The crap we deal with
I found a link in a comments thread over at MDOD (thanks Brian and Jennifer). Go check out this news story about the abuse of the EMS system in Cleveland.
I'm not in Cleveland, but I swear I've seen every single one of those patients.
And I doubt if even 1/10th of the ER abusers call EMS. So multiply the BS by at least 10 and there's a night in my world.
Jeez. No wonder I don't have a soul. It's been sucked out by the losers and freaks.
6 comments:
My blood is boiling. I see a zillion of those patients every day. It makes me insane. Two highlights I loved:
The woman who called EMS for a "panic attack" and then just wanted a prescription refill. Quoth she:"I been outta my medications for like a YEAR now...they didn't do anything for me...they didn't even SEE me."
And the EMS director guy who said he thought that the non-sick patients that EMS transports "might not" have any other access to medical treatment. EMS is not community outreach. Start another program for that. Seriously.
"And I doubt if even 1/10th of the ER abusers call EMS. So multiply the BS by at least 10 and there's a night in my world."
It's about the same. We're just farming 'em out among 10 different hospitals and nursing homes, or getting refusals (which we have to document just as much or more than a transport).
There were many nights when it seemed all I did was drive the big orange and white taxi.
What's lamer than lame in my state (maybe all states, who knows) is Medical Assistance patients (those who abuse the EMS system the most, if not nearly exclusively) have access to STATE-FUNDED FREE TRANSPORTATION to and from the hospital. All they do is call a 1-800 number and POOF! your cab appears to pick you up to your "appointment." But then they miss the drama of the stretcher transfer for their boil.
Holy cow, nurse k, you mean where you live that the "poor and underprivileged with way too many kids" not only gets medicaid, they can get taxis on a whim (not the ones with light/sirens--like a real taxi?) You have got to be kidding me. Can they get this "state funded free transportation" to a freakin' job?
I don't think that even our state (where the medicaid is TRULY OUT OF %^&*$&*(% control!!!!!!!) supplies what you described. I'm impressed...I don't imagine you want to share from what lovely state you hail?
Ok, so this week, myself and a doc are going to be called to the carpet for Medicare fraud/abuse. We sent a 91yof home by EMS at 0300 a couple of days ago. Whatever...an extra 200.00 to the taxpayers (after the hundreds of thousands we are already spending on her, I don't think is going to break the bank...)
I watched that video and it is absolutely absurd! And who the hell is that man taking up for this practice of making ems in to taxis? RIDICULOUS!
I think during the daytime, they can have a medivan pick them up (or something like that), and after-hours they get a taxicab. Note that this is not only for disabled people!
Our hospital's ER spent over $12,000 in cab vouchers last year too ($705 in cab rides per bed). I rarely give these out! I usually give them out to people who don't ask for them, for instance, I gave one to a physically abused woman who'd escaped her boyfriend to come to the ER (on foot) for her injuries in order to arrive at a woman's shelter in the middle of the night. THAT'S a good reason to give a cab voucher, and she didn't even ask for one.
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