Taxi Ride

[gospeedracer]

Another fantastic day started off with a BS call. Don't you just love those!:angry:

 

[STXmedic]

Welcome to EMS.

Probably could've gone in the directionless thread...

 

[mycrofft]

They pay you less for them?

Just asking...

 

[DrParasite]

had a newbie RN doing a ride along with one of our medic trucks. since they were not doing anything for 4 hours, she jumped on with us.

we went to a sick person call (or something, idk), and as we are pulling out equipment out of the truck, the patient walks out, umbrella in hand since it was raining, locks her door, and meets us at the curb.

the RN was speechless.

it happens.

 

[Shishkabob]

They pay you less for them? Just asking...

Actually, yes:

A system abuser doesn't require an ambulance, but takes one anyhow. Most of the time, said abusers don't pay for the ambulance bill. Not paying the bill means less collections. Less collections means a smaller income. Smaller income means not as much money is available/budgeted for payroll. Smaller payroll means smaller paycheck coming to me as I'm not likely to get a huge raise.


They then go to a hospital and take a hospital bed for several hours. This backlogs the ER, which can do anything from making people in waiting wait longer, make the nurses more irritable since they have more patients, or causing a divert. They then will not pay for the hospital bill either. People waiting in the ED waiting room see a very minor person being taken by ambulance, either directly to a bed or to traige, and think "If I call 911 I can get an ambulance and get seen quicker!", however false that is.


Not paying for these bills causing healthcare cost to rise for those who actually DO pay, because they have to attempt to cover the fees not recovered from non-payers.


An EMS crew running a big portion of calls which don't require an ambulance transport, let alone an EMS crew to assess them, causes a higher workload, often with the aforementioned non-big increase in pay, and less job satisfaction. Big workload with not as big pay leads to burnout of EMS crews, either just in a pissy mood, or leaving altogether, fed up with the abuse. Less EMS crews means a higher workload on those who do stick around.


Less EMS crews/ hospital crews and more hospital diverts and waiting times leads to less trucks on the road at any given point, often leading to delayed responses. Delayed responses can be detrimental to people who actually need emergency medical treatment or transport. This can potentially lead to loss of life.



On Wednesday, just as an example, I had 2 constipation calls an a teen with a fever. 2 of those were within a 10 minute walk to the hospital they they were transported to. I also had a patient with "high blood pressure" to which the family admitted it wasn't any higher than normal, and the patient had absolutely no complaints, but went by ambulance anyhow as to, and I quote the patient, "placate" her daughter. Also had a call at a nursing home to transport a patient who was getting "increasingly agitated", yet on our arrival was calm. Nursing director wanted the patient brought away because "There was nothing he could to", despite being told by responding crews that the patient would be released back to the nursing home in a matter of hours, like has happened every other week with this patient before. ND stated "I know, I just want a few hours of peace".

That's 5 calls of obvious system abuse, just on my truck, on one day, in one 12hr period. Every single one should be charged for abusing 911, but it will never happen, because we "don't want to give the idea that calling 911 is wrong", or from the more naiive providers "The patient defines the emergency"




Yet, civilians get angry when it takes 9 minutes and 5 seconds for an ambulance to respond...

 

[Ardmoreff]

Wow, Linuss. Couldn't have said it any better myself. It's just a fancy taxi with cool lights, which rarely get used on the way to the ER.

 

[JPINFV]

That's 5 calls of obvious system abuse, just on my truck, on one day, in one 12hr period. Every single one should be charged for abusing 911, but it will never happen, because we "don't want to give the idea that calling 911 is wrong", or from the more naiive providers "The patient defines the emergency"

I vote for aggressive billing. Garnish wages, file a lien, etc. That will have more effect than threatening, or even following through, with citing patients with abuse, as well as bring in more money.