Study Finds That Emergency Departments Are in Poor Health, Nearly One Third Have Closed.

According to a study published by the Journal of American Medical Association, the U.S. is facing a dramatic decrease in the number of available Emergency Departments. Researchers at the University of California San Francisco found that from 1990 to 2009, the number of hospitals with Emergency Departments declined 27%. The study found that safety-net hospitals and for-profit hospitals in competitive markets faced increase pressure due to low profit margin and a high proportion of low-income patients. Sandra Schneider, professor of emergency medicine at the University of Rochester Medical Center and president of the American College of Emergency Physicians, says “The financial stress is largely driven by growing ranks of underinsured and uninsured and underpayment by Medicare and Medicaid.” Since federal mandate requires hospitals to see all patients, regardless of their ability to pay, law Medicaid reimbursement rates are a big factor pushing some hospitals to close. However, the difficulties surrounding reimbursement is not limited to Medicaid. More and more hospitals are struggling with non-contracted health plans to be reimbursed for emergency medical services provided to insured patients. This only increases the financial pressure on hospitals and has contributed to the closure of Emergency Departments throughout the country. Some hospitals are fighting back by taking legal action against those health plans that fail to properly pay claims for emergency medical services. But this is a long term solution that will take time before it can alleviate the decline. Until then, patients can expect longer wait-times and increased crowding at emergency rooms across the country.