New York Times, May 2013
ARTICLE SUMMARY:A new report finds that half of admissions to the hospital come through the emergency room, a very expensive method of determining whether or not a patient needs to be hospitalized. The ER has become a place to get quicker care regardless of the day or time confinements. The report found there was a 17% increase in unscheduled ER visits, and a 10% decrease in scheduled doctor visits. Which, if you tried to schedule a doctors appointment and it took 3 months like it did for myself, is not totally surprising that patients want to shorten the length of time it takes to see a doctor. This method also acts as a safety net for those without health insurance. But the decision to go to the ER is also coming from the doctor, not the patient; the report found doctors refer patients to the ER to get complicated, time sensitive tests or if the doctor is not available. As health care costs and process become closer examined, the question of whether or not the ER is the place to funnel through patients will have to be answered.
SITE: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/21/business/half-of-hospital-admissions-from-emergency-rooms.html?ref=health&_r=0
