Are You "Emergency Room Happy"?

[mjkacmom]

Maybe it's because we live in a small town but my DH (family practice) does stitches and casts in his office.

LOL - maybe it is. I live in the NYC meto area, and brought my dd to the pediatrician, because her earlobe was infected, and the ear ring was stuck. She told me to go to the ER, so they could numb it up and remove it.

 

[Chuck S]

This is a little off topic, but one of my pet peeves is they almost force you to see a doctor for any little thing these days, which complicates our health care system.

For instance, I got something in my eye, I went to the pharmacy and asked for some boric acid to make an eye wash. Nope, don't carry it. Ordered it, and they can not get it. Had to buy a commercial eye wash with preservatives and other additives I didn't want.

Same thing with calcium hydroxide, can't get that any more, either. It is a mild antacid, and works great when you get those acid sores in your mouth.

Both were cheap, and they worked. Now you have to buy expensive commercially made products that either have additional (and unnecessary) ingredients, or cost literally 10 to 100 times as much.

 

[mariolatry]

It's interesting to hear the differences in what's available in doctor's offices; some can get same-day appointments, some can't. Some do sutures/X-rays/blood tests in office, some don't. Some have urgent care centers, some don't. Someone got a strep culture at a drug store for Heaven's sake. Some ERs are receptive to people no matter what they come in for, some aren't.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

It's interesting to hear the differences in what's available in doctor's offices; some can get same-day appointments, some can't. Some do sutures/X-rays/blood tests in office, some don't. Some have urgent care centers, some don't. Someone got a strep culture at a drug store for Heaven's sake. Some ERs are receptive to people no matter what they come in for, some aren't.

For clairty--they got it at a clinic set up in a drug store that is operated by a nurse (I believe it is a nurse). Probably an RN, but again not sure. But it is a clinic within the drug store.

Not like they went to the pharmacist for a swab.

 

[iwrbnd]

I just want to chime in and say this thread is spurring me on to find out if the Urgent Care Clinic in our area is open 24/7. I don't think it is, but I need to find out, and I want to find out days of the week, exact hours, etc. I would ALWAYS choose to go to any place but the ER if I could reasonably do so (Let's see... the co-pay, the wait time...)

I will say that the whole $200 co-pay or whatever it is that you have is a GREAT motivator for not going to the ER unless you really need to! That is, after all, why they make the co-pay so high (at least I assume that is why.) I'm not saying I like that $200 bill if I DO have to visit the ER... I'm just saying that it is an effective deterrent!

I agree about the $ being a great deterrent! It's what keeps me out of there! And for me I think it works way too well! When my son had pneumonia I thought it was the flu so tried treating him at home. Well, on Sunday he ran a fever of 106! While my DH was running him to the ER I thought "This is going to be a very expensive flu!" I was a young naive mom that should have been more concerned! I would completely freak out now if one of my kids had that fever!!!) He ended up having serious pneumonia with the beginning of sepsis! So, I guess on that one I tried to save money a little too much!

The other day I had an appt. w/a mom at work. She said she had her son in the ER that weekend and was mad because she waited so long she left. I figured it couldn't have been that bad since she left the ER and the child was already back in school and it was only Monday. So I said "Well, look on the bright side and think of all the money you saved!" She got really quiet and confused and then I realized...oops, she's on Medicaid! Maybe she needed a little more deterrant like we have!

 

[luvmarypoppins]

Our urgent care clinic does not set broken bones, they did an x ray on me and sent me to the er, they did call ahead and spoke to the dr. on call etc.

Our ins. makes us pay between $20-$30 co pay for urgent care and nothing for er visit even if you are not admitted, so its more beneficial for us to go to the er anyway.

I went to the er last march, I ended up having emergency surgery at 1am.

My pcp made me go to the er another time and I had to have an imemdiate blood transfusion. After they hooked me up and watched me the required 15 min. they were more concerned with counting the drunk guys money with a witness and giving it to the security person etc.

At one time, I admit, I WAS "ER Happy" but with ds. The allergist refused to give us a nebulizer machine for at home that we could use during his asthma attacks.. After I broke my leg and begged him for the machine telling him I couldnt take ds to the er as I couldnt drive etc. We finally got one. I dont know what his problem was.

When they were younger I only took them for broken bones which we all pretty much knew were broken.

 

[iwrbnd]

LOL - maybe it is. I live in the NYC meto area, and brought my dd to the pediatrician, because her earlobe was infected, and the ear ring was stuck. She told me to go to the ER, so they could numb it up and remove it.

Must be! His clinic would have numbed up the ear and removed that thing, too! They've got a lab and xrays there, too. I thought all clinics were like that. They do both regular apps and urgent care. Each doc has one day a week to see all urgent care appts. Those are the ones that call that day and need to be seen. Up until a few months ago the clinic was open on Saturdays, too. They did that only for patient convenience so when a local urgent care opened up on weekends they stopped doing it. If patients want it back they'll open it up again. It's interesting to see how other doctors practice across the country! I also wonder if docs here in our small town charge less because let me tell you the rich doctor world everyone talks about is sure not our reality!!! We are very middle class!

 

[rie'smom]

Last weekend I was at home alone when I started having chest pains,jaw pains, and chest pressure. The hospital is about 1 mile from my house, so I drove myself. The clinic is 3 miles away. I had a work up and the doctor said it was a combination of having pulled something from having been so sick with a stomach virus a few days before amd an arrythmia. I was embarrassed but he told me to NEVER ignore these symptoms. He did say though that there are some people who use the emergency room as their primary health care clinic.

 

[tammymacb]

Your attitude is pretty sad.

Really? Well take a walk in my shoes for a weekend and get back to me on that one.

I see many very sick people who need help. I see "more" people who ( if they had to even pay a $10 dollar copay ) would not go to the ER. But since they don't have to pay, they go to ER for everything.

More than once a day I triage a patient and ask " Who's your doctor?" and their response is "Dr X" ( who's an ER doctor and doesn't have patients...but this patient sees them every week.....)

I also see drunks, psych patients who hit, kick, bite, spit....I've been threatened, charged and puked/crapped on. And we don't have a psych ward so we hold these patients for days until we can move them.

I take sad of old, sick dying patients who are on hospice and terminal, but the nursing home doesn't want to deal with the death paperwork so they send them to the ER even though they're a DNR.

So, sorry about the attitude. But, it's not so much rosey.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Really? Well take a walk in my shoes for a weekend and get back to me on that one.

I see many very sick people who need help. I see "more" people who ( if they had to even pay a $10 dollar copay ) would not go to the ER. But since they don't have to pay, they go to ER for everything.

More than once a day I triage a patient and ask " Who's your doctor?" and their response is "Dr X" ( who's an ER doctor and doesn't have patients...but this patient sees them every week.....)

I also see drunks, psych patients who hit, kick, bite, spit....I've been threatened, charged and puked/crapped on. And we don't have a psych ward so we hold these patients for days until we can move them.

I take sad of old, sick dying patients who are on hospice and terminal, but the nursing home doesn't want to deal with the death paperwork so they send them to the ER even though they're a DNR.

So, sorry about the attitude. But, it's not so much rosey.

To have such a negative attitude of patients and call them dumb...why would you remain n the profession.

Folks don't present to the ER for such judgment. Being afraid of caregivers like you and your opinions is why I get concerned that I'm going in for something "stupid'.

My last concern should be on whether or not the caregivers are going to gosspi about my stupidity on a message board.

Calling them dumb was not very nice.

 

[tammymacb]

Lots of things aren't very nice. However, they are reality. I didn't say that "Everyone I care for is dumb" I said I take care of a lot of dumb patients. And I stand by the statement. If you don't have to deal with dumb people in your profession, consider yourself lucky, because often they're not only dumb, but they're dumb AND annoying.

Why do I continue doing what I do? Well, I also took care of 3 acute MIs this week ( including one who had coded - was dead on arrival ) and got them all to the cath lab. The code was pretty young ( early 60s ) and we got his heart beating again and he got his arteries cleaned up and is alive and will be discharged. I also took care of a very nice man in the middle of a HUGE stroke, who I facilitated going to another facility were they will do a new procedure on him ( he'd passed the 3 hour window for us to treat him by arrival ) that may save his life and keep him from being perminantly handicapped. I also took care of several people who had ligitimate heart, lung, kidney issues etc etc that needed help. And those are who I go to work for.

Or maybe, you'd rather see people all rosey who don't have my 20 years of experience and have the ability to speak their mind?

 

[MushyMushy]

Lots of things aren't very nice. However, they are reality. I didn't say that "Everyone I care for is dumb" I said I take care of a lot of dumb patients. And I stand by the statement. If you don't have to deal with dumb people in your profession, consider yourself lucky, because often they're not only dumb, but they're dumb AND annoying.

Why do I continue doing what I do? Well, I also took care of 3 acute MIs this week ( including one who had coded - was dead on arrival ) and got them all to the cath lab. The code was pretty young ( early 60s ) and we got his heart beating again and he got his arteries cleaned up and is alive and will be discharged. I also took care of a very nice man in the middle of a HUGE stroke, who I facilitated going to another facility were they will do a new procedure on him ( he'd passed the 3 hour window for us to treat him by arrival ) that may save his life and keep him from being perminantly handicapped. I also took care of several people who had ligitimate heart, lung, kidney issues etc etc that needed help. And those are who I go to work for.

Or maybe, you'd rather see people all rosey who don't have my 20 years of experience and have the ability to speak their mind?

I can't speak for the other posters, but I'm really taken aback by your hostility. There's just a lack of professionalism in the way you're speaking. My mother was an RN for 40 years and I never once heard her speak that way about patients. Ever. And believe me, my mother was as far from being a rosy human being as you can possibly be.

 

[Acklander]

Lots of things aren't very nice. However, they are reality. I didn't say that "Everyone I care for is dumb" I said I take care of a lot of dumb patients. And I stand by the statement. If you don't have to deal with dumb people in your profession, consider yourself lucky, because often they're not only dumb, but they're dumb AND annoying.

Sorry to repeat, but can't help myself. Wow......

 

[Muushka]

I hope something good will come from a thread like this. Planning comes to mind. Don't wait until you are sick or injured to find out what your options are. Do your homework now and be ready for it when it comes. A trip to the ER is not only expensive, it is also a very unpleasant experience. Given my choice, I would never go to an ER again in my life!

Really? Well take a walk in my shoes for a weekend and get back to me on that one.

I see many very sick people who need help. I see "more" people who ( if they had to even pay a $10 dollar copay ) would not go to the ER. But since they don't have to pay, they go to ER for everything.

More than once a day I triage a patient and ask " Who's your doctor?" and their response is "Dr X" ( who's an ER doctor and doesn't have patients...but this patient sees them every week.....)

I also see drunks, psych patients who hit, kick, bite, spit....I've been threatened, charged and puked/crapped on. And we don't have a psych ward so we hold these patients for days until we can move them.

I take sad of old, sick dying patients who are on hospice and terminal, but the nursing home doesn't want to deal with the death paperwork so they send them to the ER even though they're a DNR.

So, sorry about the attitude. But, it's not so much rosey.

Tammy, I understand where you are coming from. Your words may sound harsh to those who have never worked with patients. But in reality, I am grateful for people like you who are willing to take the bad with the good. And I am certain that your feelings are not made evident to the patients. I know that during my 30+ years in the medical profession, I needed to vent every now and again. Otherwise I never would have stayed in it!

 

[Aisling]

I can't speak for the other posters, but I'm really taken aback by your hostility. There's just a lack of professionalism in the way you're speaking. My mother was an RN for 40 years and I never once heard her speak that way about patients. Ever. And believe me, my mother was as far from being a rosy human being as you can possibly be.

I can understand the poster's frustration. And I'd bet she doesn't take it out on the patients. But when there are truly sick and injured people waiting to see a doctor for an emergency and the staff is busy with people who use the ER for a stubbed toe or drunken sick stomach, it gets to you.

 

[tammymacb]

I can understand the poster's frustration. And I'd bet she doesn't take it out on the patients. But when there are truly sick and injured people waiting to see a doctor for an emergency and the staff is busy with people who use the ER for a stubbed toe or drunken sick stomach, it gets to you.

You're 100% correct and that's about all I'm going to say on the subject. I've had letters written to management thanking me for excellent care, and I've ONCE in 20 years been called to my manager about a complaint. Not a bad record.

But, when we had a nothingburger complaining IN THE ROOM ACROSS THE HALL FROM OUR CODE that it was taking too long to see a doctor....Ugh

 

[dis-happy]

The "Ugh Stop Telling Me How To Parent" thread got me thinking about people who go to the emergency room for every little thing.

IMO, unless you are going to die or there are NO clinics around, you don't need the emergency room. Even if it's broken, the clinic can mend it. Last time I was at the clinic at 1am for strep throat, there were TWO kids getting casts on broken arms!

I have a friend whos DD woke up with a painful boil-type cyst on her butt. Her mom drove her 20 minutes to the hospital emergency room, passing MANY clinics on the way.

The day we moved into our house, my mom fell and somehow split open her hand. It was NOT in need of stitches, the bleeding stopped after about a minute, but FOR that minute, my MIL shouted, "Oh my God, oh my God, I can drive you to the emergency room NOW!" Um... but even if she NEEDED stitches, WHY would we pay for an emergency room when the clinic can stitch it up for her $20 co-pay!

My dd fell off her horse and hurt her arm. Everyone thought it was broken, even the trainer. I happily took her to Urgent Care, hoping to get an x-ray, etc. As the intake nurse took my info, as soon as she heard my dd hit her head in the process (wearing a helmet, horse gave a slight kick to her head as it got up...not a big deal with horses, I was only concerned about her arm) anyway, they refused to see us and said we HAD to go the emer. room for a CT scan. I tried to get them to assess the arm but no go, they were insistent re. the ER. Very annoying.

Waited until the next day when ped was open. Ped laughed about the supposed head injury. Gave us an x-ray slip and in the end, the arm wasn't even broken.

 

[iwrbnd]

You're 100% correct and that's about all I'm going to say on the subject. I've had letters written to management thanking me for excellent care, and I've ONCE in 20 years been called to my manager about a complaint. Not a bad record.

But, when we had a nothingburger complaining IN THE ROOM ACROSS THE HALL FROM OUR CODE that it was taking too long to see a doctor....Ugh

I can see your frustration, too. I'm sure you're a wonderful nurse and I thank you for your dedication! I know I complain to my DH about kids and parents (I'm in the teaching profession) but when I'm at work you would never know I feel some of that! It's normal. People can be irritating!

 

[tammymacb]

I can see your frustration, too. I'm sure you're a wonderful nurse and I thank you for your dedication! I know I complain to my DH about kids and parents (I'm in the teaching profession) but when I'm at work you would never know I feel some of that! It's normal. People can be irritating!

Now, my sister is a teacher. I've told her a million times that there's not enough money in the world. I'm not that patient.

 

[iwrbnd]

Now, my sister is a teacher. I've told her a million times that there's not enough money in the world. I'm not that patient.

I agree with you! Sometimes I think that about myself! I suppress so much irritation to exude patience and happiness for students and parents I think someday I'll explode!