Reservation Confirmed

If KeepBreathing ever retires from RT, I think he could find fulfillment with a new career as an ER concierge.  After my post this weekend about a service that allows patients to text message the ER to learn about wait times in advance, I stumbled across an article on InQuickER, a service that provides reservations for the Emergency Room.

Now I understand the pressure for hospitals to reduce their wait times and keep patients happy, but I'm going to have to side with Dr. Arthur Kellerman, a professor of emergency medicine at Emory University, when he says "if you're well enough to call and plug in a 10am time to be seen, why are you going to the emergency department and not your primary care physician?"  The very real, very dangerous problem of ER overcrowding is never going to be solved as long as people continue to see the ER as a point of primary care.  Any serious attempt at healthcare reform needs to address this and improve access to PCPs (and not PCP).

So what do you think KB, are you ready to start scheduling appointments?