| Care Review | | | | with daily routines, the ER may be the last place |
| The older the American demographic grows, the | | | | to turn to. Through the stock market crash, the |
| need for Emergency and Urgent care also grows. | | | | housing bust, and record breaking unemployment |
| The present physician deficiency in the U.S. is | | | | records, emergency rooms and Urgent Care |
| expected to get worse over time. Other issues | | | | clinics are filling up faster than ever. |
| are amplifying this shortage as well, including the | | | | Baby Boomers in the ER |
| shrinking economy and the recent signed into law | | | | Another factor in the uprising of Urgent Care |
| health care reform. As is the case elsewhere in | | | | incidents in the United States is in response to |
| the country, Emergency Medicine in Texas is | | | | another socioeconomic group that cannot be |
| going through many of the same hardships as | | | | ignored. The baby boomers will account for an |
| other specialties. For many of the 2500+ Texas | | | | enormous increase of the 65 and older |
| emergency doctors the future is uncertain. Of | | | | demographic. This group statistically requires |
| those twenty five hundred plus physicians, 2316 | | | | considerably more assets, personnel, specialists, |
| are M.D.'s and 323 are D.O.'s. While there may be | | | | and physician care. They need hospital and |
| some differences in training, both M.D.'s and D.O.'s | | | | Emergency services more and more often than |
| are equally accredited and eligible to become an | | | | any other age group. |
| Emergency Medicine physician. An Emergency | | | | Can Health Care Reform Solve ER problems? |
| Medicine physician typically has at least 10-12 | | | | Whether the health reform will crush us or not is |
| years of education including a bachelors degree | | | | neither here nor there. Although it has voted on |
| (undergraduate) in a health related or science | | | | and been signed into law, the key changes are |
| related field, a medical doctorate (graduate, M.D. | | | | not set to go into full effect until 2014. The |
| or D.O.), and an accredited Emergency Medicine | | | | repercussions of this reform may not be fully |
| residency (post-graduate). | | | | understood for a while after that. Emergency & |
| | | | Urgent Care facilities overcrowding is a serious |
| According to a media release by the Medicare | | | | problem, given the raising number of elderly |
| Payment Advisory Commission, Urgent care | | | | patients, uninsured patients, and underinsured |
| physicians will have ample of work to be had | | | | patients. If the health insurance reform doesn't |
| from Medicare, but they may not choose it. | | | | resolve the problems it promises, then the |
| Medicare offers lower fees than private insurance | | | | tribulations cannot be anticipated to get better. |
| so Primary Care physicians are less likely to take | | | | Emergency room overcrowding is no unforseen |
| on new Medicaid patients. As a result, up to a | | | | problem. What the health reform should address is |
| third of all Medicare patients may not be able to | | | | the loss of ER facilities. Between 1993 and 2003, |
| find a Primary Care physician at all and may be | | | | the continental United States lost over 400 |
| turning to Emergency medicine care as a last | | | | Emergency Medicine facilities. What can uninsured |
| alternative. | | | | patients do? Besides hoping that an ambulance |
| Some geographic areas are hit harder than others | | | | can get them or their loved ones to the nearest |
| by these these figures, such as Arizona. In some | | | | ER institution in time, they can't do much other |
| areas of the sandy state, Primary Care | | | | than just that, hope.. In that same time frame, ER |
| physician-to-citizen ratio is less than 6 doctors per | | | | visits dramatically increased by over 25%. |
| 10k people, according to a study by St. Lukes. | | | | Physicians in these situations will without a doubt |
| The result of many more individuals not having | | | | have their caseload cut out for them. |
| access to general care will be an amplified use of | | | | Even with the health reform conclusively passed |
| Emergency Room and Urgent Care E.R.'s. | | | | into effect its outcome on our health insurance |
| Naturally, Emergency and Urgent Care physicians | | | | programs is not known. By 2014 their will be an |
| are going to have their caseloads full if this trend | | | | expansion in the induction into healthcare |
| goes without a solution for much longer. | | | | programs. This exansion when, combined with the |
| Weakened Economy results in Crowded Clinics | | | | long term aging of the population, should push |
| As the failing economy runs its path; many | | | | demand for services and therefore cost higher. |
| patients are without available and affordable health | | | | However, no one yet knows what will happen to |
| benefits. Insurance policies are being terminated at | | | | remuneration rates from Medicare and this new |
| an astonishing rate, and citizens receiving COBRA | | | | program. The doubt is will there be rate a cut of |
| policies are also running out of options. With the | | | | reimbursement rates for different specialties by |
| axe coming down on inexpensive healthcare, | | | | Medicare and this new program that may |
| many individuals have determined they must do | | | | conversely become a factor decreasing the |
| without appropriate preventative doctor visits. As | | | | earnings of all specialties including Emergency |
| you might ascertain, when the level of the issue | | | | Medicine & Urgent Care, and related specialties / |
| can no longer be ignored with rest and over the | | | | subspecialties. |
| counter remedies, and starts to intensely interfere | | | | |