If given a choice, it is not surprising that patients would choose the option that involves lower waiting time for an appointment.
Four in 10 of the patients flooding California's dwindling and overtaxed emergency rooms could be treated elsewhere, but can't wait for an appointment with their own doctor, according to a study released Tuesday.
Is the problem a lack of doctors who will provide care for the Medi-Cal patients? I notice on May 20 the state reduced payments to providers by 10% effective June 1[medi-cal.ca.gov]. Perhaps providers do not feel they are benefitting from participating in the program, so they drop out. It appears that acute care facilities are not subject to this reduction.
Is the problem a lack of doctors who will provide care for the Medi-Cal patients? I notice on May 20 the state reduced payments to providers by 10% effective June 1[medi-cal.ca.gov]. Perhaps providers do not feel they are benefitting from participating in the program, so they drop out. It appears that acute care facilities are not subject to this reduction.
ReplyDeleteNo--ER's are unprofitabe, and no one is building hospitals that have them. see earlier posts on specialty hospitals.
ReplyDelete