Trace Regional Hospital in Houston, Miss., to shut down emergency room

TribTown.com ^ | 7-17-2014

[Citizen Zed]

When the emergency room at Trace Regional Hospital in Houston, Mississippi, closes in early September, the number of ER's in Chickasaw County will go down to zero.

Hospital Chief Executive Officer Gary Staten tells WTVA-TV in Tupelo the emergency room will close Sept. 8.

Staten says the clinic will have a three teams led by a nurse practitioner for a total of 15 people. He says the clinic's operation costs will be lower than that of an emergency room.

[Citizen Zed]

That's one way to cut costs.

[Nifster]

Southern California ERs have closed in large part due to illegals swamping the services. At some point it always comes down to economics. Even non-profits can’t survive if they only lose money.

[pepsionice]

It’s not exactly cutting costs.

If you look at accident scenes over the past five years...huge growing tendency to call in the “chopper” and have the victims transported an hour away. So you could have an accident a mile from your house....wake up after the accident and realize that you have been moved 150 miles away. Cost for the chopper ride? If this was a twenty-mile deal...maybe around $6,000. But based on general reporting...it goes for average around $12,000 to $25,000.

Thinking that your health insurance will cover this? NO. Unless you have a five-star absolute gold program.....it won’t cover any part of that. This will come to your mailbox and deplete your savings rather quickly.

Think you got any choice about the matter, and demanding the truck rather than the chopper? In most rural areas....you have nutcases hanging out with the evacuation squad, and they get all peppy to call the chopper even if this was a minor fall and a broke leg.

So when your county hospital has shut down the ER....it’s a strong hint that they intend to pressure everyone to utilize the air ambulance, and steer business to the adjoining county hospital unit....and a quarter of that $25,000 will be put into the profits pot for the regional business operation. Again, the public simply doesn’t grasp the various ways we are being screwed on healthcare costs.

[WKB]

Ms ping

[MacMattico]

Where I live, the nearest major hospitals are now 40 minutes away. The one closer hospital became an urgent care. Open 9-9 for minor things, does blood draws. Now ambulances must transfer people to the farther hospitals, and it won't be long before some one will die because all ambulances in the area are in use, and half of them will be in use because a druggie fakes an illness and wants to be freely transported to the city (pd for by medicaid along with free cab ride home) or because it's after 9 and a kid has an earache and the parent wants an ambulance paid for by Obamacare. I've often argued, Obamacare will not cut down ER visits but increase them. The ER cost more but is open 24/7. With it being pd for people are going to show up and ditch the dr’s appts. I've seen it already in husbands small city(where he works).Those that have Medicaid or low-income Obamacare are getting benefits many of us can't afford for ourselves but will pay for them. I'm not knocking those in need, but those that take advantage and will bankrupt us all.

[VerySadAmerican]

I’ve read ERs are getting more patients than before because of doctors not accepting obamacare. That leads them right back to the ER.

[ArmstedFragg]

In Oregon’s experience, providing coverage to the previously uninsured increased both ER use and primary care visits.

[Artie]

Another success story for ObamaCare.

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

“... sooner or later, you run out of other people’s money.”

[Patriot365]

You are spot on. A 19 year old girl in a one vehicle accident has blood coming from her ear so a fireman calls for the Medical Helo from 70 miles away to come transport her. Later in the day her father shows up at the Highway Patrol Office and demands to know why his daughter got 11 stiches in her ear and he got a bill for $11,000. Sorry you are at the wrong office. Take it to the Fire Dept.

[MamaB]

My hometown. Born and grew up there. Relatives and friends still live there. Most go to Tupelo to the ER. I

[MamaB]

You are wrong about this town. Most people there go to Tupelo or another nearby town. I was born there and still have relatives and friends there. The town is very small.

[MamaB]

I was in severe pain the other night and went to one of our ERs. It was not as busy as it usually was. The dr told me I have a pinched sciatic nerve. It hurts!