As an Emergency Medicine Physician I find the ER Utilization Program proposed changes extremely disturbing.  It takes years of intensive training to learn the skills and knowledge required to make safe decisions regarding signs and symptoms of disease.  To expect a "layperson" without medical training to determine, at home, whether or not they have a serious condition, is unsafe and lives will be lost.  Emergency rooms will be forced to cut staffing (already a major issue, especially since the arrival of Covid-19) even further which will increase the number of bad outcomes as patients will have to wait even longer to be seen.  Studies have shown that minority groups will be disproportionately affected by Medicaid reimbursement cuts.  These are only a few of the serious problems I see with the proposed changes. 

Respectfully,

Jason DeLong, MD