ERs fail as the nation’s safety net

Los Angeles Times, February 11, 2008

The long waits that government inspectors say endanger emergency room patients at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center can also be found in backlogged hospitals across the country, according to the American College of Emergency Physicians. The group surveyed 1,000 emergency care physicians and found that one in five knew of a patient who had died because of having to wait too long for care.