TX: Drunk Drivers Pay for Trauma Care
November 16, 2007
For years, states have been using the awards from their lawsuits against tobacco companies to fund health programs. Texas has expanded that philosophy. In 2003, the state passed a law allowing judges to levy fines on those regularly caught drinking (or drugging) and driving. The monies from the repeat offenders are used to help hospitals pay for the ER care often needed by victims of these accident-prone drivers. Often, the funds are used to cover the costs of helping the uninsured - whom hospitals are required to treat by law - when they arrive in the ER after being hit by a drunk or drug-using driver.
Collaboration Saves Lives
October 29, 2007
USA Today has an article, Atlanta becomes a template for improving EMS, about the city-wide collaboration to improve emergency response. The results are pretty impressive.
“Since September 2005, the survival rate for such patients in Atlanta has jumped from less than 3% to 15%. That’s well above the 6% to 10% survival rate for most cities that was identified in a 2003 analysis by USA TODAY.”
It is impressive that the Mayor of Atlanta took the initiative to improve the city’s emergency response. The program involves using technology to better coordinate data between EMS, 911 call centers and hospitals to better track success rates.
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