Japanese Woman Dies Being Refused Care After Visiting 30 Hospitals--- Could This Happen in America?

An 89-year-old woman died after an ambulance crew spent two hours trying 30 hospitals before finding one that would accept her for treatment, Japanese officials said Friday.

The woman's family called an ambulance early Tuesday morning after she became ill with vomiting and diarrhea, said Hideto Matsumoto


You might think this is not possible in the USA, but you might be wrong. Many hospitals all over the country right now are on what we call ER Diversion. ER Diversion means a hospital will divert every ambulance either because they cannot provide sufficient services or there are no open beds available. How can a hospital in this advanced 20th century not have adequate services. Easily as the on call specialist saga is reaching a critical point. Many specialists such as Neurosurgeons, Trauma surgeons, Cardiologists are in short supply secondary to simply decreased numbers or a refusal to take hospital call. Hospital call represents the bane of their existence as it interrupts family time, increases their medical liabilty in our "lawsuit for everything society," not to mention the millions of dollars in non-reimbursed care. I can tell you I work in a major city and Neuro diversion is more common than back pain and finding an oncall specialist, is like finding ancient ruins in the backyard. Transfers for specialist care can require calls to up 15 different hospitals up to 2 hours away. Incidents like the one in Japan have happened before in the US, maybe not the extreme above, but a similar event is inevitable if the on call specialists catastrophe is not addressed urgently.