Nation’s Emergency Physicians Laud Emergency Care Provisions in New House Health Care Reform Bill

A Few Sections of the Bill Still Perpetuate an Emergency Myth

Washington, DC — Although many provisions in the new House health care reform bill are supportive of the nation’s emergency patients, the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) today said the bill contains language about reducing unnecessary ER use, perpetuating a pervasive myth that even federal data show are inaccurate.

"The new House bill contains many excellent provisions that will strengthen the nation’s emergency department, including pilot programs to improve emergency care and a focus on crowding and the practice of ‘boarding’ emergency patients in hallways," said Angela Gardner, MD, president of ACEP. "The authorization of an Emergency Care Coordination Center to coordinate emergency medical preparedness and response to disasters is also a critical step in focusing a national spotlight on the issues facing emergency patients. The role of emergency medicine in responding to epidemics and disasters has never been more clear as growing numbers of people have become infected with the H1N1 virus."

The Emergency Coordination Center would be codified under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and include a Council of Emergency Care to provide advice and recommendations. Provisions would also provide funding for emergency preparedness research. The House bill also contains grants to fund trauma centers and pilot programs to improve emergency care.

"The House bill has it right when it says ‘boarding’ is the cause of overcrowding in emergency departments," said Dr. Gardner. "However, there are still places in the bill language that perpetuate the myth that emergency departments are crowded with patients seeking non-urgent care. This is simply not true. The fact is, only 12.1 percent of emergency patients have non-urgent conditions, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention."

Dr. Gardner said ACEP recently conducted an advertising campaign to dispel the myths of emergency medicine:

• Myth: Emergency medical care is expensive and inefficient. Reducing emergency care will decrease our nation's rising health care costs.
   
• Fact: The 120 million annual visits made to emergency departments account for only 3% of all health care spending. In addition, emergency departments are equipped with state-of- the-art diagnostic equipment and highly trained physicians who can draw on many hospital resources quickly, providing coordinated, efficient patient care. The fixed costs of being open 24/7 are high, but the variable costs for seeing patients in the emergency department are the same as anywhere else care is provided.
   
• Myth: Emergency departments are crowded with patients seeking non-urgent care.
   
• Fact: Only 12.1% of emergency patients have non-urgent conditions that could wait 2 to 24 hours for medical care, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). While this percentage may be slightly higher in some hospitals, the reality is that crowded conditions and longer wait times are primarily caused by patients being "boarded," or forced to stay in the emergency department - often on gurneys lining the hallways - long after they have been seen and admitted to the hospital.
   
• Myth: Your local emergency department will always be there when you need it.
   
• Fact: Hundreds of emergency departments have closed nationwide because of an overburdened emergency care system. Those remaining must accommodate an average increase of 3 million more patient visits each year. Every 60 seconds emergency care is delayed when an ambulance is diverted to a distant hospital because a nearer one is unable to accept more patients. In addition, 75% of emergency department directors report significant problems getting needed on-call specialists, such as neurosurgeons and orthopedists, to provide vital on-call services to emergency patients.
   
• Myth: The need for emergency care will decrease when health care reform is enacted.
   
• Fact: With a growing and aging population, our role in providing care to the sick and injured any time day or night, and our front line responsibility in responding to natural and man-made disasters, will be in even greater demand in the future. Since enacting its universal health care legislation, Massachusetts has experienced an increase in emergency department patients. Emergency medicine is an essential community service that is vitally important to our nation's health care system

ACEP is a national medical specialty society representing emergency medicine.  ACEP is committed to advancing emergency care through continuing education, research and public education. Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, ACEP has 53 chapters representing each state, as well as Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia. A Government Services Chapter represents emergency physicians employed by military branches and other government agencies.

###