Nation's Emergency Physicians Take Issue with Statements about Emergency Care from Blue Dog Health Care Task Force

Emergency Care is Cost Effective, Efficient and an Essential Community Service

Washington, DC - The American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) today took issue with statements made by a leading member of a new task force launched by the Democratic Blue Dog Coalition about emergency care.

"Emergency care is very cost efficient, representing less than 3 percent of the nation's $1.5 trillion in health care expenditures," said Dr. Nick Jouriles, president of ACEP. "Emergency care also is advanced care that is highly efficient. Other physicians send patients to emergency departments because they need to make quick diagnoses. They do this because emergency physicians can command the resources of the hospital, such as diagnostic equipment and consultants. Emergency departments have extra 'standby' costs, because the facilities are open 24/7. But that is what makes emergency care an essential community service that needs to be valued in any discussion in health care reform."

Dr. Jouriles said the real economic issue in emergency medicine is uncompensated care.

"Emergency physicians provide the most uncompensated care of all physicians, and hundreds of emergency departments have closed related to uncompensated care" said Dr. Jouriles. "With a financial crisis and a failing health care system, the role of emergency medicine has never been more important. Congress needs to pass the 'Access to Emergency Medical Services Act' and hold hearings about the state of emergency medicine."

Dr. Jouriles said emergency physicians treat 120 million patients each year, and emergency departments are a health care safety net for everyone, insured or uninsured. This is especially true as more and more people lose their jobs and health insurance.

"The nation's emergency physicians are firmly behind the President's health care reform principles," said Dr. Jouriles. "We will work to achieve the long-term benefits that reforms should bring. But in return we ask Congress and the Obama Administration to recognize and fund the central role that emergency medicine plays in the health care system."

ACEP last week issued a statement expressing concerns about emergency physicians not being included in the White House Health Care Reform Summit, saying they have "an invaluable perspective that was missing from the meeting."

Emergency departments have a federal mandate (Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act) to care for all patients, regardless of ability to pay. This mandate is unfunded. Given the standby costs of staffing and equipping emergency departments to treat all patients and all illnesses and injuries 24/7, the extra costs (or marginal costs) of seeing an additional patient for an urgent or nonurgent medical problem are much less than what it would cost to open a private physician's office after hours or on the weekend or to build an urgent care center. The fixed costs of the nation's emergency department will not go away unless emergency care is eliminated altogether, which is not only implausible, it is unethical.

ACEP is a national medical specialty society representing emergency medicine with nearly 27,000 members. ACEP is committed to advancing emergency care through continuing education, research and public education. Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, ACEP has 53 chapters representing each state, as well as Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia. A Government Services Chapter represents emergency physicians employed by military branches and other government agencies.

Accessed on 2009 March 11 from http://www.acep.org/pressroom.aspx?id=44700