Frequent Flyers

rph3664 · May 17, 2012

Here's another angle on ER abuse. I have a relative who got divorced some years back, and her ex-husband had to pay the kids' medical bills. You can probably guess what she did - doctors' appointments almost every day, trips to the ER if there wasn't anything going on during the weekend, just to soak him. It finally stopped when the kids told her that they didn't want to spend their free time in waiting rooms.

This was a situation where neither parent should have had custody, and there was a stretch where I honestly believe those kids would have been better off in foster care. Someone on another board said, "Are you aware that if a child wasn't sexually abused when they went into foster care, they will be by the time they get out?" and I replied, "Yes, I am, and they STILL would have been better off." Speaking of which, it wouldn't have surprised me if she tried to play that card as well. Would he have done it? Of course, I never lived with him, but truthfully, even if he was a pedophile, he wasn't interested enough in the kids to do anything like that either.

ImKosher · May 19, 2012

Apparently we serve first rate sandwiches here, FF keep coming back for them. There must be something good in that sandwich because it's costing almost $1000 for them to get that sandwich one way or the other.

Anna Flaxis, BSN, RN · May 19, 2012

Honestly, I agree your "putz" is a burden on society, a boil on society's ass, but I really think that our society and specifically, our healthcare system, promotes this. *We* are creating this!

If you think for one second that your hospital CEOs care about frequent fliers or ED overcrowding, you are mistaken.

EDs are the money pits of hospitals. The more patients you can run through, the more reimbursement you get, even if a certain percentage don't pay. It's the assembly line model, applied to the delivery of healthcare. The hospitals get tax writeoffs for unreimbursed care anyway. Your "putz" may abuse the ED, but his "health insurance" *PAYS*. That is the bottom line, and all your CEOs really care about.

The answer isn't to punish the putz by taking away his healthcare. The answer is to provide healthcare for all, and to incorporate social workers into the ED system so that someone like this, who is clearly mentally ill and is using the ED for his point of access to the system, gets the services he needs to keep him OUT of the ED.

Clearly, there is a need that is not being met, and he is attempting to meet it inappropriately. Having social workers to intervene and steer people like this into more appropriate avenues would do more to unclog Emergency Departments than taking away his funding, because you know as well as I do that lack of funding does NOT prevent people from using the ED. Lack of funding actually *encourages* people to use the ED inappropriately. Why do people go to the ED for minor complaints instead of Urgent Care?

VICEDRN, BSN, RN · May 19, 2012

Apparently we serve first rate sandwiches here, FF keep coming back for them. There must be something good in that sandwich because it's costing almost $1000 for them to get that sandwich one way or the other.

And the answer to this problem is not to feed them. We have folks check in just to eat too. I refuse to feed most patients. This is not a food pantry and I would appreciate everyone else doing the same.

brainkandy87 · May 20, 2012

And the answer to this problem is not to feed them. We have folks check in just to eat too. I refuse to feed most patients. This is not a food pantry and I would appreciate everyone else doing the same.

Amen.

Anna Flaxis, BSN, RN · May 20, 2012

I am of the "no feed em" variety as well, except there are some people I just WANT to feed, like the sweet LOL or the guy who's been here for six hours and is going to be waiting another six hours for his room to be ready. By and large, though, I tell people we don't have food, which is beginning to be true, since they took away sandwiches to save money. Now if only they'd take away the blanket warmers and *all* extra pillows!

VICEDRN, BSN, RN · May 20, 2012

I am of the "no feed em" variety as well, except there are some people I just WANT to feed, like the sweet LOL or the guy who's been here for six hours and is going to be waiting another six hours for his room to be ready. By and large, though, I tell people we don't have food, which is beginning to be true, since they took away sandwiches to save money. Now if only they'd take away the blanket warmers and *all* extra pillows!

We agree.Will happily feed admitted patients, lols, and hypoglycemic by accident folks. Also will feed psych patients (akin to giving snacks to toddlers). Warm blankets are for trauma patients only. Otherwise, no way. Pillows for cdu people and previously mentioned admitted people and lols.