Any-sized facility filled with doctors, nurses and other medical professionals is crucial to battling a public health crisis and should have the same tools to do so as major hospitals.
That is why it is a good call for freestanding emergency centers to be able to accept Medicare and Medicaid during the COVID-19 pandemic. This recent decision by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services was overdue.
Freestanding emergency rooms are a valuable health resource in Brazoria County and other communities. Some conditions might require transferring to other hospitals, but for most emergency care, freestanding ERs can relieve hospitals’ caseloads by handling cases quickly.
Having the ability to accept Medicare and Medicaid is a preventative effort, said Kevin Herrington, Altus Emergency Centers president and a board member for state and national associations for freestanding emergency centers.
“More so, it is signaling that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services recognize the freestanding emergency center’s ability and role in the public health emergency,” Herrington said in an email. “It also ensures that Medicare patients have the ability to seek care at alternate sites.”
Altus in Lake Jackson has gained the designation to accept the programs. Angleton ER is in the application process and hopes to gain the designation as well, Angleton ER owner Dr. Keegan Massey said.
This could help disadvantaged patients who are forced to use a payment plan, he said.
Massey is unsure of how long the application process will take, since there are a number of requirements to meet for freestanding emergency centers to be legally categorized as emergency rooms by federal regulators.
It is good that there is a stringent application process to vet the facilities that will be responsible for human lives.
“You have to attest that you meet certain criteria, including four specific areas, and those are related to nursing services, inspection control, respiratory services and pharmacy,” Herrington said. “What we were lobbying for was a full recognition of services, but we got temporary, which was a good start.”
This designation should continue beyond the public health emergency.
Freestanding ERs have the tools to treat medical emergencies and sickness. What kind of insurance people use to pay their bills should not matter in a situation when they need immediate treatment.
It is great that hospitals, doctors’ offices and freestanding emergency centers have not been overwhelmed by a spike of COVID-19 patients in Brazoria County. That doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be as prepared as possible in case there is an influx in the future or another public health emergency arises.
Any policies that can relieve congestion in emergency rooms would be beneficial to all parties involved, including healthcare providers and patients. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services should keep this in mind in future decisions and consider making the designation permanent for freestanding facilities that have the same level of equipment and expertise on staff as those connected to a full-service hospital.