Jeffery Thompson, chief medical officer for Washingtons Medicaid program, was quoted in as blaming the tremendous overuse and abuse of the states emergency departments on emergency room doctors [State to sharply limit payment for ER visits, NWWednesday, Feb. 8].
Washington Medicaid's chief medical officer, Jeffery Thompson, MD, said that 97% of Medicaid clients don't exceed emergency room visits in a given year, but that a "small number who exceed that limit are responsible for scores of visits," mostly for chronic conditions and pain complaints that result