Throw in a couple of car accidents, an MI, and an 80yr old that is actively seizing- and a patient that has had diarrehea for 3 weeks is going to take a back seat.
This system does rely on the integrity of patients. Thank goodness most people have more integrity than I see here.
Gary

No, I actually think I do "get it" regarding health care.
I will be the first to admit the system is broken. I just have not yet heard of a reasonable way to fix it. This is not about money. There is a huge shortage of medical staff- nurses, doctors, technicians. There is no shortage of lawyers and administrators. Why? My wife teaches at a nursing school. They can not get enough qualified staff to teach, or enough qualifed students to fill the graduating classes. I taught at medical schools and there simply are not enough qualified students interested in some of the subspecialties. It is not even the money- qualified people don't want the lifestyle or the job. I stress qualified, you really want your physician to be skilled and bright. I know of several physician openings locally in the $400-600,000 range that are going unfilled- heck no one even responds to the ads. If you know of any radiologist that want to move to florida let me know. The smartest and the best have other opportunities- in and out of medicine. They can make more in other careers, and have a better lifestyle. Who wants to listen to people that will lie and fake symptoms?? Who wants to work weekends, holidays, etc. Who wants to be exposed to blood, *****, belligerent patients,etc.
I don't have any idea of how to fix the problem- I assume you do. Money will not fix it. Double the salaries of all health care workers- and the problem will not go away. Let me say this again- money will not fix this. We are not in this for the money, there are easier jobs. Another part of the issue is people don't want to do the job. I know of several physicians and nurses that have quit medicine and are doing other things- these are intelligent, hard working people that can be succesful at other things. If patients knew what physician and other medical personel put up with they would have different respect for the field.
Our local ER's actually work pretty well, and they are fully staffed. My group covers 3 of them. People that need care, get care. Noone is turned away. Patients are seen by a nurse or physician within 30 minutes. Not all the time, but most of the time. We had 14 people injured in a van accident 2 days ago- sure did jam up the er for several hours. How do we staff for that?? BTW none had insurance- but they all got the same care that you or I would. The system is broken, but it still works.
Gary

Pull that crap in my E.R. and I'll make sure you get the mother of all rectal exams. SmileWavy

"Using the whole fist there, doc?"

Hehehehehe.........






Rimshot. :)

The problem with the ER, as I see it, is that most of the people who are visiting the ER should not be there. Awfully simplistic isn't it? Here's what I mean.

We have two children who play sports, I race bicycles, we work on our cars on the weekend. All of these fun adventures happen OUTSIDE of normal Doctor working hours. That means when one of us gets a metal shaving in the eye, stabs a screwdriver through their hand, crashes the bike or is sick on a weekend (inevitable with kids...) that we are pretty well screwed when it comes to seeing a Doctor.

In the last couple of years, they have expanded the "urgent" care clinics here in Medford. This is very helpful for early evenings and on Saturday. They are closed on Sunday. Point is, that emergency rooms are for EMERGENCYS! They are not for follow up care, chronic illnesses, and minor injuries. If the ER's were saved for real emergencies, then the wait time would be shorter and the only people there are those in truly desperate need of attention.

Of course, the "urgent" care needs some work too.... I've gone there on weekends and had to wait 5 hours to see a doctor. One of those - can't wait until next Tuesday 3 day weekend, but really doesn't belong on the ER things.

angela

I just see my option as a way to counter the re-god@mndiculous health care system today. The last time I was in the ER you can bet you @ss it was a real emergency. Funny though most of the 'unwashed' in the waiting looked ok to me.

I have (good?) health insurance and a very good doc who is my main care-provider. I might have been the only one that evening who did.

Asphaltgambler, I can be a little slow so let me see if I understand your position. It is basically OK to lie and fake symptoms to get into the er, because you are too important and certainly sicker than anyone else that is waiting, in fact that is the american way. "most of the 'unwashed' in the waiting looked ok to me" I assume you are a trained medical professional and can truely judge that you were by far the sickest person in the ER. You are also somehow "washed" and therefore deserve faster care. You can also somehow tell who has insurance by how they look? That is just great. Why stop at ER's? Lets all lie about everything. Want to eat at a restaurant that has a line- it is not my fault their bad managment has made the place crowded- maybe I'll say I have diabetes and if I don't get to eat right now I'll develope internal bleeding- then start twitching. Wait in line at a grocery store- not me, not my fault- just shout out that your family will perish if you don't get home immediatiely with food- and jump to the front of the line. Do you do that? , it wouldn't surprise me. Me first. Sorry, you may be a great person in real life, but here you come off as an arrogant elitest jerk, that thinks nothing of deceiving others to obtain what you want, right now. I hope your poor judgement does not cause another to suffer.

First of all, I have to wonder if Racers original is real, or just a wild idea. In any case, to those of you being critical on this post, which is better, the person who fibs to get a jump in line, or the string of illegals waiting to get a crack at free healthcare. My money is on the one fibbing, because he's probably paying taxes to support the 'system', unlike those other friggen leaches.

I ended up in the ER last week with my head split open and blood pouring out. Being that I had my turnout gear on(I'm a firefighter). I figured that i'd get quick attention. I sat there for 45 min before a triage nurse even looked at me. another hour until i actually went into the treatment area, and 2 hours before I was finnally attended to. I must have used up a whole box of guaze sponges to soak up all the blood. Which I had to get myself.
A *****load of staples in my head and 5 hours later I finally left.
I was at the point where I was going to go to a different hospital. the ER really wasnt that crowded, except for the mass of Mexicans in there getting "treatment" for relatively minor ailments.

Sorry to hear that. It would not have happened that way where I worked in New York. Firefighters and police officers to the front of the line unless that meant delaying treatment of a true emergency.