The number of urban and suburban emergency room shut-downs has increased by 27 percent between 1990 and 2009, according to a new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. And even though you think you may be safe because the ER nearest you is still operating, think again: Closures of nearby ERs will undoubtedly affect your own quality of health care. The ERs in communities near newly-closed ERs will see longer waiting times and won’t have enough doctors to handle multiple acute emergencies.
Led by Dr. Renee Hsia, assistant professor of emergency medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, the study finds that the reason some of these ERs are closing their doors is simply because they’re not making enough money. This can be partially attributed to the fact that many are serving too many patients who fall below the poverty line and use Medicaid, a less generous insurance program.
Due to the increased shortage of ERs, overcrowding in existing urgent care facilities is now an inevitable outcome. According to Dr. David H. Newman, associate professor of emergency medicine at the Mt. Sinai School of Medicine, death rates will increase and heart attack patients will be treated more slowly due to an excess in patient load.
ACSH's Dr. Gilbert Ross adds, “Clearly, this will lead to decreased quality of patient care.”
