Avis Ward

Report: 9 Patients Averaged 300 ER Visits Each - Total Cost of $3 Million



Posted: Wednesday, April 01, 2009

by Avis Ward
GeoVi's Home for Pregnant Teens

It has been reported that nine patients in the Austin,Texas area used the emergency room (ER), a whopping 2700 times! This cost taxpayers and others an even more whopping sum of $3 million!

The average emergency room visit costs $1,000. Their visits were recorded from 2003-2008, according to the news report. The report came from the nonprofit, Integrated Care Collaboration, a group of health care providers who care for low-income and uninsured patients.

"Eight of the nine patients have drug abuse problems, seven were diagnosed with mental health issues and three were homeless. Five are women whose average age is 40, and four are men whose average age is 50," the report said.

What is the problem? Inadequate healthcare? Improper diagnosis? Inappropriate use of the ER due to the lack of a primary care physician? These are examples of why healthcare costs are astronomical and unaffordable to the general population.

What's the use of assigning blame? A better question is: what is being done so that this is not even close to standard operating procedures nationwide and it stops in Austin? That has not been answered yet. It's still under investigation. I suspect we'll find out when dozens of hospitals close because they ran out of money.

One doctor did explain, "With mental illness, a lot of anxiety manifests as chest pain."

2009 by Avis Ward of AWC

Avis is founder of El Elyon Outpouring Center, an Empowerment Outreach Ministry emphasizing God’s Unconditional Love and Grace and GeoVi’s Home for New Life, a nonprofit providing faith, hope, and love to teens, pregnant teens and their babies. She's CEO of Providential Coaching, a Christian Life coaching practice teaching young women how-to turn within for divine direction to learn and follow the plan God has for their lives. She's the host and creator of Devoted Housewives in the House of God, an Internet Radio Talk Show. Speaker, Seminar Leader and an Ambassador of Love. Avis respectfully acknowledges her deceased parents as her role models, and the hero and heroine in her life.
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Top-level comments on this article: (2 total)
» left by Dianne Lehmann
 3 years 43 days ago.
137 fans.
Hi Avis.
 
It's a sticky issue as I see it. Deny help to those that need it and you're seen as cruel and heartless. Making employed people who are, even so, not able to afford their own health insurance (my husband and I, for example) pay for that help is unfair. I don't know what the answer is.
 
I know of one alcoholic and homeless man (the brother of a neighbor) who received heart bypass surgery on the taxpayers dime, not to mention all the other care he has received. So, what do we do?
 
Dianne
» left by Avis Ward 3 years 43 days ago.
132 fans.
Hi Dianne,

It is a catch-22 issue of sorts. I would want treatment, with or without insurance, if I needed it and couldn't pay. There has to be a better way than what happened at this ER. Like you, I don't know what it is. I can speculate and toss out a few things but a true resolution is needed.

Thanks for stopping in and commenting, Dianne. I appreciate it.

Be well,
Avis
» left by Linda DeWitt
 3 years 41 days ago.
67 fans. Follow Linda DeWitt on twitter!
Thank you for a thought provoking article. It is a catch 22, but it would be nice if a solution were found.
Linda D
» left by Avis Ward 3 years 41 days ago.
132 fans.
Linda D, thanks from Avis E. I appreciate you for taking time to read and respond. I'm with you about a solution!

Happy Weekend!
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