Is it really an emergency?

When a patient with a sore throat, earache or other minor ailment heads to the emergency department (ED) for treatment, there are a raft of negative consequences with which every hospital is familiar: longer waits for patients with more serious conditions, higher costs for both the patient and the hospital, and the challenge of treating a patient in a less-than-ideal setting. While hospitals legally are required to take care of all ED patients regardless of their ability to pay, Presbyterian Hospital in Albuquerque, NM, now sends many patients to primary care appointments for less serious ailments after an initial screening. Every ED physician knows that there are patients with non-acute problems who show up, says Mark Stern, an ED physician at Presbyterian Hospital.