Cleveland EMS will reject some calls on minor ailments to save money | Metro - cleveland.com - cleveland.com

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Be careful what you wish for.....

I never dreamed that someone would call an ambulance for something less than an emergency...much less hemorrhoids!

Wow...good for them. THere is always a chance that a real emergency may get overlooked, but what do you do??

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Melissa

If they can effectively prioritize the calls it can be a major improvement. But you know that when they incorrectly prioritize something as a minor ailment and a patient dies the $hit will hit the fan.

For example, sometimes a headache isn't "just a headache" sometimes it's a symptom of something much more serious, requiring immediate care. The dispatchers will need to be able to differentiate between the two over the phone.

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Once the game is over, the king and the pawn go back in the same box.

you would be amazed at what people will call 911 for! AMAZED!

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Mental that one, I'm telling you. ---Ron Weasley, "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets"

They should have started doing this a long time ago. The cities around here don't pay for ambulance rides unless you pay the annual fee to join. For those of us with insurance we have to pay ourselves unless it's chest pains or a broken bone or something really life threatening. Otherwise you get stuck with the bill.
I find it despicable that people would call an ambulance for hemorrhoids and boils. Those are things that can be treated at home or at your doctor's office. That is what I mean by responsibility. People let things go then they expect it to be treated for free and treated RIGHT NOW. That is ridiculous. All of a sudden what could have been treated with Preparation H which I just looked up on google and costs between $5.99 and $20, depending on the form you buy it in, now costs over a thousand dollars. Also what right does someone who is selfish have taking up the valuable time and resources in the ER while someone with a broken limb or some other life threatening situation has to wait?

ETA if someone feels they have to go to ER and it might be valid call a taxi or ask someone for a ride or walk or drive.

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The political system is broke and it's a joke.

Oh Anna, why such judging hatred for person with hemorrhoids??? You don't know what their circumstances are!!!

;-)

lol! I have met some walking hemorrhoids that's for sure!

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The political system is broke and it's a joke.

I've met people I've called a boil on the butt of humanity...but I don't think I've ever called anyone a hemoroid LOL

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Proud to say I haven't shopped at a Wal-Mart since Sept 2003

You do know what this person had....because it says so. In the other thread, you had no clue, yet were quick to judge and assume.

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"When you're drowning, you don't say 'I would be incredibly pleased if someone would have the foresight to notice me drowning and come and help me,' you just scream."

John Lennon

"You do know what this person had" It is not about what the person has or doesnt have... it is about ABUSE OF THE SYSTEM.... The point of this is going right over your head....

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Be careful what you wish for.....

10-4 good buddy, you got it, the rest of us got it, butt as usual gg didn't.

dl

Sorry but I agree with GG you honestly do not how sick this person truly was and also if they the person had other means of transportation or money even to afford a cab. I do agree people definitely abuse the system but without knowing the full story who can say. Peace. Catherine

I do think that the physician treating that individual can say. He was there... and he said... so why would we doubt him? The woman making the visit to the ER has been given complete credibility and he has been stripped of all credibility. Why is that?

Just because I don't agree with you? You are funny!

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"When you're drowning, you don't say 'I would be incredibly pleased if someone would have the foresight to notice me drowning and come and help me,' you just scream."

John Lennon

Not because you disagree but you are missing the point...

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Be careful what you wish for.....

Your point....lol. I have my own way of thinking and I know many people abuse the system. I am just not the one that can say who is and who is not.

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"When you're drowning, you don't say 'I would be incredibly pleased if someone would have the foresight to notice me drowning and come and help me,' you just scream."

John Lennon

No you can't. Even if most people with expensive item (tattoos, gold teeth, cell phones, cars) that are on medicaid could have spent their money more responsibly, there will be a few that recently fell on hard times. They may choose to keep that car because it's the only transportation they have, the phone because it's the only phone they have. ( It's hard to find a job when you have no way to get there and no way for them to contact you.)

But you can't tell just by looking at someone, who is the slacker and who isn't. Even if most are, you can't know the individual circumstances of the person you're dealing with until they tell you.

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Once the game is over, the king and the pawn go back in the same box.

Am I missing something here? I don't think this post is like the other where a particular case was given. It's just a general idea of trying to save the city money by not transporting non emergency cases by ambulance. Not about whether the person is on assistance or not.

again...did I miss something??

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Melissa

Not really, there was a reference back to the other post..

I assumed that's part of what gg was responding to in her post.

I was responding to that.

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Once the game is over, the king and the pawn go back in the same box.

My DH is a first responder; if a fire truck can get to the address before an ambulance they are dispatched on medical calls. He works in an urban area that has a major hospital smack in the middle of it. He says 80% of the calls he sees are for people with chronic conditions (asthma, diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease) who seem incapable of managing their diseases like alot of people do with Dr visits, medication, and lifestlye adjustments. Even though the hospital is a block or two away for many of the people, they prefer to go by ambulance because the perception is that they will be seen quicker than the walk-ins.

That is often the situation. I worked in a ED and we would assess ambulance arrivals the same as walk ins. If their needs were not urgent or emergent, we would send them out to the waiting room along with everyone else. Talk about some very angry people

My sister-in-law called 911 because she saw a snake in her house. I think she overreacted a bit and maybe animal control would have been a better choice.

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I don't suffer from insanity, I enjoy every minute of it!

my brother worked on a ambulance in a small country town basically with nothing 40 mins from here but really another world away he said girls would cut there finger call 911 just for a ride into the city

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mom of 3 greats girls