by Jeffrey I. Kreisberg, PhD
"If you are one of the more than 100 million Americans who visit emergency rooms (ER) at least once a year, you’re not alone.
Americans, insured and not, make ample use of hospital emergency rooms. One out of every five visited an ER at least once in 2007, the latest year for which the National Center for Health Statistics has data. Among the uninsured, 7.4 percent made two or more visits to an ER, but so did 5.1 percent of people with private insurance.
Well if you want to stay safe and receive quality medical care while you’re in the ER, it’s best if you visit the same ER each time.
A report published released recently in the Archives of Internal Medicine and reviewed by Kaiser Health News, showed that nearly one in three Massachusetts adults who made multiple ER trips to separate hospitals — some upwards of five — created a host of dangerous and costly problems because full health information is not always shared between hospitals. The reasons for choosing different facilities varied, sometimes patients moved or changed insurance between visits, while others got transferred between facilities. . . " Read More
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