ER docs warn: wait times already worse

Medicaid cuts piled on failing system likely to produce bad health outcomes

COLUMBUS — As they try to anticipate the loss of billions to the Ohio health care system, emergency doctors warned last month that it would make patient boarding a lot worse. That’s when people have to lie for hours in the emergency department, waiting for a bed to open up in the appropriate department of the hospital.

A sign for an emergency room. (Photo by David DeWitt, Ohio Capital Journal.)

Such waits are known to increase the likelihood of bad health outcomes and even death.

An analysis published in June found that even before Medicaid cuts kick in, the problem is getting a lot worse. Health Affairs, a peer-reviewed journal, published the analysis.

It found that boarding times reached their peak in January 2022 — which is partly attributable to the coronavirus pandemic. But it also found that they’re still elevated above their pre-pandemic levels.