Abey Thomas

It’s not on the PCP. You guys are overbooked, forced to cram complicated patients into 10 minute visit slots, then expected to document after hours for hours, fill out endless paperwork (ahem, prior auth), answer patient messages and review results, and then somehow maintain patient experience scores while you barely have time to even pee between patients. We feel ya—you’re the backbone of healthcare and we went wrong when we let corporations take over and run your offices like factories. Your overflow floods into the ER, but that’s not a failure on you, it’s the system— a reimbursement system, a corporatization system…

Q: Why are waits at emergency rooms so long? A: Because the rest of the healthcare system is failing. The patient did everything right, but the healthcare system did them so so so wrong. 🧵… They call their PCP, but can’t get an appointment. So they turn to the ER. They call their specialist, but the call line (automated, no human to respond) says go to the ER. They try to pick up their new medicine, but it’s 3x their monthly rent $ and they already work 3 minimum wage jobs…so they turn to the ER to get a dose of medicine. They try to get their imaging done, but can’t get the prior auth approved. So they come to the ER to get it. Their employer won’t let them take a sick day without a work note (and the ER is the only thing open they can get into TODAY). They need to see their doctor in the clinic, but can’t afford to take time off work to go, much less arrange childcare, and the ER is the only thing open when all those conditions sync up. They lost their job and now have no insurance and can’t see their doctors anyways. So they come to the ER. The list goes on and on and on… Healthcare reform is not about healthcare — it’s about economics, corporate greed, lobby dollars, transportation, housing, politics/policy, culture, and more…