Louisville, KY, looks to ease ER backlogs

Officials in Louisville, KY, are looking at a new screening system for 911 calls as a way to reduce overcrowding in emergency rooms and limit ambulance runs. Hundreds of ambulances are sent out each year in the city to respond to ailments that might not require one, officials said. Many of them go to 911 operators either because the patients making the calls have limited health insurance or they have no doctor or one who is unavailable. If the system is enacted, 911 calls deemed low priority would be rerouted to a registered nurse, who would determine what care is needed.