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States seeking to curb inappropriate use of ERs may be taking wrong approach

12.13.2011

Several states around the country are trying to find ways to keep people on Medicaid out of hospital emergency rooms in favor of sending them to urgent care facilities. Donald Berwick, the former director of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, says he believes this can help control costs but feels states are going about things in a harmful manner.

At the heart of the discussion is the higher fees some states are considering charging Medicaid patients for visiting emergency rooms. Berwick told Kaiser Health News that this approach simply uses the wrong tool for the job.

"Maybe they're confused and don't know about their options. That's not a pain issue, that's an education issue," he told the news source. "I've never thought that patients use their health care as a recreational activity. They're going to get their needs met. And if they're going to the wrong place, in our opinion, then let's provide the right place."

The state of Washington is seeking to limit the number of non-emergency care visits the program will pay for per Medicaid patient, while Florida lawmakers want to charge enrollees $100 for every ER visit in which they seek standard care, according to Forbes.
 

Categories: Emergency medicine 

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