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The Business of
Health Care Report
Between 1994 and 1999, emergency department visits in the U.S. rose by 10 million encounters. There was a 5 percent rise from 1998 to 1999 alone. Locally, the 13 hospitals in Texas Health Resources – that’s Harris Methodist, Presbyterian and Arlington Memorial hospitals – experienced a 12 percent increase from 2000 to 2001, representing 45,000 more emergency visits. Some health care observers found the emergency visit growth
surprising, given the rise in managed care market penetration. Because in many managed care plans, patients are
penalized and become responsible for payment if they use the emergency department unnecessarily or in place of a
physician office visit. Others, however, found the demand for emergency care no surprise
but a symptom of shifts going on in health care. For example, backup in the emergency department because beds are
filled in the rest of the hospital for patients waiting to be admitted; the American Hospital Association estimates
that 40 percent of hospital admissions come through the emergency department. In addition, primary care physicians and urgent care centers are
shortening their office hours, driving more patients to the emergency department. And then there’s the ever-present
issue of dealing with the uninsured, who sometimes use emergency rooms as their main health care resource because they
do not have an ongoing physician relationship. On top of these issues add the nursing shortage plus an overall
reduced number of hospital and nursing home beds resulting from the 1997 Balanced Budget Act and you have a health
care system bursting at the seams. The Health Care Advisory Board says that 40% more hospital beds are needed by 2010. Hospital emergency departments represent a critical entry point
to our health care system. Congress, the state, physicians and hospitals must find a way to work together to keep
our vital emergency services healthy. Sources: Reuters, Council on Healthcare Economics and Policy, Health Care Advisory Board, AHA, American College of Emergency Physicians For Texas Health Resources
and its family of hospitals - Harris Methodist Hospitals, Presbyterian
Healthcare System and Arlington Memorial Hospital - I'm CEO Doug
Hawthorne with "The Business of Health Care Report" on NewsRadio
1080 KRLD.
©
2002 Texas Health Resources |
I’m Doug Hawthorne, President and CEO of Texas Health Resources, with
"The Business of Health Care Report" on 