Woman refuses to wear mask in ER

[kymom99]

Maybe she did but that expectation was misplaced. We really don’t have much of a “live free or die” mentality in this culture and don’t feel personally threatened by conforming to rules. Especially ones that make total sense in the context.

Public health care is NOT free. It’s tax payer funded and we all pay our (rather large) share. Please tell me why we than should not avail ourselves of care when it’s needed? Public health care means we don’t have to DIY our own broken bones or go bankrupt when we get cancer.

Now that is laughable. Here one simply does not self-refer to a specialist. Primary care providers are the gate-keepers to all levels of specialized care. You don’t just call up an orthopedist, a gynaecologist, a paediatrician, a dermatologist or even a psychiatrist for that matter. It’s just how it works here.

Not to mention the fact that if you called your GP to make an appointment to be seen for a suspected broken bone, the first thing they’d do is tell you to go immediately to urgent care (if available) or the ER.

That’s what I said. You call your doctor and they will tell you to see an ortho. Like the doctor said in a previous post, unless a bone is broken through the skin you don’t need the ER.

 

[ronandannette]

That’s what I said. You call your doctor and they will tell you to see an ortho. Like the doctor said in a previous post, unless a bone is broken through the skin you don’t need the ER.

Sorry - your exact words were that you make an appointment with an ortho. Not possible here.

 

[monsterkitty]

urgent care

I'm in the US. My insurance doesn't cover any urgent care facilities. If it's after hours I have to go to the ER.

That said, I walked on a broken ankle for 3 weeks when I was 14 so I probably would wait a few days for a broken finger.

 

[Searc]

That’s what I said. You call your doctor and they will tell you to see an ortho. Like the doctor said in a previous post, unless a bone is broken through the skin you don’t need the ER.

No, most doctors will make you come in to confirm it's broken, THEN they'll tell you to see an ortho. Or, depending on how severe the break is, they'll splint it and call it good.

 

[monsterkitty]

No, most doctors will make you come in to confirm it's broken, THEN they'll tell you to see an ortho. Or, depending on how severe the break is, they'll splint it and call it good.

This is exactly what happened a few years ago when I broke my ankle again. I called my doctor's office, they asked me a few questions, and they sent me to the ER. The ER took x-rays and the ortho in the ER put it in a splint. I was given a referral to another ortho for a follow up. I had to wait 2 weeks before I could go in. The wait complicated the healing process and made the surgery more difficult.

 

[NAB]

Here in Canada if it is a broken bone or bleeding you go to the hospital. We do have Urgent Care but people go there for minor things that might need a prescription like ear infections etc if they can’t get into the doctor that day.

 

[Praying Colonel]

Wow, did she get ratioed--as well she should.

 

[fab1976]

Another Canadian here weighing in on ER for broken bone. Broken bones go to the emergency room, period. You don’t wait around, you don’t go see your primary doctor, you don’t see an orthopedic doctor for it. A family doctor here will say yes, go to the ER for a broken bone. If you showed up at the family doctor for a suspected broken bone they would look at you like you’re insane for going there lol. ER’s set the bone after xrays, then you typically go to a fracture clinic within the next couple of days for a better look at it and a better cast. Follow ups are done there as well. I have had two kids with broken wrists in the last 5 years, sadly I know what I’m typing about with that.

 

[aggiedog]

I think the big disconnect here regarding where to go is the vast, vast difference between US and Canadian health care systems. We in the US are pretty much on our own to figure out what we need and where to get it, except you first have to figure out if your insurance will pay. If you have insurance. And if the radiologist is also on your plan, or the ER doctor, or if there is an urgent care near you, or if your plan requires a referral first, etc, etc. And what worked last time might not work this time if your employer changed plans this past January or July, or if you switched jobs. And maybe your plan is different than your kids' because it's cheaper to put them on your spouse's plan. Byzantine best describes it.

 

[mommasita]

I think the big disconnect here regarding where to go is the vast, vast difference between US and Canadian health care systems. We in the US are pretty much on our own to figure out what we need and where to get it, except you first have to figure out if your insurance will pay. If you have insurance. And if the radiologist is also on your plan, or the ER doctor, or if there is an urgent care near you, or if your plan requires a referral first, etc, etc. And what worked last time might not work this time if your employer changed plans this past January or July, or if you switched jobs. And maybe your plan is different than your kids' because it's cheaper to put them on your spouse's plan. Byzantine best describes it.

Ooh boy, that is confusing indeed

No, none of that. Maybe dental, but the secretary figures It out, sends it electronically to your insurer, what is not covered you pay. That is how it works for me anyway.

Aside from that, it is basically as @ronandannette stated., Bones and ribs are. things I do NOT mess around with, other things I am perfectly fine with my Dr or a clinic.

 

[TLSnell1981]

You call your doctor. Typically you make an appointment with an orthopedic doctor.

No need to rush to the ER for a simple fracture. It can wait.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I’m wondering if the verb will be Letita’d or Montana’d? I think I like the former best!

BTW I encountered someone like this recently in the hospital who could not accept the new rules around visiting and preferred to argue about it for a while. This is not uncommon in hospitals, unfortunately. Clearly the rules did not apply to them!

 

[Pea-n-Me]

With our medical practice (the one we get our care from) they allow self-referral to specialists. If it is urgent we may need to go through primary care first, but in some cases a phone call about the issue will suffice so they can call and get you in a little earlier if possible. In urgent or emergent situations, the specialist is available right away.

Two situations I can recall. First, my young son had pain in his foot, with a little swelling, and I had trouble getting his shoe on. I took him to the pediatrician. They did xrays on site and determined he had a fracture. We walked down the hall to Orthopedics where an Orthopedist fit him in a cast.

Second was my mother was having pain in her knee. Took her to PCPs office where we saw an NP. Xrays revealed a fractured hip! Orthopedist consulted right then and there and next thing you know we are in an ambulance on our way to the hospital of our choice for a hip repair which occurred the next morning bright and early (on a Saturday).

I think the bigger picture is sometimes involved when it comes to medical care here in the US. It helps to live in a place where great medical care is readily available and to get your care at a place that has most services right onsite as well as user-friendly hours. Ours does this in part to keep ER costs low. The only time we have to go to the ER, really, is overnight. Once in a while we’ve been sent directly there when we called in to the nurse line and they directed us to do so, knowing they didn’t have the capability to handle it, such as when DS had appendicitis.

 

[TLSnell1981]

Not everything is an emergency. We avoid the ER if possible. One NEVER knows what illness you may pick up in the waiting room. It may worse than the ailment that requires treatment

 

[kaytieeldr]

As a physician, I find it funny that she thinks her broken finger trumps a potentially lethal virus that can be prevented with a mask.

As a civilian, I find it even funnier that the injury was a possible broken finger.

 

[declansdad]

No need to rush to the ER for a simple fracture. It can wait.

The sooner a fracture is dealt with, the better it will heal.

 

[KBoopaloo]

I like the tweet warning her she's about to become a verb. All the actually-named Karens will appreciate the break.

I can confirm.

 

[TLSnell1981]

The sooner a fracture is dealt with, the better it will heal.

Are saying a simple fracture can't wait until the morning or be handled by an ortho?

 

[declansdad]

Are saying a simple fracture can't wait until the morning or be handled by an ortho?

I'm saying the sooner its taken care of, the better it will heal and you will have fewer issues in the future.

 

[Donald13]

I'm saying the sooner its taken care of, the better it will heal and you will have fewer issues in the future.

Agreed. Why wait for an apt with a specialist?