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Author Archives: FickleFinger
How Much Is the Nation Spending on ER Care? Wrong Question
Recently, Drs. Lee, Schuur, and Zink published an article in Annals of Emergency Medicine that detailed three different approaches to estimating the percentage of total national health care costs that were expended for emergency department care. The statement in this article that most health care journalists have picked up on is related to the authors’ assertion that spending on ER care could amount to as much as 10% of national health care budget. This clashes significantly with … Continue reading
Finding the Right Role Model in Response to the Boston Bombings
Acts of terrorism in the homeland tend to bring out the best and the worst in us; which makes it all that more important to try to find the right role model to emulate in responding to these major insults to our collective national consciousness. You might think that we should first look to our political leaders, but you have to be selective. Hardly anything politicians say gets me inspired or riled up anymore: I … Continue reading
Posted in Rants, Uncategorized
Tagged Adrianne Haslet, boston bombing, Emergency Care, Senator Ball, torture
1 Comment
‘Choosing Wisely’ Laying the Groundwork for Denial of Coverage
When the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) decided not to join the Choosing Wisely campaign, I was among those who expressed disappointment with this decision, in part because I have long been a proponent of efforts to encourage more cost-effective care in the ED. In fact I had already independently done a significant amount of work in the development of such strategies. I recognized that there were legitimate concerns about participation in this campaign, … Continue reading
The Role of Altruism in Emergency Medicine
Recently I heard Dr. Sanjay Gupta give a talk at the Marin Speaker’s Series. He covered a lot of ground (he is CNN’s most traveled correspondent), and one of the issues he discussed was altruism. He cited a study linking altruism to neural activation of a pleasure center in the brain. This study substantiated his belief that altruism was a fundamental attribute of human nature, something he has seen consistently and repeatedly on every continent. … Continue reading
Posted in Rants, The ER Experience
Tagged altruism, altruism in medicine, balance billing, charity care, Emergency Care, emergency medicine, ER co-pays
5 Comments
Will Emergency Physicians be Paid for Performing Ultrasounds ?
For many emergency physicians (EPs) the performance and interpretation of ultrasound examinations on patients in the ED has become an incredibly valuable and often life-saving tool, but until recently most health plans and government payers have balked at paying EPs for these services. Even though the F.A.S.T. ultrasound exam has become a widely used diagnostic modality in the evaluation of major trauma patients in the ED, and ultrasound training has now been incorporated into the … Continue reading