Insured patients drive up ER visits

Some people in the medical community assume uninsured patients are driving up health care costs by using the nation's emergency rooms as doctors' offices.

But a recent report shows that more insured people are flocking to ERs, too. The Washington, D.C.,-based Center for Studying Health System

And white area health care observers cited several reasons for the trend, the most common belief was that people struggle so much to get appointments with general practitioners and specialists that they believe the ER is the only place to get immediate care.

"We are a society focused on getting service on demand," said Nancy Bonalumi, director of emergency services for Harrisburgbased PinnacleHealth System.

It might become even harder to schedule an appointment with a doctor in the future because of Pennsylvania's rising medicalmalpractice costs, said Paul Rovnak of Murray Insurance Associates Inc., Lancaster. If those costs drive some doctors from the state, he said, those doctors who are left will have more patients to take care of, and it will be even harder for patients to get appointments.