American College of Emergency Physicians
Novenber 11, 2022
Emergency rooms are clogged with people who are waiting for inpatient beds or other care and it's causing a crisis, according to the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP).
ACEP is one of more than 30 medical, patient advocacy and public health and safety groups who have sent a letter to the White House asking for a summit to work on immediate and long-term solutions.
The problem is urgent as U.S. emergency rooms deal with a "tripledemic" -- the respiratory disease threat of influenza, COVID-19 and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).
Dubbed "boarding," the problem means too many patients are waiting to be seen by ER doctors, for hospital admission, to return to their nursing home or to be transferred to psychiatric, skilled nursing or other specialized facilities.
"Boarding has been an unresolved, systemic challenge for decades, but it's currently at a level that we've never seen," said ACEP President Dr. Christopher Kang.
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