Category: Emergency Medicine
Laws in more than half the states permit insurers to deny payment for medical services related to alcohol or drug use. Faced with the prospect of not getting paid for care, some ER personnel sidestep the problem by simply not testing patients’ blood or urine for alcohol.
A Washington state survey of 53 hospitals found that during an 18-month period in 2008-09, residents made more than 23,000 visits to ERs for toothaches or other dental problems. Among the uninsured, patients with dental disorders were the most frequent ER visitors.
Next time you go to an emergency room, be prepared for this: If your problem isn’t urgent, you may have to pay upfront.
The clinic will provide treatment for children, teens and young adults ages 0-21 needing non-emergency medical care in the evenings, over the weekends and during the holidays.
There were 59 homicides in King County last year, the lowest number in a decade. The number deaths due to suicide, traffic accidents and overdoses also fell.
Besides their convenience, urgent care centers attract patients because their fees at least half those charged at a hospital ERs. Those lower fees have drawn the attention of hospitals and insurers — both of which increasingly see the facilities as a way to hold down costs and boost their bottom lines.
As health-care costs spiral ever upward, hospitals race to build free-standing emergency rooms and expand existing ERs. Hospitals say it makes business sense, but critics say the hospital arms race is too costly for businesses, government and families.
In-store medical clinics like those at Walmart – having established a beachhead with relatively healthy patients looking for convenient, low-cost care for simple problems – are eyeing a bigger prize, the millions of Americans with costly illnesses such as diabetes and heart disease.
Electronic health records reveal how well doctors are providing care. Are their patients receiving recommended preventive services? Have they been given unnecessary care? It’s in the record.
Clinic hopes to provide an alternative care option to the ER for children needing non-emergency medical attention in the evenings, over the weekends and during the holidays.
Komen for the Cure and possible link between breast cancer and BPA. Steering ER regulars to primary care. And health reform will bring a surge in Medicaid patients–which states ready?
How to set up your mobile and online tools so they can help you stay in touch during an emergency or disaster.
LocalHealthGuide is a health news and information web service for Seattle and the Puget Sound Region. We are independent and unaffiliated with any hospital, medical association or insurer. If you have questions or if your group has an upcoming event that you would like us to cover, please let us know by going to our "Contact Us" page and dropping us a note. -- Michael McCarthy, Editor
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Some insurers deny ER coverage to people who have been drinking
Laws in more than half the states permit insurers to deny payment for medical services related to alcohol or drug use. Faced with the prospect of not getting paid for care, some ER personnel sidestep the problem by simply not testing patients’ blood or urine for alcohol.
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