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> Of course, this raises the question. Why isn't urgent care a billing code in small emergency departments? Because it's still emergency physicians performing

> Of course, this raises the question. Why isn't urgent care a billing code in small emergency departments? Because it's still emergency physicians performing the work, for the same cost (both marginal and overhead). The answer is to open up actual urgent care practices, which are cheaper to run, not to change the billing codes used in emergency room settings.

maxerickson 9y ago
I remain unconvinced that running an entire separate practice is obviously cheaper than adding primary care doctors to ERs. I'm sure it makes more financial sense given the current regulatory and reimbursement regimes. I mean, when I've been in the local ER it hasn't exactly been a hive of urgent activity, you chat with the intake nurse and then watch her sit there and do things other than interact with patients for half an hour.
- chimeracoder 9y ago
  > I remain unconvinced that running an entire separate practice is obviously cheaper than adding primary care doctors to ERs. I'm sure it makes more financial sense given the current regulatory and reimbursement regimes. Emergency medicine and primary care are completely different settings. "Adding primary car doctors to ERs" doesn't really make any sense. The structure of care delivery is completely different.
  - maxerickson 9y ago
    Is the structure of care delivery different for good reasons or is it different because ERs don't make accommodations in their care delivery for the many non-emergency cases that walk into ERs? (and of course they don't because they aren't going to bill insurance companies any less than they can consistently get them to pay)
    - chimeracoder 9y ago
      > Is the structure of care delivery different for good reasons or is it different because ERs don't make accommodations in their care delivery for the many non-emergency cases that walk into ERs? Yes, the actual structure of care that is delivered is entirely different. You can't just stick primary care inside an ER and expect it to work. The two aren't similar.

maxerickson 9y ago

I remain unconvinced that running an entire separate practice is obviously cheaper than adding primary care doctors to ERs. I'm sure it makes more financial sense given the current regulatory and reimbursement regimes. I mean, when I've been in the local ER it hasn't exactly been a hive of urgent activity, you chat with the intake nurse and then watch her sit there and do things other than interact with patients for half an hour.

chimeracoder 9y ago
> I remain unconvinced that running an entire separate practice is obviously cheaper than adding primary care doctors to ERs. I'm sure it makes more financial sense given the current regulatory and reimbursement regimes. Emergency medicine and primary care are completely different settings. "Adding primary car doctors to ERs" doesn't really make any sense. The structure of care delivery is completely different.
- maxerickson 9y ago
  Is the structure of care delivery different for good reasons or is it different because ERs don't make accommodations in their care delivery for the many non-emergency cases that walk into ERs? (and of course they don't because they aren't going to bill insurance companies any less than they can consistently get them to pay)
  - chimeracoder 9y ago
    > Is the structure of care delivery different for good reasons or is it different because ERs don't make accommodations in their care delivery for the many non-emergency cases that walk into ERs? Yes, the actual structure of care that is delivered is entirely different. You can't just stick primary care inside an ER and expect it to work. The two aren't similar.