It seems like there has been a substantial increase in the number of patients coming to the ER for complaints that I would go to my doctor for. Complaints like N/V for a day, low grade fever, lady partsl irritation to name a few.
Has anyone else noticed this in their ER? I asked some of the nurses that I work with and they said they have noticed the same thing. I wonder why that is? It's not just people with private pay or medicaid, but people with insurance too.
I know we have a lot of people come in because the called "Ask A Nurse" and were told by them to come in. :angryfire
It just seems like for some reason that no one wants to feel bad for any length of time anymore. If they don't feel good then they come to the ER to get fixed immediately so they won't have to feel bad longer than they have to. Never mind the old trick of going to bed and drinking plenty of fluids when you have a cold, come to the ER! :angryfire
Sorry this turned into a rant, but I wondered if other ERs were seeing the same.
There are enough stupid people in the world for that as it is. :rotfl:
As for the increase in minor complaints, I agree. Even the doctors offices tell them to go to the E.D. when people call with something relatively minor (I guess they don't schedule open slots for walk ins or to squeeze people in like they used to). One of my biggest pet peeves about minor complaints........fever. OMG! People of all ages rush right in for a fever of 101 or so and think they're dying! Even older people who raised kids back in the day of using childrens aspirin! How did we as a species EVER survive!?!?!?! Now, I understand if the person in on chemo and has a low grade temp, or it's a kid under 6 mos.....that can be a different story. I'm talking about someone of relative good health with no other symptoms and they come right in and haven't EVEN tried anything at home. The reason, you ask? They want us to see the fever!
I could go on and on as I'm sure most of us could with the stoopid war stories. Suffice it to say that yes, the minor complaints are on the rise and common sense in on the decline. :uhoh21:
If my doctor's office told me to go to the ED instead of giving me an appointment, I'd tell them to give me the appointment or I'll find another doc. We see a lot of that in our ED and it drives me nuts. What the heck is the doc's office there for?
Most MDs offices are scheduled so tight you cant get it anymore, so yes you are sent to the ER. And some pts needing CTs and MRIs or Lab work are just told to go to the ER by their MDs as it gets done faster that way.
Most MDs offices are scheduled so tight you cant get it anymore, so yes you are sent to the ER. And some pts needing CTs and MRIs or Lab work are just told to go to the ER by their MDs as it gets done faster that way.
Oh man did I forget about that!! Some of the docs where I work will send in their pts knowing they need admitted so they can get the workup doen BEFORE admission. That way they know it's been done and yes, quicker. Talk about BS!
if you try to get in md office with a acute problem they will say the md can't work you in please go to ER ...(they usually have md from that clinic who will see you in er if er md is not available...sometimes hospital will insist that md or one of his associates see pt in er....this comes up every once in a while but this partnership bring in a lot of business to hospital and some md are in kpractice by themselves and cannot leave to see anyone in er..the point being that the decision to go to er is not always a pts....and changing mds is not always an option...you may have to find one who is accepting patients or one who is within you hmo agenda....and the first visit to a physician is usually very expensive...myself if it is possible to tx myself with otc i wil do so sometimes can't be done..
I must be very spoiled then. My doctor's group practice refuses to overbook and they always have space for people who need to be seen right away. This is why, after we moved, I still will travel an hour to see him. Granted it's rare that I do go...usually just for an annual check up, but I know he's gonna be there when I need him.
I owe them money so they won't see me! And ER is FREE?!?!?!?! :angryfire
I so wish our ER could do the same as docs do: as soon as the patient registers, their account comes up as flagged if they owe so much and are refused service if it is over a certain amount and the problem is minor. Yeah, that'll happen.
In our area though, our ER docs are only obiligated to do the medical screening exam and if they find nothing wrong that needs immediate attention, then they are free to do nothing else; no scripts, no tests, nothing, but a discharge paper. Sometimes the docs will do this, sometimes they examine the patient, give them the appropriate script and send them on their happy way. (unless they wanted narcs and didn't get them). But I digress.......
In our area though, our ER docs are only obiligated to do the medical screening exam and if they find nothing wrong that needs immediate attention, then they are free to do nothing else; no scripts, no tests, nothing, but a discharge paper. Sometimes the docs will do this, sometimes they examine the patient, give them the appropriate script and send them on their happy way. (unless they wanted narcs and didn't get them). But I digress.......
Pam :)
That's actually what COBRA says.......you're only obligated to treat something that threatens life or limb. Minor problems can be turfed out. Problem is, some docs see this (turffing the minor c/o's out) as a liability (i.e. they'll be sued). So what do they do? Do a million dollar workup on the person "just to make sure". Talk about wasted resources! :angryfire
That's actually what COBRA says.......you're only obligated to treat something that threatens life or limb. Minor problems can be turfed out. Problem is, some docs see this (turffing the minor c/o's out) as a liability (i.e. they'll be sued). So what do they do? Do a million dollar workup on the person "just to make sure". Talk about wasted resources! :angryfire
Ah yes...
The practice of medicine by rules of law...
Some things are universal no matter where you live.
It's called the MC Donald's mentality -- everything is going drive thru -- why wait to see your own doctor if you can see one now ?? They seem to correlate
"EMERGENCY" with "FAST"-- and they are the first to complain about the wait!! My favorite saying is "Sick people don't b***h!" (the ones that aren't complaining are the ones you have to worry about.) now I wish I could say that to a few of those complainers -- but -- I still need my job.. I have never seen so many rude self centered people in my life -- it is getting out of control --
magicman
61 Posts
There are enough stupid people in the world for that as it is. :rotfl:
As for the increase in minor complaints, I agree. Even the doctors offices tell them to go to the E.D. when people call with something relatively minor (I guess they don't schedule open slots for walk ins or to squeeze people in like they used to). One of my biggest pet peeves about minor complaints........fever. OMG! People of all ages rush right in for a fever of 101 or so and think they're dying! Even older people who raised kids back in the day of using childrens aspirin! How did we as a species EVER survive!?!?!?! Now, I understand if the person in on chemo and has a low grade temp, or it's a kid under 6 mos.....that can be a different story. I'm talking about someone of relative good health with no other symptoms and they come right in and haven't EVEN tried anything at home. The reason, you ask? They want us to see the fever!
I could go on and on as I'm sure most of us could with the stoopid war stories. Suffice it to say that yes, the minor complaints are on the rise and common sense in on the decline. :uhoh21: