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I worked as an ER nurse for years in many hospitals throughout Oregon and it bacame increasingly difficult as it was obvious we had and still have a broken healthcare system. As a result the ER became the safety net for all our uninsured and underinsured people. With over 45 million people uninsured and a lack of providers who are accepting these patients as well as patients on Medicaid and Medicare the ER has become the primary care provider for a lot of people. As was mentioned on the program this is a very costly and inefficent way to provide priamry care. Another problem is that these people with chronic conditions do not seek ongoing care as they do not have access and so they end up in the ER with exacerbations of these conditions costing the system a lot more money than it would have taken to prevent the exacerbation in the first place and resulting in poorer outcomes for the patient involved.

posted 4 years, 5 months ago
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The results of this study are surprising to me in one way as Oregon is one of only 8 states that have a credentilled trauma system. Although hospital ERs will receive trauma patients whether a hospital is a designated trauma center or not, having a credentialled system in place means that there are the resources and the communication systems in place to get these patients stabilized and then transported to an appropriate facility where they will receive the best care for their acuity level. The survival rates for trauma patients cared for in a trauma center are so much better than for those treated in regular ERS without trauma resources.

posted 4 years, 5 months ago
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