US and A - Hospitals and Health Insurers expect 911-calls placed in Emergency Room waiting areas to be the rule rather than the exception in the very near future.
Following in the footsteps of "Plastics" some fifty years ago, Just-In-Time Surgical Care is now considered a critical growth area. It is believed that the Telecommunications Industry will also want in on the action.
The concept was highlighted recently when a woman died while waiting to be seen at Martin Luther King Jr.-Harbor Hospital in Los Angeles. Her family tried unsuccessfully to get the hospital staff to help her as she lay dying. So they called 911 out of desperation, however the dispatcher also refused to help.
"We should only help people who are serious about getting well," said chief medical officer Burston Prick. "The in-hospital 911 call is a major indicator of a patient's desire to live. As they say, the Lord only helps those who help themselves!"
Of course, any calls made may be reimbursed after a patient files the proper paperwork.