GOP Lawmaker Says Emergency Rooms Should Be Able To Turn People Away

[procon]

26. "true emergencies"?

I spent over 30 years as an ER nurse, and I can't tell you how many times that someone was given a cursory exam for a presumably minor ailment, then treated and streeted, only to return via paramedic with a life threatening problem that was missed.

Here's the thing, patients might not have any choice in where they get treatment. If they have an HMO or PPO they stay within network. Their urgent care facility might be closed, too busy to see more patients, or lack the expertise or treatment protocols necessary. In that case they will direct patients to go to the ER where they have an existing contract to treat their patients.

You gripe about an elderly woman with a "fucking rash", but you don't even know enough the realize that rash might be symptomatic of a serious illness or a potential life threatening reaction to a foreign substance. You complain about a patient seeking treatment for vomiting, but then you're relieved that it's OK for you to get treated in the ER for the same thing. That's rich.