Don't you just hate it when an unplanned medical emergency disrupts your schedule, delays your plans and generally ruins your day? What was supposed to be a fun night out turns into an extended wait in the emergency room. If only in this era of power-planning and multitasking, we could squeeze the inconvenience out of the ER trip.
Fret no more! Saint Anthony Hospital, has a solution: Make an appointment. Yes, that's right: Emergency room patients now have the opportunity to log in on the Internet and set an appointment at the ER.
After registering online and paying a fee, patients will be seen within 15 minutes of their scheduled time or the hospital part of the ER visit's charges will be waived, according to a press release.
"InQuickER allows patients to wait in the comfort of their homes until their designated reservation time, which makes waiting in line less of a burden," said Joe Hodges, Saint Anthony president.
In making the announcement of the service " the fifth of its kind nationwide " Saint Anthony officials admitted they were affiliated with "The End Is Near" and the "Wait is OvER" billboards dotting the metro landscape. Bucky, the Chicken-Fried News intern, thought they were promoting the "2012" sequel.
Looking for more ways to improve medical care delivery, Bucky is wondering if there could be a real economic opportunity here for scalpers: Phone in, make appointments and then sell the number in line to the highest bidder when they come to the ER. Shoot, he could even set up a futures market where people place margin buys on potential high- or low-demand time slots.
The market could be based on the type of ailment: A kid with a broken leg would be a much higher commodity than, say, a middle-aged man with a headache. Or your wife.