Emergency room explodes at seams – Employer holds keys to change

One night in July 1996, I woke up on the sofa with scrubs. After 36 hours of transfer in the ICU, I collapsed. My stomach rumbled and I went to the kitchen to let myself eat something. Within minutes, I cut my wrist with a great chef's knife. I remember thinking, “Huh? In July? Friday? No.” Instead, I cleaned my wounds, sewed myself, applied butterfly strips, and had dinner.

I don't like going to the Emergency Department (ED) – for me it's just for a real emergency. While my story is obviously an extreme example, I want to emphasize the importance of people considering their situation and knowing their choice of care regardless of their medical expertise, background or age.

After the pandemic, when we need medical care, many of us still run to the emergency room, even if it’s not the best place for us to need treatment. When we consider this through the lens of generations, baby boomers and Gen Z go to the emergency room disproportionately when they get more convenient, affordable options. Let's see why this happens and how employers can make a difference.

Opportunities to improve generational medical literacy

We are in the emergency room visits that have exceeded population growth. At the same time, half of our consumers have a low level of “systemic literacy” in their health insurance. Boomers and Z Gen together make up 33% of the workforce, but many simply don't know how to use their benefits effectively and are burdening the system that bursts at the seams.

As they enter the U.S. workforce, Gen Z employees are tending to over-utilize ED to quickly address their healthcare needs, especially for mental health conditions. They are usually unsure how much their benefits cover and postponed routine check-ups and expert visits. Baby boomers are not in good condition. Nearly half of the baby boomers are working at age 70 or planning. This generation has not grown with alternatives such as urgent care or virtual visits. Instead, they went straight to the emergency room for medical emergency. So when the health care benefits of baby boomers cover better alternatives, they often go to the emergency room.

Two generations in the workplace are fighting medical literacy, which means employers have unique opportunities to activate system-wide changes, especially in emergencies.

Make room for real emergencies

Increasing health care costs can lead to people who skip recommended medical care and delayed care. This can increase unnecessary access and snowball the cost of healthcare. On average, emergency room access makes $646 for insured and $1,807 for their employer. One study even showed that people with lower health literacy were more likely to visit ED and return within 14 days. For individuals, this is $1,292 in two weeks and its employer is $3,614. By comparison, the average selling price for regular visits to primary care providers or professionals ranges from $26 to $44.

Using ED for non-imposed is more than just a cost issue. In our broken systems, there will always be people who need to use ED, such as those who rely on Medicaid, and those who have experienced major life events such as heart attacks, limb ruptures, or psychological events. As more Medicare members access ED more frequently, the cornerstone of our healthcare system begins to break under pressure. To keep the system working, we have to provide space for emergency rooms for these populations, which is why employers’ behavior can have a strong impact on people with other options.

Educate employees to better utilize health and outcomes

Employers can drive change by educating employees when to use the emergency room and, more importantly, how to maximize their own welfare. This includes the first time guiding Z Gen employees to navigate on health insurance and reminding the baby boomers how to manage chronic diseases.

Proactive employer communication can help employees use their healthcare benefits wisely:

●Encourage quarterbacks – Check in with employees to ensure they have annual visits to primary care providers for age-appropriate screening, blood tests and prescription guidance. Relationship with PCP can have a huge impact on long-term physical and mental health.

●Educate alternatives – Make sure every employee understands how to use emergency care centers and telehealth benefits. Compared to ED, these accesses are usually more expensive and time-consuming than ED.

●Embrade Online Resources – Enable members to access accessible online resources such as search tools for finding PCPs and fast cost estimators for professional access. Introduce these tools during onboarding.

The cost of using ED to achieve non-excitation is more than many people pay for monthly student loans and harming already vulnerable systems. Employers who bridge the knowledge gap and educate their employees in an attractive way can promote a healthier workforce and relieve ED stress. The emergency room will always serve us, but employers should take steps toward an affordable, lifelong health condition, not just expensive ED visits when paying.

Images: Ekspansio, Getty Images

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