has your pediatrician sent you to the ER needlessly? Bad experience

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I guess I must be missing something. Because when I or my child goes to the ER and the doc says that we're checked out okay and don't really need to be there, and can go back to our regular pediatrician, I'm happy and relieved and say Thank YOU! about 50,000 times. But it sounds like OP and a couple of other posters go to the ER hoping that there will be a chest-cracking and a blood transfusion and an organ transplant and a need for major trauma surgery and a long stay with tubes and beeping machines and weeping and wailing and codes and the ER docs saying "you got here just in time". I guess I'm really missing something, huh?

This is OP. Yes you are missing something, you are missing the point - I am not a doctor, why did the ped asked me to come to her office when I described the problem, and THEN send me to the ER, why not calling an ambulance? What if there are complications on the way? The reason she sent me to the ER is simple Because she did not want us hanging around in her office any longer!! At that point she "hopefully" knew my son was in no danger and could have waited to see the reaction for the medicine, and in any case give him another dose. I just wanted to know if this was a normal MO for pediatricians in the area, as another person pointed out, apparently it is.

Because your child did not require an ambulance. Not everyone who goes to the hospital needs to arrive by ambulance. Just because your pediatrician felt that your child needed a check at the hospital did not mean your child needed to arrive their by ambulance. My pediatrician has sent us twice to the emergency room, appropriately. Neither time have we arrived by ambulance. You sound hysterical.

[Anonymous]

You are right! I am so grateful he is OK.

[Anonymous]

I agree with OP, sometimes the ped sends you to the ER just to get you out of their hair... it's a space issue, an insurance reimbursement issue, and a liability issue. Of course we all want doctors to err on the side of caution, but if the same medicine can be administered safely in a doctor's office and the child monitored, it is a waste of ER resources to go to the hospital.

Recently my toddler had a nasty case of croup. I noticed some trouble breathing, took him to the ped, who treated him in the office with a nebulizer. Never once did they mention that he had croup or give me any kind of diagnosis whatsoever. They just said, he needs a longer nebulizer, you'll have to go to the ER, but don't worry, breathing problems are always seen right away, they can't leave you sitting around. Once at the ER, the admitting nurse took one listen to him and said, "He's got croup. Take a seat in the waiting room." Of course, there isn't a lot they can do to treat croup, it's pretty much wait and see. I was glad we went to the ER because they gave me the proper diagnosis and a healthy dose of reassurance, but I was highly irritated at the pediatrician for sending us there. So yes, peds do jump the gun, and no, it isn't always a good thing.

[Anonymous]

The pp who mentioned the liability issue is correct.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I agree with OP, sometimes the ped sends you to the ER just to get you out of their hair... it's a space issue, an insurance reimbursement issue, and a liability issue. Of course we all want doctors to err on the side of caution, but if the same medicine can be administered safely in a doctor's office and the child monitored, it is a waste of ER resources to go to the hospital.

Recently my toddler had a nasty case of croup. I noticed some trouble breathing, took him to the ped, who treated him in the office with a nebulizer. Never once did they mention that he had croup or give me any kind of diagnosis whatsoever. They just said, he needs a longer nebulizer, you'll have to go to the ER, but don't worry, breathing problems are always seen right away, they can't leave you sitting around. Once at the ER, the admitting nurse took one listen to him and said, "He's got croup. Take a seat in the waiting room." Of course, there isn't a lot they can do to treat croup, it's pretty much wait and see. I was glad we went to the ER because they gave me the proper diagnosis and a healthy dose of reassurance, but I was highly irritated at the pediatrician for sending us there. So yes, peds do jump the gun, and no, it isn't always a good thing.

Thank you! This was exactly my point! So, in these cases, go to the ER in the first place, you are going to be sent there anyways! Fortunately our insurance covers it, although the co-payment is higher. I don't mind going to the ER, my child's health is a priority, but I do mind taking space and resources away from others who do not have other option but to go to the ER. So what is the point of having a ped? Just to administer vaccines and regular well check-ups? This is not alleviating the ER crisis in the hospitals. Could someone recommend a ped that would at least make an effort not to send you to the ER for liability issues?