Costly medicine: A look inside Ben Taub’s ER

Costly medicine: A look inside Ben Taub’s ER

Inadequate mental health care is another reason overburdening the ER: “When their illnesses turn into crises, the only option is an astronomically expensive visit to a public emergency room. Dr. Daniel Garza, medical director for Ben Taub’s outpatient psychiatric clinic, says it’s not unusual for mental patients to call 911 and be transported by ambulance — all in desperate bids to get a prescription filled. In recent months, the doctor says, the number of such cases at Ben Taub has only sharpened.”