A ‘Barbaric’ Problem in American Hospitals Is Only Getting Bigger

Summary: Imagine being terribly sick, rushing to the emergency room, and then... staying there. For days. This is called "ER boarding," and it is a growing crisis in American hospitals. Because hospitals make more money on planned procedures like knee replacements, they often do not have enough beds for emergency patients.

As a result, very sick people are stuck on hard stretchers in noisy ER hallways for days, waiting for a real room. To make matters worse, hospitals still charge these patients the expensive "inpatient" room rate just for sleeping in the hall. Experts call it a barbaric public health crisis, but fixing it is complicated by hospital finances, a lack of rehab centers, and staffing shortages.

Source: KFF Health News URL: kffhealthnews.org/health-industry/emergency-room-ed-boarding-hospital-beds-long-waits-crisis/ (opens in new tab)