Unusual Names

Along with repeat offenders, I think I will start a regular feature on unusual names that I have heard about or directly encountered in the ED. How about Candy Disch? Or twins Unique and Dunique? I think Dunique got the raw deal there. Another fabled set of twins is Orangello and lemonjello. Spelling orange jello and lemon jello! More to come I hope.

An update on The Repeat offenders

Thus far, just by searching the patients I personally know, I have found some interesting results. One pt has been in this single ER 320 times over four years! During that time the pt has amassed an amazing 100 CTs! Think of the radiation exposure! This patients Mother has visited us 70 times as well during the same period. The average cost of a CT is something like $1500 (although some numbers I saw were closer to $3000. So this pt. has cost medicaid 150,000 in cat scans alone. ER visits run between $100 and 5000. lets assume an average of 500. There is and additional $160,000! so at least $310,000 for this one patient in the last 4 years, not counting the mother. I found another patient with 80 visits in two years, ad another with 47 in 8 months. This is ridiculous, to say the least.