By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
    Health
    Healthcare organizations are operating on slimmer profit margins than ever. One report in August showed that they are even lower than the beginning of the…
    Show More
    Top News
    bowl of vegetable salad
    Raw Foods: benefits and harms
    November 9, 2021
    pros and cons of the keto diet
    Read This Before You Follow the Keto Diet
    May 18, 2022
    spinal cord injuries
    4 Potential Causes of Spinal Cord Injuries (and How to Seek Compensation)
    May 25, 2022
    Latest News
    5 Steps to a Promising Career as a Healthcare Administrator
    July 31, 2025
    Why Custom Telemedicine Apps Outperform Off‑the‑Shelf Solutions
    July 20, 2025
    How Probate Planning Shapes the Future of Your Estate and Family Care
    July 17, 2025
    Beyond Nutrition: Everyday Foods That Support Whole-Body Health
    June 15, 2025
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
    Policy and Law
    Get the latest updates about Insurance policies and Laws in the Healthcare industry for different geographical locations.
    Show More
    Top News
    Effective Healthcare Requires a Social Approach
    June 15, 2015
    CCBHCs
    2016 Excellence in Behavioral Health Program Design
    February 23, 2016
    conducting Clinical Trial
    5 Tips for Conducting a Clinical Trial
    April 21, 2024
    Latest News
    How IT and Marketing Teams Can Collaborate to Protect Patient Trust
    July 17, 2025
    How Health Choices and Legal Actions Intersect After an Injury
    July 17, 2025
    How communities and healthcare providers can address slip and fall injuries with legal awareness
    July 17, 2025
    Let Your Lawyer Handle the Work Before You Pay Medical Costs
    July 6, 2025
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: The High Healthcare Costs of Emergency Department Visits: Stop Pointing Fingers and Begin Offering Solutions
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > Policy & Law > Health Reform > The High Healthcare Costs of Emergency Department Visits: Stop Pointing Fingers and Begin Offering Solutions
BusinessHealth ReformPolicy & LawPublic Health

The High Healthcare Costs of Emergency Department Visits: Stop Pointing Fingers and Begin Offering Solutions

Kevin Campbell
Kevin Campbell
Share
7 Min Read
SHARE

Nothing exemplifies more the complete lack of understanding of the issues surrounding our healthcare system than an article that appeared in the New York Times this weekend.  Author Jane Brody’s piece attempts to address issues with the astronomical costs and misuses of Emergency Department (ED) visits in the US today.

Nothing exemplifies more the complete lack of understanding of the issues surrounding our healthcare system than an article that appeared in the New York Times this weekend.  Author Jane Brody’s piece attempts to address issues with the astronomical costs and misuses of Emergency Department (ED) visits in the US today.  While I agree with Ms Brody that ED visits for routine issues are a waste of resources and money, her suggestion that physicians should be available 24-7 and see office patients on holidays and during weekends shows a complete lack of understanding of the practice of medicine.  In fact, I found her comments to be down right insulting to all hard working physicians.  Many physicians have spent well over half of their adult lives working endless hours in training.  Many relationships, marriages and opportunities to bond with children have been sacrificed all in the name of our very noble profession.  The article seems to suggest that if ONLY physicians were willing to work during “off hours”  and provide cell phone access for patients that the healthcare savings would be enormous.  Reality is that if physicians are pushed to do even more and are provided with even less downtime burnout rates will be even higher than they are now.  In fact, I would predict that this type of access requirement would result in a mass exodus of many talented physicians from the profession entirely.

In a complete bit of journalistic ignorance, Ms Brody actually states in her piece  “many doctors now work 9 to 5 jobs”–I am certainly not aware of any of my peers who are full time physicians that are working these “bankers’ hours”.  In fact, most doctors in my practice work well beyond the traditional 40 hour work week.  As a group practice we ALWAYS have a physician on call for emergencies.  However, we do not have office hours in the evenings or on weekends.  The cost of overhead for staffing and support makes this type of after hours practice completely unrealistic in the current market.  Maybe the solution is for a government funded healthcare system to train more primary care physicians and have government run and owned clinics that are staffed in 24-7 shifts.  The answer is NOT to burden already overworked healthcare providers with more hours, less privacy and more demands.

However, in spite of the abundance of erroneous statements, there are some true statements in the Times article that are worth emphasizing. First, Ms Brody points out that ED care is costly and inefficient.  Some of the blame may be placed on lack of healthcare insurance or lack of personal responsibility for one’s own health.  Countless patients continue self destructive behaviors such as smoking, drug use, alcohol use and other high risk activities.   Some of the blame lies on the “system” with limited access and opportunities for care for some patients (but I do not see the new Obamacare improving this particular issue).  Secondly, Ms Brody correctly points out that engaged patients who actively participate with their physicians have better outcomes and fewer ED visits.  Engagement with a physician does not require having the physician’s cell phone on speed dial–it does require personal contact and routine office visits for preventive care and the ongoing treatment of chronic disease.

More Read

digital-analytics-101-mobile.png
Digital Analytics 101 for Healthcare Marketers: Mobile Ads and Click-to-Call
Paying People Not to Work
Regulate Supplements
Healthcare Consumerism
Impact of Payer Mix Shift on Orthopedic Practice Payments

One obvious aspect that must be added to any discussion of after hours care must be that of liability issues.  Without tort reform, medical malpractice litigation continues unchecked in this country.  Many competent physicians have been forced out of practice due to escalating malpractice insurance costs.  As Ms Brody references, many “after hours” messages from physician offices do state to “Call 911 or to Go to the ED”–this is a direct response to the irresponsible litigation that has plagued medical practice in the US today.  Physicians are advised by legal counsel to have this type of messaging available in order to protect themselves from lawsuits involving after hours care.  Any real healthcare reform in this country must also include a limit to malpractice awards and the elimination of frivolous lawsuits.  These activities also serve to increase the cost of ED care–ED physicians are often forced to practice “defensive medicine”–and order more tests than a physician in another setting might perform for the same clinical scenario in order to avoid litigation.

Certainly, healthcare costs in this country have become nearly unmanageable.  I do not claim to have the perfect answer or even a complete solution.  The cost of an ED visit is much higher than an office visit with a primary care provider for a routine problem–no one would argue this point.  However, the solution is much more complex than Ms Brody will lead us to believe.  The answer is NOT to have physicians provide cell phone access 24-7 to patients.  The most ideal solution must involve physicians, elected officials, attorneys and patients all working together to reduce costs and provide better care.

MV5BMjA0NjI0ODgzNF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwMDAxNDUyMQ@@._V1_SY317_CR20,0,214,317_

TAGGED:ED Emergency Department
Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

5 Steps to a Promising Career as a Healthcare Administrator
5 Steps to a Promising Career as a Healthcare Administrator
Health
July 31, 2025
holistic dental
Holistic Dentist Services Are Natural and Safe
Dental health Specialties
July 28, 2025
botox certification
Help Improve People’s Skin Health Via Botox Certification
Skin Specialties
July 22, 2025
Telemedicine Apps
Why Custom Telemedicine Apps Outperform Off‑the‑Shelf Solutions
Health
July 20, 2025

You Might also Like

health insurance
Health ReformPolicy & Law

Shopping for Health Insurance

October 1, 2013

3 Reasons That Digital Matters in Healthcare Marketing

February 19, 2015

Why Physicians Are Afraid of Social Media and Why They Shouldn’t Be

January 28, 2015

Waking Up? GOP Governors Want to Talk to Obama About Health Reform

December 16, 2012
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?