Disturbance at Kingsport emergency room prompts woman’s arrest

From timesnews.net:

A Church Hill woman was arrested after cussing the staff of a Kingsport emergency room, then attempting to call 911 and “get a ride” to another hospital.

Kingsport police say the woman became confrontational after, “demanding certain procedures that the ER didn’t deem necessary.” The procedures she sought were not identified in a report on the incident.

Hospitals accept ambulance rule; Wait times don’t spike for patients

From the Boston Globe:

A new state policy requiring crowded hospital emergency rooms to accept all patients delivered by ambulance has not worsened conditions, as some doctors had feared.

According to an analysis by state public health officials, the average time patients spent in 75 of the state’s emergency rooms remained about the same since the rules went into effect in January. Patients who were admitted to the hospital spent between 5 and 5 1/2 hours in the emergency room, while patients who were sent home spent about 2 1/2 hours.

“This policy was a risk,’’ said Alice Bonner, director of health care safety and quality for the state Department of Public Health. “We wanted to be sure there was no spike in waiting time or any unintended consequences. It’s been a success.’’

Initial experiences and outcomes of telepresence in the management of trauma and emergency surgical patients

From the American Journal of Surgery:

Teletrauma programs allow rural patients access to advanced trauma and emergency medical services that are often limited to urban areas.

Methods

A retrospective analysis of 59 teleconsults between 5 rural hospitals and a level I trauma center was performed. The objectives of this study were to report the initial experience with a telemedicine program connecting 5 rural hospitals with a level I trauma center.

Results

A total of 59 trauma and general surgery patients were evaluated. Of those, 35 (59%) were trauma patients, and 24 (41%) were general surgery patients. Fifty patients (85%) were from the first hospital at which teletrauma was established. For 6 patients, the teletrauma consults were considered potentially lifesaving; 17 patients (29%) were kept in the rural hospitals (8 trauma and 9 general surgery patients). Treating patients in the rural hospitals avoided transfers, saving an average of $19,698 per air transport or $2,055 per ground transport.

Conclusions

The telepresence of a trauma surgeon aids in the initial evaluation, treatment, and care of patients, improving outcomes and reducing the costs of trauma care.

Doctor shortage can affect cities

From the Omaha World-Herald via Dr. Wes:

A primary care doctor shortage that has troubled rural areas for years soon could descend on cities.

Factors are colliding in a way that could produce harsh consequences in Nebraska, Iowa and elsewhere, and not just in rural places.

Congress’ health care overhaul may result in coverage for more than 30 million additional Americans, many of whom will seek treatment from primary care physicians.

Some of those physicians already are deluged because an aging population is a sicker population, more doctors are reaching retirement age, and many young doctors are choosing to go into specialties.