| ent Care Review | | | | longer be deferred with rest and OTC remedies, |
| The older the American demographic grows, the | | | | and starts to intensely interfere with daily |
| need for Emergency and Emergency care also | | | | activities, the ER may be the only remaining place |
| grows. The present doctor deficiency in the | | | | to turn to. Through the stock market crash, the |
| United States is expected to worsen over time. | | | | housing bust, and record breaking unemployment |
| Other issues are affecting this shortage as well, | | | | records, emergency rooms and Urgent Care |
| including the shrinking economy and the recently | | | | clinics are filling up faster than ever. |
| signed into law health care reform. As is the case | | | | Baby Boomers in the ER |
| elsewhere in the country, Emergency Medicine in | | | | Another issue in the insurgence of Emergency |
| Texas is undergoing many of the same difficulties | | | | Medicine incidents in the United States is due to |
| as other specialties. For many of the 2500+ | | | | another socioeconomic group that cannot be |
| Texas emergency physicians the future is | | | | ignored. The baby boomers will result in an |
| uncertain. Of those two-thousand five hundred | | | | exorbitant increase of the 65 and older |
| plus physicians, 2316 are M.D.'s and 323 are D.O.'s. | | | | demographic. This group statistically requires |
| While there may be some differences in training, | | | | considerably more assets, personnel, specialists, |
| both M.D.'s and D.O.'s are equally accredited and | | | | and physician care. They need hospital and |
| eligible to become an Emergency Medicine | | | | Emergency Medicine services more often than |
| physician. An Emergency Medicine physician | | | | any other age group. |
| typically has at least 10-12 years of education | | | | Can Health Care Reform Solve ER problems? |
| including a B.A. (undergraduate) in a healthcare or | | | | Whether the insurance reform will bankrupt us or |
| science related field, a medical doctorate | | | | not is neither here nor there. Though it has voted |
| (graduate, Alleopathic or Osteopathic), and an | | | | on and been signed into law, the major changes |
| accredited Emergency Medicine residency | | | | are not set to go into full effect until 2014. The |
| (post-graduate). | | | | repercussions of said reform may not be fully |
| Primary Care Deficit leads to Urgent Care | | | | comprehensive for some time after that. |
| Physician shortage | | | | Emergency Medicine institutions overcapacity is a |
| According to a media release by the Medicare | | | | severe problem, given the rising number of |
| Payment Advisory Commission, Emergency | | | | geriatric patients, uninsured patients, and |
| medicine physicians will have a lot of work | | | | underinsured patients. If the health care reform |
| offered from Medicare, but they may not desire | | | | doesn't fix the problems it promises, then the |
| it. Medicare offers lower fees than private | | | | problems cannot be predicted to get better. ER |
| insurance so Primary Care physicians are not as | | | | overcrowding is no unforseen problem. What the |
| likely to take on new Medicaid patients. As an end | | | | insurance reform should tackle is the loss of |
| result, up to a third of all Medicare patients may | | | | emergency room facilities. Between 1993 and |
| not be able to find a General Care doctors at all | | | | 2003, the United States lost over 400 ER facilities. |
| and may in the end be turning to Urgent care | | | | What can uninsured patients do? Besides hoping |
| care as a last resort. | | | | that an ambulance can get them or their loved |
| Some locations are hit in a more pronounced way | | | | ones to a closely located Urgent Care institution in |
| than others by these this information, such as | | | | time, they can't do much other than just that, |
| Arizona. In some areas of the desert state, | | | | hope.. In that same time frame, ER visits |
| Primary Care doctor-to-patient ratio is less than 6 | | | | dramatically increased by over 25%. Physicians in |
| physicians per 10k individuals, according to a study | | | | these predicaments will undeniably have their |
| by St. Lukes. The result of more citizens not | | | | work cut out for them. |
| having access to general care will be an intensified | | | | Even with the health insurance bill after all put into |
| use of Emergency Room and Urgent Care E.R.'s. | | | | effect its consequence 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 | | | | increase in the induction into insurance programs. |
| goes unchecked. | | | | This increase when, combined with the long term |
| Weakened Economy results in Crowded Clinics | | | | aging of the population, should push demand for |
| As the dwindling economy runs its path; many | | | | services and therefore cost higher. However, no |
| individuals are losing available and affordable health | | | | one yet knows what will happen to |
| benefits. Insurance policies are being terminated | | | | reimbursement rates from Medicare and this new |
| due to non-payment at an alarming rate, and | | | | program. The query is will there be rate a cut of |
| citizens receiving (Consolidated Omnibus Budget | | | | reimbursement rates for different specialties by |
| Reconciliation Act) policies are also running out of | | | | Medicare and this new program that may |
| options. With the walls closing on affordable | | | | conversely become a factor decreasing the |
| healthcare, many people have resolved they must | | | | wages of all specialties including Emergency |
| do without good preventative care. As you might | | | | Medicine, and related specialties / subspecialties. |
| expect, when the level of the malady can no | | | | |