My BIGGEST pet peeves
- Thread starter Sasha
- Start date
Totally true. And in those instances the insurance will pay back their full amount of their normal reimbursement, as well as the transfer costs. But if someone goes to the ER for 'flu like symptoms' which get's dx'd as PNA so the DR keeps them over night for IV meds. Especially if it's Kaiser, they will want to get them to their own hospital. Thankfully kaiser will pay for everything. But many ER's will require a transport to a direct admit to the insurances hospital.
Edit: Maybe we should venture into a new thread? I have a feeling I've seen EMS: Healthcare Vs. Customer Service before somewhere around here ... Hm.
OP
OP
Sasha
Forum Chief
- 7,667
- 11
- 0
Yeah you have worked for ONE company. You have a small snapshot of ems and you do not speak for the system as a whole. Some places have one truck for their entire county
Sent from LuLu using Tapatalk
fma08
Forum Asst. Chief
- 833
- 2
- 18
Shishkabob
Forum Chief
- 8,264
- 32
- 48
Not to mention seeing his location my money is on his agency doesn't do 911, therefor it's a non-issue to be level zero for hours on end as no one has the potential of having a bad outcome because of a delayed response.
Last edited by a moderator:
OP
OP
Sasha
Forum Chief
- 7,667
- 11
- 0
Shishkabob
Forum Chief
- 8,264
- 32
- 48
While true, are there also not other transfer agencies in the area?
When I worked at AMR and a time sensitive call came in to which we couldn't make it in reasonable time, dispatch would call another transfer company to take the call.
Plus the patient is already receiving medical care, as opposed to a 911 response where they most likely aren't.
JPINFV
Gadfly
- 12,681
- 197
- 63
Not all hospitals are 30 minutes or further away. Heck, I grew up within 5 minutes of 3 separate hospitals.
Shishkabob
Forum Chief
- 8,264
- 32
- 48
Again, which is why this is a non-issue for urban providers.
I have 30ish minute transports to a couple of hospitals that can handle most complaints.
Most patients want to go to hospitals over an hour away... even though they are affiliated with the hospitals that are closer. If we transport to Dallas or Tyler, you're taking a truck out of service for a minimum for 3 hours... 3 hours for a single call that is non-critical and could have taken a POV.
I will run calls all day without issue, it's not a problem of 'being lazy'. However, asking resources to be taken out of service for that length of time for no change in benefit for the patient is ridiculous.
Last edited by a moderator:
JPINFV
Gadfly
- 12,681
- 197
- 63
Once the medical screening exam is complete and no "emergent" condition exists, then those are one in the same.
...and what about the vast majority of patients who do not need a specialty center?
...and you keep on saying 1 hour plus, which is not always the case either.
JPINFV
Gadfly
- 12,681
- 197
- 63
That's an issue (maximum time one way) that needs to be set up by the system administrators or 911 contract and not something decided on an ad hoc basis by field providers.
I'm not trying to come across as a jerk and I can see how I did. I see all of your points and I understand that not every company is the same. I think we can all agree that there needs to be a time when you draw the line where we try our best to meet the expectations of the patient, and make the best judgement based on availability of ambulances and higher priority calls in the area.
I do believe that EMS is a customer based service, that is my opinion. I feel that meeting and exceeding the expectations of patients not only makes a happy patient, but also generates positive reviews and attitudes towards the company you work for. Can you satisfy every request that a patient has? No. Can you try to do everything you can to make your patient happy while doing what's best for your co-workers and city? Yes.
Some ambulance companies have more ambulances than others, some have less. Some ambulance companies have contracts with fire and some don't. It's a situation to situation based thing. There are many factors that would play into what hospital you would take a patient to. A patient showing signs and symptoms of an MI is not going to go to a hospital further than the closest one. Sorry to everyone for sounding ignorant. Must have been having a bad day!
Peace & Love
I do believe that EMS is a customer based service, that is my opinion. I feel that meeting and exceeding the expectations of patients not only makes a happy patient, but also generates positive reviews and attitudes towards the company you work for. Can you satisfy every request that a patient has? No. Can you try to do everything you can to make your patient happy while doing what's best for your co-workers and city? Yes.
Some ambulance companies have more ambulances than others, some have less. Some ambulance companies have contracts with fire and some don't. It's a situation to situation based thing. There are many factors that would play into what hospital you would take a patient to. A patient showing signs and symptoms of an MI is not going to go to a hospital further than the closest one. Sorry to everyone for sounding ignorant. Must have been having a bad day!
Peace & Love
Last edited by a moderator:
OP
OP
Sasha
Forum Chief
- 7,667
- 11
- 0
Not sure where you work but i dont have customers, i have patients.
Sent from LuLu using Tapatalk
Sent from LuLu using Tapatalk
JPINFV
Gadfly
- 12,681
- 197
- 63
However not all companies are going to do that nor are they going to do that for all calls that have potentials to be an "emergency." Additionally, using that logic, provided all of the calls holding are low grade calls under EMD, what's the problem with being at level 0 under the same reasoning?
JPINFV
Gadfly
- 12,681
- 197
- 63
Sure you do, who ever your company is contracted with is your customer. If it's a 911 company, than the citizens in your jurisdiction (especially if your company receives any tax substitutes) is your customer. If it's private pay, then that patient is your customer. If it's out of a health care facility, then the health care facility is your customer. If it's event standby, then the event organizers are your customers. I'm assuming that your service gets money from somewhere, after all.
OP
OP
Sasha
Forum Chief
- 7,667
- 11
- 0
The only customers are the hospitals/nursing homes. Patients are patients, not customers.
Sent from LuLu using Tapatalk
JPINFV
Gadfly
- 12,681
- 197
- 63
If I'm paying out of pocket for care, then I'm both a patient and a customer, and if I don't like the care I received from a transport I set up, I'm free to take my business elsewhere in the future. Similarly, if, as a tax paying citizen, I'm unhappy with the service provided by the contracted ambulance provider, I'm free to work towards the city (the customer) finding a different provider.
OP
OP
Sasha
Forum Chief
- 7,667
- 11
- 0
I dont work for the city, you are free to refuse care as is someone who isnt paying for care. You can campaign against hospitals contracts if you want but they come down to who does it cheaper and how happy their staff is. A patient is a patient and not a customer.
I dont do billing and dont differentiate between who is paying how and who isnt. So theyre all treated equally.
Sent from LuLu using Tapatalk
JPINFV
Gadfly
- 12,681
- 197
- 63
So you're not running 911 calls? (Honest question, just checking, NTTTAWWT)