Fixing the E.R. Crisis

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Story Published: Aug 25, 2008 at 5:42 PM PDT

By Steve Wellman

The emergency room should be just that: a treatment center for real emergencies. But with a growing number of poor and uninsured patients coming to E.R's for basic needs...hospitals are looking at new ways to handle emergency room operations.

Memorial Medical Center alternates with Yakima Regional as the on-call center for walk-ins and more serious emergencies in our area. There's no doubt the number of patients who don't pay has stressed the system.

Steve Wellman says "If you're brought here in an ambulance and you're seriously hurt or sick you're going to come through these doors. This is the E.R., where it all happens. But if you're you're not that ill, there's a new option here. The annex."

"The annex was born out of necessity because overcrowding in the emergency rooms," says Kim Bersing, manager of Memorial's E.R.

Memorial separated its emergency facilities so people without major injuries can be seen in a separate area. That's lowering waiting times.

Bersing adds "After you're triaged if you're at a lower level you're sent to the annex."

But , none of this deals with how much money is being spent on patients who can't pay. That may be a more serious problem than how long you could end up waiting for treatment.

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