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Loco, been to the hospital lately?

sanjuro

Tube Smuggler
Sep 13, 2004
17,373
0
SF
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/04/01/national/a132707D19.DTL&tsp=1


Just nine people accounted for nearly 2,700 of the emergency room visits in the Austin area during the past six years at a cost of $3 million to taxpayers and others, according to a report. The patients went to hospital emergency rooms 2,678 times from 2003 through 2008, said the report from the nonprofit Integrated Care Collaboration, a group of health care providers who care for low-income and uninsured patients.

"What we're really trying to do is find out who's using our emergency rooms ... and find solutions," said Ann Kitchen, executive director of the group, which presented the report last week to the Travis County Healthcare District board.

The average emergency room visit costs $1,000. Hospitals and taxpayers paid the bill through government programs such as Medicare and Medicaid, Kitchen said.

Eight of the nine patients have drug abuse problems, seven were diagnosed with mental health issues and three were homeless. Five are women whose average age is 40, and four are men whose average age is 50, the report said, the Austin American-Statesman reported Wednesday.
 

Toshi

Harbinger of Doom
Oct 23, 2001
38,037
7,554
seattle also has a problem with "frequent flyers", in particular drunks who fall and hit their head, thus winning them a head CT and radiograph of their neck at great cost to the hospital. they crunched the numbers and found it would be cheaper to provide housing and a nurse for these drunks, so it was done:

http://www.desc.org/1811.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/05/us/05homeless.html?_r=1
 

Austin Bike

Turbo Monkey
Jan 26, 2003
1,558
0
Duh, Austin
Had a friend that used to be a paramedic. He said he had his "regulars" that would call up all the time. They wanted a warm place to sleep and a hot meal. They knew the ambulance would take them there.
 

pirate28

Monkey
Jun 13, 2006
108
0
Maryland
When I was driving an ambulance and riding a fire engine, we had a few frequent flyers that called for no other reason, than that they were lonely. Pretty sad.
 

Curb Hucker

I am an idiot
Feb 4, 2004
3,661
0
Sleeping in my Kenworth
Really ?

So you think people choose to be mentally ill ?
I bet they did a bunch of drugs in the past to achieve their current status. If you really have nothing better to do than visit the ER on a weekly basis to get free hand outs because you chose to be a moron, then I have no pity. I stand by my statement, at $300,000 per person as this article states, let them die.
 

AngryMetalsmith

Business is good, thanks for asking
Jun 4, 2006
21,081
9,791
I have no idea where I am
I bet they did a bunch of drugs in the past to achieve their current status. If you really have nothing better to do than visit the ER on a weekly basis to get free hand outs because you chose to be a moron, then I have no pity. I stand by my statement, at $300,000 per person as this article states, let them die.
Goddamn you're an idiot...