Today I returned home from the emergency room with my family at 9am. We waited 10 hours (9am - 7am) to get a cast on my 2 yr old daughter who had a slight fracture to her elbow. They initially said we would be there no longer than two hours. After 3 hours I inquired about being discharged to go somewhere else to get care. They told me I couldn’t leave because, in their fancy and confusing medical language, it was illegal. I didn’t know any better and believed them but my gut told me they were lying. After being held hostage with my family into the early morning, I found a website that went over patient rights and advocacy. The little information there gave me the courage to demand to be discharged. Once they noticed I wasn’t afraid anymore, they made every effort to get the orthopedic in our room within 30 minutes. It turns out I could have walked out whenever I wanted but they scared us into staying because… Can someone help me better understand this?

Posted by Andres Ortega at 2024-06-28 21:16:16 UTC