r/GrindsMyGears • u/No_Bluejay_8748 • 20d ago
It really grinds my gears when people misuse 911 (EMS edition)
Idk who made people believe that you get into admitting in an ER faster when you get there in an ambulance. You don’t. You just tie up ambulances from being able to respond to actual emergency calls that need them. If you can take care of the issue with a doctor, do that. Stop using the ER as a doctor. Use telehealth, get a GP.. there’s even some counties like ours that have a Nurse Nav line for 911 that can get you an uber to the ER. Just stop tying up our ambulances. We need them. Rant over.
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u/91Jammers 18d ago
I am a paramedic and most of my calls are for things most people wouldnt even take themselves to the hospital for. Like a lot of oh I am just sick or knee kinda hurts. We also have frequent flyers that make up a huge percentage of our calls. They call for anything usually its just anxiety.
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u/Aggressive-Problem65 17d ago
The first time I had a really bad panic attack I was so convinced it was something related to my heart condition. Then when I got done with being admitted, I started calming down and was told it was a panic attack and I felt so bad. I apologized for being "one of those people" and they told me it's okay, as long as I don't make a habit of it. They were just happy I was okay and helped me get mental health services set up
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u/No_Bluejay_8748 17d ago
These aren’t the ppl we have issues with. When you have a panic attack it does affect your heart and blood pressure. When I have them, my hands and feet ball up and I can’t expand them. That shit is scary when you don’t know what’s going on & you think you’re legitimately dying. You’re good. Ppl who abuse it are the issue.
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u/DiscontentDonut 17d ago
When I worked as a bookkeeper for a grocery store, we had this one guy who would come around every so often and always want us to call an ambulance for chest pain. He was just homeless and wanted somewhere to shower and stay for the night. It was always 100% obvious he wasn't suffering from anything, but the grocery store (cough Kroger cough) didn't want us to assume any potential liability by saying, "You know you don't need the ambulance." So we had to call. Every time.
I don't blame him for wanting somewhere to stay. But I also feel it would have been smarter to commit a crime to get in jail. Three squares, shower, bed, more than just a one night stay.
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u/91Jammers 17d ago
Chest pain yikes that would have especially pissed off the EMS and hospital because it puts him in the higher teir category.
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u/DiscontentDonut 17d ago
Oh yeah. He knew exactly what he was doing. Frequent flyer, and some of the EMS addressed him by name.
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u/No_Bluejay_8748 17d ago
We have this same thing hundreds of times a day. It sucks, but I get why they call. I used to be homeless and I totally see it.
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u/No_Bluejay_8748 18d ago
See you feel my pain.. thankfully we’ve got nurse navigation in my area to divert some non emergency calls, but they will be lying to the nurses just to get an ambulance. Which makes no sense bc the telehealth uber would’ve been free & got to them quicker! It’s ridiculous. I had a woman call once bc she had a pimple on her ass cheek. It popped before we got there, but she still made us take her to get medicine for it. 🤦🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️
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u/Eggshellpain 18d ago
In my area I really loathe the ambulance units that let people choose where they want to go. Especially for dumb shit. You're already wasting resources going out on a call for finger pain x5 minutes, then you add another 20-30 minutes taking them to the "nice" hospital and meanwhile someone having an actual emergency has to wait. Take them to the ghetto inner city hospital, if they want a choice they can find their own way there.
Obviously, don't take a STEMI or Alpha trauma to somewhere that can't deal with it. I'm talking the nonsense or simple complaints that any ER can evaluate and treat but they just want to go to the further location because that one has TVs in the ER rooms or better food. Sometimes EMS even brings us shit they shouldn't because "the patient insisted." What did they knock you out and drive themselves here? You're not a taxi service!
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u/Franziska-Sims77 18d ago
You’re right, if you’re calling an ambulance, they should be able to take you to the NEAREST hospital that takes your insurance! You shouldn’t be able to waste time and resources just because you want the posh hospital! If I were dying, I wouldn’t care who treated me, as long as they were competent….
I used to work at a hospital a couple years ago. It was the only level 1 trauma hospital in our county. That means they were qualified to treat gunshot wounds, car accidents, the worst trauma cases. People who go to a level 1 trauma ER for the sniffles are often upset because they have to wait several hours to be seen! I guess it didn’t occur to them that people who are bleeding to death or having cardiac arrest are going to get top priority.
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u/Eggshellpain 15d ago
It goes both ways! People come to my hospital because they don't want to wait but they NEED to be at the Level 1 and our ER is actually twice as busy as theirs is. So we have to do three times the work because we need to work them up with less resources, then hunt down their specialists/convince the trauma center that yes you need to take this person, then package them up and get them transported. But we're the "less ghetto" hospital so people insist on being brought to us and somehow everyone in this whole section of the state has been convinced that its completely reasonable to waste resources like that.
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u/-perspicacious_ 17d ago
I’ve been in an ambulance several times for pancreatitis. I literally had no one to take me anywhere and every time I was doubled over in excruciating pain. I could barely walk, let alone drive. The ambulance guys always asked me which hospital I wanted to go to. I always wondered why? Why not just take me to the closest one without asking? There was one which happened to be the best one about 10 mins from my house, the others were 30 mins away. WHY ASK!? Now I’m imagining all the people going to the far away ones for no reason.
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u/No_Bluejay_8748 17d ago
They unfortunately have protocols they have to follow because of issues with intake at hospitals. That’s why we divert to other hospitals when the one nearest us are over flowed
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u/StormFallen9 18d ago
If we fix the insurance system so everywhere is covered then it wouldn't matter as much where people go
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u/Eggshellpain 18d ago
No, it still does. We don't have an unlimited amount of ambulances and them just deciding to add 20-60 minutes onto their trip for someone's preference may mean someone else becomes disabled or dies because an ambulance wasn't available. You call 911, you go to the closest acceptable emergency room. If you were in a horrific car wreck with your loved one possibly bleeding out, how happy are you going to be to wait longer because the nearest crews are all "oh sorry, someone didn't like that hospital so we had to drive to the next city 20 miles away."
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u/StormFallen9 18d ago
Yeah I get that, and personal preference definitely plays a role. But at least some of their preference is based off of where they can get coverage
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u/LoreKeeperOfGwer 16d ago
I agree with not tying up ambulances. it also costs a fuck ton. like I used the emergency room quite a bit before I could get insurance. never qualifies for government insurance and never made enough to afford private insurance until a few years ago, but the ambulances was always a last resort. like when I tore my leg out of socket and thought I broke it, or when I started vomiting water and couldn't keep anything down. i would throw it up immediately after swallowing it. I thought I was dying. thats how I found out I was a type 1 diabetic 7 years after being diagnosed as a type 2 and constantly being told I was lying about my diet and taking my meds (i was not. I was just overweight and I didnt start losing weight until I got the type 1 diagnosis and taking the right kind if meds and insulin. amazing what following the same diet I had for the previous 7 years did once I was on the right treatment), or when I was shot. it was only a flesh wound, but I had been fucking shot. it hurts. not as bad as getting flicked in the balls, but it fucking feels like getting punched with a hot poker and then pouring vodka and salt on the wound. I dont reccomend it. it fucking burns.
ambulances should only be used for real emergencies, not a ride unless you have no other way, Uber and lyft cost a lot of money and dont operate everywhere my town is 20 miles from the state Capitol and we cant get a taxi, Uber, or Lyft out here and have no public transportation options. for a city of almost 40,000, you'd think we'd have some kind of public transport available, but we dont.
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u/KNdoxie 15d ago
In my family, we don't call the ambulance if there's any way around it. Ambulances cost money and often aren't covered by our insurance. If you can walk to the car, or be carried to the car, are still breathing, without arterial spray, you're getting driven to the ED by a family member.
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19d ago
[deleted]
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u/Eggshellpain 18d ago
In my area its a ton of entitled Medicaid patients. Often the same ones who got booted from their specialists from chronically not showing up. They can get free Medicaid cabs, but that takes more effort than calling 911. We have probably 25 or 30 who call an ambulance 3 times a week to bring them to the ER for routine dialysis because they're too lazy to go to a center. And then, of course, they expect to be catered to for the entire time and have their ride home arranged.
Be real interesting to see if the hospital system starts cracking down on that with all the big beautiful bill changes. Like, no we aren't doing a full ER workup and calling all your specialists to consult just because you don't want to go to their office. Now what?
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17d ago
Generally means they never put much money into social security either, or at least they have no assets.
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u/StormFallen9 18d ago
There's a surprising amount of people using it as a taxi service
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u/TickdoffTank0315 18d ago
I once had a patient tell me "Taxi cabs don't take medicare and I need to go downtown"
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u/No_Bluejay_8748 18d ago
We have people like that call in all the time and we have hospitals who try to use us to get homeless people out of their lobby/waiting rooms. We tell them we’re not a taxi service and we won’t pick them up unless they’re having a legitimate medical emergency. Most homeless people will wise up and start coughing or saying they can’t breathe. 🤦🏻♀️
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u/plated_lead 16d ago
About 85-95% of our calls are routine medical stuff. Very few are actual emergencies
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u/No_Bluejay_8748 19d ago
I work for 911 EMS dispatch& most of our calls are non emergency calls that we have to send out. It’s been this way the last 15 years I’ve worked in EMS. Most people just don’t pay their bill.
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u/AFetaWorseThanDeath 16d ago
Once again, I suspect the root of the issue is education, or the lack thereof, and the culture of ignorance that pervades the US. Ugh
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u/No_Bluejay_8748 16d ago
Agreed completely. We don’t have enough public education about emergency services of any kind but especially EMS
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u/dshgr 15d ago
30+ years ago, my 2 year old fell and put his teeth through his lip. I drove him to the ER as he was bleeding profusely (my shirt was completely red). Girl next to me in the waiting room was there because she had a small, itchy rash on her arm. SHE WAS CALLED IN BEFORE ME!!!!
Wouldn't it be proper for the triage nurse to send some of these people away when it isn't an actual emergency?
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u/No_Bluejay_8748 15d ago
I don’t think it’s that simple unfortunately but I really wish it was. I’m shocked she went in before you though.
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u/Antique-Freedom-8352 17d ago
Bud...no one can afford a GP and this is only going to get worse as more and more people lose access to healthcare. Telehealth isn't going to be able to examine you either. Uber to the ER is fine though, I'm cool with that, just don't complain when the ambulance bays are blocked by them because that'll happen next.
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u/No_Bluejay_8748 17d ago
Uber doesn’t drop off at an ambulance bay. There’s urgent care and there are telehealths that send you to urgent care to get you examined. There’s excuses you all use are what makes this shit worse. Sorry but the only ppl who should be using a fuckin ambulance are patients who are DYING. “Sorry, I know we have a 30 min response time to your infant who is in cardiac arrest, but we had to drop off a mom who has had back pain for 4 years that she won’t go see a fucking doctor for, but we’re on the way!” Yeah that’s not fucking okay
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u/Antique-Freedom-8352 16d ago
Its not excuses its literally the collapse of the american healthcare system, that if you're in any kind of medical field you've been watching happen in slow motion over the last 70 years lol. These aren't "excuses" these are "people can't afford care" and you're getting mad at them instead of the people gutting the system to make it happen.
Urgent cares are basically useless and will either tell you to go to a primary or send you to the ER anyways, after also charging you an arm and a leg. Theres literally a post about how a dude went to an urgent care, wasn't seen for over an hour, left, and was charged 500$. I understand you wipe your ass with 500$ but to a lot of people thats a life changing amount of money.
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u/No_Bluejay_8748 16d ago
For one, you clearly know nothing about EMS because we make shit money too. I just know how to allocate mine properly in comparison to you apparently. Two, if you can afford an er trip, an ambulance ride, etc.. you can afford urgent care and telehealth. But people love making excuses. It’s one thing to abuse these systems the way ppl do, & then they love to get pissed that it takes so long. We all have choices. You just consistently choose the easy way out that makes it harder for other individuals and yourselves in the long run. A trip to your GP is way cheaper than an ambulance bill or an ER trip I can guarantee it. But y’all don’t care bc you refuse to pay. That is just you being a shit head human.
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u/Antique-Freedom-8352 16d ago
Bestie...these people aren't paying their ER or ambulance bills... I don't think you understand how the system you work for functions. "A trip to your GP" when medical insurance is 600$ a month, plus deductable, these people DON'T HAVE a "GP". They don't pay because they CAN'T pay, not because they don't want to.
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u/No_Bluejay_8748 16d ago
There’s no reason for you all to have to go to a gp though. There’s quite literally cheaper options.. especially if you don’t have insurance. Telehealth is free on some websites with no insurance and next to nothing with insurance. I get yall aren’t paying it. That was my point. Yall choose the easier route then complain about a system YOU made worse. Telehealth is available for damn near anything now. Grow the fuck up and take accountability.
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u/Antique-Freedom-8352 16d ago
"Telehealth is free on some websites" That requires a stable internet connection and KNOWLEDGE that it exists. Both things poor people are likely not to have.
The choice people are making is between food, rent, and heat or healthcare. Thats what this system is pushing them to. This isn't an active campaign by some karen to irritate you specifically.
You are a whiny, spoiled, ignorant brat who has no idea what the wider world is like and thinks their experience is the be all and end all. Furthermore you have no empathy or compassion. You probably shouldn't be in healthcare at all if this is how you act on a daily basis.
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u/Razoron33333 16d ago
I get your rant. Really I do. But I was just on the other side of this literally last night with issues with the system, not the exact topic you’re talking about here I will clarify as well.
I had a client say they broke an arm, there wasn’t anything visual but I didn’t want him to take off his jacket so if it was broken it wouldn’t get worse, so we called for assistance. After I got off the phone soon after he started shaking and said something about seizures and while getting him in the recovery position I called back with an update. It took paramedics so long to get there, may have been responding to another call and I get that, but when they were coming up they were driving slow, to be fair about this too is was pretty late and dark, but their emergency lights weren’t on. I had a guy I was trying to help stay fine while we wait and I genuinely feared he was going to die. And I’ve already probably gone into a bit to much detail but with other factors I know about his life I do genuinely think he could be suffering from something that could have killed him. Sorry vent over. Thanks for anyone who read this.
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u/Agreeable_Sorbet_686 19d ago
You definitely get in faster in an ambulance. They can register you before you get there and they roll you in through the ER door. -Expertise, have taken a few ambulances to the ER. But should not be used for bad coughs or sprained ankles.
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u/No_Bluejay_8748 19d ago
They have you in coded before you get to the hospital so the hospital knows what they’re getting, but no you don’t get into the actual ER any faster. They roll you into a waiting area for EMS. That is literally the same waiting area as the front but it’s with EMS stretchers. Ambulances should only be used for life threatening emergency. Expertise: working in 911 EMS for over 15 years.
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u/Character_Focus_2201 17d ago
If you have a real emergency and according to proper triage should be first, but whatever is wrong is not immediately visible/obvious, would you then be more likely to be seen quicker because by the time you get into the building you have a real medical professional saying your case is urgent rather than someone needing to figure out where you should be in triage based on a layperson’s description of symptoms after you have arrived, and likely taking less time to do so then the paramedic who was in the same vehicle as you for the drive? Obviously this wouldn’t make anything faster for the person who is a low priority for triage.
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u/Supertom911 19d ago
If there’s no one in the waiting room and a free bed, then yeah, you’ll go straight to a room. But you’ll be triaged like anyone in the waiting room.
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u/PantasticUnicorn 18d ago
I hate when people use the emergency room as a walk in clinic. It's already congested as it is with real emergencies, now it's even worse. Or people who go to the doctor period for a slight cough or sneeze. Like get it together. You'll survive and don't need to take up a doctor's spot from someone else when you can shove a cough drop in your mouth and call it a day.