I guess by now most everyone has heard about Patient Dumping.  Typically, it happens when an uninsured person shows up in the hospital with no insurance—not even Medicare or Medicaid.  This person is taking up a bed that could be used by a paying customer, and therefore, the hospital wants that dead beat out. Supposedly, they have to keep these patients if they receive government funds from the Hill Burton Act.  But apparently, it’s not enough.  On the other hand, I am a fully insured patient, having both Medicare and Supplemental Insurance.  Nevertheless, they decided I had to leave the emergency room last week even though I could hardly stand up, overcome with dizziness and nausea.  So now you know.  You may pay huge premiums for health insurance , but it wont do you a lot of good.  Because the Hospital ER Dumps Insured Patients.

Here’s what happened.  With a skyrocketing blood pressure, I was admitted to the ER for a myriad of tests, all of which cost my insurance providers plenty and made a tidy profit for the hospital.  But here’s the thing:  Say the hospital is going to get paid a certain amount of money for my condition, no matter how many days I stay.  So, it makes sense for them to make extra money by talking me into leaving early.  Which makes room for another patient who will get the same treatment as I did.  Meanwhile, have you ever looked into the astronomical salaries that hospital executives are making?   The more they squeeze out of the patients, the bigger the house they can buy out in the towns fanciest suburbs.

At any rate, the ER doctor came to tell me that since my tests had all come out with normal results, I would have to leave.   I protested that I was even more dizzy and nauseas than ever, but by then they’d managed to get my blood pressure down, so it appeared I had no excuse to stay.  The moment he walked away, the beautiful  blonde nurse– who’d seemed so sweet– shape shifted into a snarly  mafia  bouncer.  She told me I had ten minutes to find a ride home, and started putting on my socks. Before I knew it she’d found my jeans and pulled then up.  Off came the hospital gown and on went my top and undershirt. A wheel chair appeared and I was instructed to hop aboard. Luckily, my stepson hadn’t left yet for vacation, so he was able to pick me up as I waited helplessly by myself in the Emergency Room until he arrived half an hour later. (I have a disabled husband)

Later , I looked at my discharge sheet and saw that he’d told me to see an ENT  within two weeks.  Just so happens that doctor is retiring and leaving town. After numerous doctor visits and a trip to one of Indianapolis  top ENT’S , it still hasn’t been determined what’s wrong. However, , that physician said the ER should have admitted me for neurological testing.   They’re now thinking I’ve had some weird reaction to cortisone shots back in June.  Actually, I’m one of the lucky ones.  At least they didn’t dump me on a street corner.

Hospital ER’s dump insured patients and it’s a national disgrace.  Worse yet, our two local hospital are merging, which means they will have no competition and no incentive to improve the quality of patient care.