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Even in silly Poland (not to speak of Netherlands) abuse of ambulance service is treated very seriously. If the hospital makes the case that you made a call eit
by LaGrange 13y ago
Even in silly Poland (not to speak of Netherlands) abuse of ambulance service is treated very seriously. If the hospital makes the case that you made a call either as a prank or frivolously, you're in a world of trouble.
- rdl 13y agoThe argument isn't that they shouldn't get care, or even that they should have to pay for transport, but that they should be guided (using cost incentives, in the US market model) to use the most appropriate transport. ALS, BLS, mobility-but-not-EMS, or taxi). The problem is there are a lot of places in the US where "take an old person to see a doctor for a checkup" requires using BLS or even ALS ambulances, which is crazy, because ambulance would be covered but taxi would not be. It's better to just give these patients taxi vouchers, if you want the government paying for it, for $10-20, vs. a $100-500 direct-cost ambulance ride. There's a separate argument about who should pay for what services, but "care should be delivered in the most cost-effective way to get the best patient outcomes" is independent of that.