Deny Transport?

[Code 8 Paramedic]

Hey so I was reading this article in JEMS and it says that about 40% or so services reported being able to deny transport to patients. Now I know this doesnt fly anywere ive ever worked... so I was wondering can anyone here deny a pateint transport to the hosptial? and if so under what cirrumstances can you deny to take a patient?

[njmedic1485]

Hey so I was reading this article in JEMS and it says that about 40% or so services reported being able to deny transport to patients. Now I know this doesnt fly anywere ive ever worked... so I was wondering can anyone here deny a pateint transport to the hosptial? and if so under what cirrumstances can you deny to take a patient?

Here in the peoples Republic of new Jersey, where litigation is a spectator sport. I can't imagine that would fly for a second

[spenac]

Medical director allows use of common sense. If person say's sneezed last week and decided that because they can't sleep tonight that they want to go by ambulance, if all vitals are ok we can refuse. When have doubt and cannot get in contact with medical director we transport. But we are also 90 miles from hospital and the only ambulance so when we do transport the community is uncovered for at least 4 hours. Nearest mutual aid is an hour away assuming their one ambulance is available. I am curious to see others protocols that allow deny patients transport as we are about to redo our protocols.

[EmergencyMedicalTigger]

Unfortunately, we can't refuse transport. Sometimes I feel like we're the medicaid medical taxi. There have been several people in our district that the county has actually had to intervene with PD and report for 9-1-1 abuse.

[scratrat]

Here in Florida, at least where I am, you cannot refuse to transport someone no matter what. We also have to call in every refusal to a supervisor for clearance of that refusal. They acually go a little overboard trying to get everyone to go to the ED. HOWEVER, lets say someone calls mt at 3am for a toothache. I will try to explain to them that they will probably sit in triage, and 99% on the time, doctors will not give out pain meds and will just tell you to seek a dentist. If it's blantanly obvious that they have no medical emergency, I will try to convince them that they are wasting their time and money without coming out and saying it.

[Sassafras]

Nope. No can do.

[ant4111]

No how, no way,

Here in SA once you have accepted the call it would be considered as a "duty to act" and by leaving the patient behind or refusing the patient transport you would be possibly had for abandonment.

Cheers

Andy

[AnthonyM83]

We're a private ambulance company...CEO wants that money. We don't refuse.

I'm always trying to figure out the best way to dissuade patients, though....I'd like to not contribute further to abuse of the EMS system.

[tskstorm]

Hey so I was reading this article in JEMS and it says that about 40% or so services reported being able to deny transport to patients. Now I know this doesnt fly anywere ive ever worked... so I was wondering can anyone here deny a pateint transport to the hosptial? and if so under what cirrumstances can you deny to take a patient?

quick note, did this article say they were 9-1-1 services?

when i worked doing transport we can refuse to take any pt with elevated bp's unstable vitals etc.. UNLESS there destionation is an ER, but if we get called to pick up to go to a nursing home from a hospital floor and the pt needs o2 or bag or intubation etc... we can refuse the pt.

we can also refuse pt's if we deem it not safe for us ...

like 2 months ago i was rolling up to a hospital with my partner we get out the stretcher about to pick up a pt, security wouldnt let us in we asked why they said and i quote "psych pt got out" i was like alright, talked to dispatch said scene was unsafe send no more units to this location, the ER was on diversion no one was allowed in or out at all, in this case the call was offically put in as we refused to take the pt cuz we refused to wait at an "unsafe scene" ... its all political nonsense..

if its a 9-1-1 call we cannot refuse anyone period the end.

[spenac]

We're a private ambulance company...CEO wants that money. We don't refuse.

I'm always trying to figure out the best way to dissuade patients, though....I'd like to not contribute further to abuse of the EMS system.

If we actually got paid for a third of our calls we'ld be in the money. Most have no money and they do not qualify under their medicare / medicaid for the ambulance transport, and we will not lie in order to make it sound worse to try get paid. So most everyone when they they receive the bill just file it in the round file and we see nothing.