Tag Archives: health policy

Freestanding ERs confuse patients — especially when they get the bill

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So, when you think of an emergency room, you probably picture the part of a hospital where ambulances bring people who need immediate, life-saving measures.

You probably don’t picture a small facility in a strip mall “next to a nail place.” That’s something altogether different, isn’t it? Like an urgent care, perhaps.

Not according to the bill.

Freestanding emergency rooms are popping up all over the country. While many of them are operated by hospitals, some are operated by independent companies, including the largest provider, Adeptus Health. Some sticker-shocked patients complained in a lawsuit.

The suit targets Adeptus Health, the largest provider of freestanding ERs in the country, claiming that Adeptus “actively conceals its billing practices” and operates a business model meant to “trick patients into believing that its centers are appropriate for non-emergent care for the purpose of extracting extravagant fees.”

— NBC News, 4/25/2017

The lawsuit might be a moot point. According to The Dallas Morning News, Adeptus Health filed for bankruptcy in April. Even without Adeptus Health in the picture, many freestanding emergency rooms will continue to operate.

What about EMTALA?

There’s another significant way in which freestanding emergency rooms can differ from hospital emergency rooms. The federal Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA) does not apply to them, meaning federal law doesn’t require them to accept all patients regardless of ability to pay. Some states have passed EMTALA-like laws for freestanding emergency rooms, but some have not.

So, are these facilities really emergency rooms, or are they merely urgent care facilities gouging non-emergent patients with ER-like prices? It’s an important reminder to be really sure about the level of care you are seeking before you receive it…or else you could pay a hefty price.

 

Public health is health care too

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When people normally think of health policy, the first thing that comes to mind is health insurance reform like the Affordable Care Act.

But health status isn’t just about access to insurance, doctors, drugs and hospitals, it’s also about the environment where we all live. That means factoring in the health effects of air quality, water quality, urban planning, transportation (is it safe to walk or bicycle instead of driving?), public safety, nutrition and sanitation.

Now that’s holistic medicine.

Why YOU should care about health policy

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First of all, I’d like to welcome you to my new blog site devoted solely to health policy. I’m currently a graduate student in health administration, and I’ve also spent years working in the health care industry in areas ranging from revenue cycle management to health insurance to my current job in the public health / information technology world. There are a lot of people out there who know more than I do about these things, and a lot has been written over the years. But I’ve picked up a thing or two myself, and I’d like to share.

But isn’t this topic something that should be left in the halls of academia instead of subjecting poor, unsuspecting readers like you to jargon like “Quality-Adjusted Life Years” and “Adverse Selection Death Spiral?”

I mean, why should academics and graduate students be the only ones who have to be bored by this? I say, “Share the misery.”

But seriously. I’m writing about this topic because I sincerely believe you need to read about it. And it doesn’t really matter who YOU are. Because no matter what we study in school, no matter what we do for a living, we’re all a part of this system. We all will receive health care at some point in our lives. Plus, some of us vote, and there’s no more contentious political issue today than reforming our health care system.

We all have a stake in what happens, and the more we know, the better off we’ll all  be. So let’s get started.