Long hospital wait times can be deadly

[marmar]

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) — Need health care? You might have to take a number.

If you have private, job-based health insurance and need follow-up care for an existing condition, you likely won’t face delays getting in to see a doctor. But no matter what kind of insurance coverage you have, if you have a new health problem or an emergency requiring a hospital or operating room, you may have to wait — dangerously long, in some cases — to be treated.

“Timely access to care is an enormous challenge for our health-care system,” said Dr. Arthur Kellermann, director of Rand Health in Santa Monica, Calif., and an emergency doctor for 20 years. “It’s especially an issue after-hours, nights and weekends.”

“The scheduled follow-up for the average person with private health insurance — we do that OK,” he said. “But the ‘Oh my God, what could this be? I need to see someone’ or ‘I’ve been given a possible diagnosis that’s terrifying,’ we as a system do handle that very poorly, despite the money we’re spending on health care, because we have capacity challenges and challenges getting that person in for an unscheduled visit.” ............(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/long-hospital-wait-times-can-be-deadly-2011-09-07

[Broderick]

1. I have a solution, errr, the NY Times is laying the groundwork I should say

Let's cut doctor pay!!!! :sarcasm:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x1899049