New Jersey Ambulance Diversions Increase, According to Report
An average of one ambulance per hour in New Jersey is being diverted to another hospital as residents increasingly seek treatment in emergency departments throughout the state, according to a report released Tuesday by the Rutgers Center for State Health Policy, the Newark Star-Ledger reports. According to the report, ED visits in 2005 increased to 3.36 million -- a more than 25% increase since 1998.
The report found that the "state's hospitals appear to be extremely constrained" during peak periods, such as during flu season. Under current conditions, hospitals would have "almost no surge capacity available" to respond to major medical emergencies, such as a terrorist attack or flu pandemic, according to report author Derek DeLia, a senior policy analyst and Rutgers assistant professor.
New Jersey Health Commissioner Fred Jacobs said, "It's not always as simple as saying hospitals have fewer staffed beds. Emergency department diversions occur when units like critical care are full." The Star-Ledger reports that 17 acute care hospitals have shut down because of financial reasons since 1995, and other poor-performing hospitals could close while a commission -- created by Gov. Jon Corzine (D) in 2006 -- evaluates the distribution of the state's health care resources.
Meanwhile, New Jersey Hospital Association officials say EDs throughout the state are treating more uninsured patients, as well as those with no access to a primary care physician and insured patients who choose not to wait for physician appointments. The report notes that state residents with chronic health conditions also are using more emergency services.
Some inner-city hospitals have responded by developing chronic disease management programs, and DeLia said hospitals can try to manage factors that affect hospital capacity, for example, by ensuring patients are discharged in a timely manner. "Hospitals that are better at streamlining these kinds of issues can take on more volume," DeLia said (Stewart, Newark Star-Ledger, 9/5).
