EMS Abuse

During my marathon shift over the weekend we were busy. So busy in fact I had a hard time keeping up with my paperwork. I ate two meals during those 30 hours and both of them took me 3 reheatings to finish my plate. Most of the shift is a blur now. But one call stands out clearly in my mind. Not because anyone died or was seriously ill or injured. Not because it is a rarity, nope just the opposite, these types of calls are all to common. This one stood out for me because it sums up about how our emergency medical services system is abused. And as an extension of that abuse money is wasted and someone who really needs help is going to have to wait longer to get it.

We were dispatched to an apartment complex that has an entire section devoted to government subsidised housing. We always know when we are in the section that is subsidized since it is a pig pen. There are always men hanging out in front of the buildings, smoking and drinking and doing nothing. I hate going in those buildings. There is always trash in the hallways and God only knows what else. The buildings smell, some like urine most like garbage. Not all of the individual apartments are filthy, some are well kept, but most are gross. We tape the bottom of our pant legs to our boots in some of them to keep the creepy crawlers out. This particular apartment wasn't in bad shape. But like most of them there were at least 10 people living there. The call came in as a maternity. A 15 year old girl, 34 weeks into her pregnancy thought she was in labor. We arrive on scene and there is a large group of people standing in the living room around a girl laying on the sofa. She is holding her swollen belly and moaning. Since she's a minor I ask around to find out where is her mom. One of the women steps forward and said she's the mom. I get a basic story about what is going on from her and go over to examine the girl. She might be in labor but of course she hasn't been paying attention to whether the pains come and go or if they have been increasing in any way. Just that at this very moment she is in pain. She hasn't even called her doctor. Yep, a great help this one's going to be. She tells me she has had prenatal care from the beginning and this has been a normal pregnancy. She and her mom want us to take her to the hospital. So we haul her butt out to the ambulance and get her secured on the litter. Mom said she isn't going to ride with us she's going to follow us to the hospital. And she does, right on the ass of our ambulance all the way.

Here in lies my problem with all this. Why is this girl going to the hospital with us? She can walk. She's in labor. Big deal. I've done it three times and walked my ass out to my car and my husband drove me to the hospital. She didn't bother with the husband part but her mom is with her and she obviously drives. So here we are, tying up an ambulance on this bullshit run. What about the people who really need an ambulance (more on that later)?

So we get her to the hospital and take her right up to labor and delivery. They confirm what we already knew. She's in the early stages of labor. It's gonna be a while.

So then there is the icing on the cake. At the hospital I collect her insurance information for our billing department. She and her mother are on welfare. So my tax dollars are paying for this girl to have a baby at 15 and for a totally unnecessary ride to the hospital in my taxi ambulance.

This is a perfect example of why I am against government sponsored health care. There is an entire class of people abusing the system that we have. This is just opening it up for more abuse. You can guarantee that if people had to pay for an ambulance ride out of their own pocket so much of these abuses would just stop. But since they just hand over their "get a free ride" insurance card they don't think twice about calling. We have plenty of uninsured people in this country. We don't have people without access to health care. I know because I pick them up all the time and take them to the hospital where they are taken care of and they are cared for whether they can or can not pay and whether they are insured or uninsured.

We need to put a stop to the abuses our health care system endures. The insurance companies need tighter regulations. They need to make a profit but they shouldn't be allowed to take peoples money then dump them when they get expensive. Or refuse to insure them because of pre existing conditions. I also don't think it's right to have a number cruncher override a doctors decision. But how many doctors order tests to protect themselves from lawsuits, not because they are medically necessary. I can't blame them, but what a waste of money. Tort reform limiting lawsuits would be a good start.

Maybe one day we will be able to tell a patient to take themselves to the hospital when an ambulance isn't really necessary. Insurance companies are pushing for just that very thing. I see their point. It costs a lot of money every time one of our ambulances rolls out the door, somebodies paying for it, the insurance companies, and in many cases the taxpayers. In the end we are all paying for it.

I'm sick and tired of paying for 15 year olds having babies and drug addicted idiots living off welfare. Or the lonely elderly woman looking for company who calls for help so she can go to the hospital for some company and a hot meal. Or the 20 year old male who has abdominal pain. Suck it up, go out to the car and get a ride. Your mommy follows the ambulance half the time anyway. One of my favorites is the person who has been sick for days and waits until 3 AM to call for an ambulance. What, after three days of being sick all of a sudden now you need to get help, you couldn't wait until morning to call your doctor?

There are many legitimate reasons to call an ambulance. We carry drugs that can save your life. Whether you're ill or injured we are trained to help you. But we are not a taxi. There is nothing that galls me more than taking someone to the hospital and having a family member ride right behind the ambulance. If my lights and sirens are not on during the transport and you can follow the ambulance then you should have driven the person to the hospital yourself.

Two weeks ago we had a call of a male with chest pains. We were not out on a stupid call and was able to respond right away. He was having a massive heart attack. Due to our quick work he is alive today. That is the way it's supposed to work. His outcome wouldn't of been as good if he had to wait an extra 10-15 minutes for an ambulance to come from further away. He was in the cath lab in under 30 minutes from the time of the initial call. They put two stents in his heart and he has no permanent damage. This is because of the speed in which we got him there and the treatment we were able to provide. Those kind of results don't happen when I'm out playing taxi to someone who really didn't need us.