UCDMC limits ER intake By JEFF KATZ / Aggie Staff Writer For those seeking quick medical attention, the emergency room may no longer be a guaranteed option. As of last week, the UC Davis Medical Center implemented a new policy for hospital staff to screen individuals who come into the ER to determine whether they need immediate care. Representatives for the hospital say the change is needed in order to keep space open for actual emergencies and to help stabilize rising operational costs. "Financially, we are getting killed by these non-urgent patients," chief executive officer Bob Chason told The Sacramento Bee in Friday's article, "UCD among hospitals to refuse cases that don't need ER care." "I just don't know how much we can reasonably be expected to keep treating all the walk-ins who really should be going to the county clinics," Chason said. UCDMC will refer patients whose visits are not classified as emergencies to community clinics or other medical treatment facilities. UCDMC physicians reportedly created a system to screen patients along strict medical standards. Officials also say the need to turn away non-urgent cases is necessary after overcrowding in the ER in 2004 caused a decrease in the amount of space available for ambulance patients who required immediate care. Ambulances were instead sent to other area hospitals. But for Anthony Wright, executive director of Health Access California, the ability to turn patients away from the hospital may be a response to rising numbers of uninsured patients and not just an increase in non-emergency cases. "We have particular concerns if the message is being directed to some of the community and not others," Wright said. "There is an ugly history of patient dumping, which is when hospitals literally turned people away from their doors because of lack of insurance, which is something that we still have concerns about." UCDMC physician Robert Derlet told The Sacramento Bee that as long as screening occurs within the set boundaries, turning a patient away when he or she doesn't need immediate medical attention is completely legal. Regardless of the legality, Wright added that Health Access California would rather the hospital take preventative action before patients even come into the ER such as educating the public about the availability of community clinics for non-emergency illnesses. Prioritizing emergency patients but still treating non-urgent cases on site is also a possibility. "We [also] really don't like the notion of sending a signal that if you think it isn't an emergency, then don't go to the emergency room," Wright said. After numerous attempts to contact UCDMC, officials were unable to comment. |