| Urgent Care Review | | | | with rest and over the counter remedies, and |
| As the citizens of the US get older, the need for | | | | starts to intensely interfere with daily activities, |
| Emergency and Urgent care also grows. The | | | | the ER may be the final place to turn to. Through |
| existing doctor deficiency in the U.S. is expected | | | | the stock market crash, the housing bust, and |
| to get worse over time. Other issues are | | | | record breaking unemployment records, |
| affecting this shortage as well, including the | | | | emergency rooms and Urgent Care clinics are |
| dwindling economy and the recently signed into | | | | filling up faster than ever. |
| law health care reform. As is the case elsewhere | | | | Baby Boomers in the ER |
| in the country, Emergency Medicine in Texas is | | | | Another factor in the intensification of Emergency |
| experiencing many of the same challenges as | | | | Medicine cases in the United States is due to |
| other specialties. For many of the 2500+ Texas | | | | another socioeconomic group that cannot be |
| emergency doctors the future is uncertain. Of | | | | ignored. The baby boomers will account for an |
| those twenty five hundred plus physicians, 2316 | | | | exorbitant increase of the 65 and older |
| are M.D.'s and 323 are D.O.'s. While there may be | | | | demographic. This group statistically requires |
| some differences in training, both M.D.'s and D.O.'s | | | | considerably more assets, personnel, specialists, |
| are equally accredited and eligible to become an | | | | and physician care. They need hospital and |
| Emergency Medicine physician. An Emergency | | | | Emergency room services more often than any |
| Medicine physician typically has at least 10-12 | | | | other age group. |
| years of education including a B.A. (undergraduate) | | | | Can Health Care Reform Solve ER problems? |
| in a health related or science related field, a | | | | Whether the health reform will decimate us or not |
| medical doctorate (graduate, M.D. or D.O.), and an | | | | is neither here nor there. Even though it has |
| accredited Emergency Medicine residency | | | | voted on and been signed into law, the major |
| (post-graduate). | | | | changes are not set to go into full effect until |
| Primary Care Deficit leads to Emergency Physician | | | | 2014. The repercussions of said reform may not |
| shortage | | | | be fully comprehensive for some time after that. |
| According to a press release by the Medicare | | | | Emergency Medicine clinics overcapacity is a |
| Payment Advisory Commission, Urgent care | | | | major problem, given the raising number of |
| doctors will have ample of work accessible from | | | | geriatric patients, uninsured patients, and |
| Medicare, but they may not desire it. Medicare | | | | underinsured patients. If the insurance coverage |
| remunerates less than desirable fees than private | | | | reform doesn't address the problems it promises, |
| insurance so General Care physicians are much | | | | then the troubles cannot be expected to get |
| less likely to take on new Medicaid individuals. As a | | | | better. Emergency room overcrowding is no new |
| consequence, up to a third of all Medicare patients | | | | matter. What the healthcare reform should tackle |
| may not be able to find a Primary Care physician | | | | is the loss of emergency room facilities. Between |
| at all and may ultimately turning to Emergency | | | | 1993 and 2003, the US lost over 400 ER facilities. |
| care care as a last resort. | | | | What can uninsured patients do? Besides hoping |
| Some locations are hit harder than others by | | | | that an ambulance can get them or their loved |
| these these figures, such as Arizona. In some | | | | ones to an Emergency room facility in time, they |
| areas of the sandy state, Primary Care | | | | can't do much other than just that, hope.. In that |
| doctor-to-patient ratio is less than 6 physicians per | | | | same period, Urgent Care Clinic visits greatly |
| ten thousand residents, according to a study by | | | | increased by over twenty five percent. Physicians |
| St. Lukes. The result of many more individuals not | | | | in these scenarios will without a doubt have their |
| having access to primary care will be an intensified | | | | workload cut out for them. |
| use of Emergency Room and Urgent Care E.R.'s. | | | | Even with the health insurance bill after all passed |
| Naturally, Emergency and Urgent Care physicians | | | | into law its effect on our health insurance |
| are going to have their caseloads full if this trend | | | | programs is not known. By 2014 their will be an |
| is not dealt with. | | | | expansion in the induction into health insurance |
| Weakened Economy results in Crowded Clinics | | | | programs. This rise when, combined with the long |
| As the declining economy runs its course; many | | | | term aging of the population, should push demand |
| of the working to lower class are without | | | | for services and therefore cost higher. However, |
| availability and affordability to health benefits. | | | | no one yet knows what will happen to |
| Insurance policies are being terminated at an rapid | | | | recompense rates from Medicare and this new |
| rate, and citizens receiving (Consolidated Omnibus | | | | program. The question is will there be rate a cut |
| Budget Reconciliation Act) policies are also running | | | | of reimbursement rates for different specialties |
| out of options. With time running out on | | | | by Medicare and this new program that may |
| reasonable healthcare, many individuals have | | | | conversely become a issue decreasing the wages |
| decided they must do without good preventative | | | | of all specialties including Urgent Care, and related |
| doctor visits. As you might predict, when the | | | | specialties / subspecialties. |
| intensity of the issue can no longer be ignored | | | | |