Choosing Better
The above is an ad from the UK. They pound their population to make sure they get the right care and also save the system money. I agree with this author from the Boston Globe who thinks it should be done here as well. That being said, I am sure we can put some funnier things in the bubbles above to lighten the mood. For example, how about “I wonder if my third pregnancy test will come up positive?”. Or, “I sure could use some narcotics to sell on the street”. Give me some more! I know you guys out there have seen more patients than this “doc in training” who wrote the Globe piece.
It does look like the EDs are mostly urgent care centers, so why not split out an urgent care department and quickly triage incoming patients to the appropriate department?
You don’t even need to name this new place, just send non urgents through door number one, and urgents to door number 2? And maybe the kiddies go to door number 3 with a special ped’s department.
Shouldn’t have to staff up, same patients, same staff, just a different way of handling them.
Oh, how about putting Interns and medical students in the urgent care area, might make it a bit of a disincentive to go there vs your own PCP… 😛
“My primary care doctor quit” (Should not have wanted more government in medicine)
“As long as I’m here, I want my three sticky and loud children to be checked out too” (Should have been sterilized after the first one she couldn’t afford)
“I haven’t filled my prescription that I was given last night, and I still don’t feel any better” (Should be given permanent [mental] disability, or seek work as a TSA agent)
“I haven’t moved my bowels in 24 hours, and even though I don’t have any symptoms, I have Medicare, so I thought you’d want to check me out” (Is about to experience the joys of a full bottle of Mag Citrate)