>>To fix it, the hospitals need to set up triage nurses at the door.<<
I would LOVE this. And here’s a way to get around lawsuits, have a “minute clinic” set up nearby. Toothache, broken toe, tummy ache, send them over to the clinic. One could staff the clinic 24 hours a day and it would still cost less than the ER because most of the easy stuff could be handled by an RN.
One of our hospitals here does exactly that. You go to the emergency room and check in and are seen by a triage nurse. She decides if you go to the clinic or into the emergency room. The clinic closes at 10 pm but it would probably be cost effective for them to keep one person there round the clock.