A new report card on the state of emergency medicine gives California the nation's highest marks. But some ER doctors say California's grade from the American College of Emergency Physicians is inflated. KPBS Reporter Kenny Goldberg has more.
The report card grades each state's emergency medical system in four different categories, including injury prevention and access to care. Overall California received a B plus.
Dr. Miles Riner is president-elect of the California chapter of the American College of Emergency Physicians. He thinks the grade is misleading.
Riner: "We have a serious problem in California with emergency department overcrowding. We have almost the lowest number of hospital beds per thousand population."
And Riner says the state is suffering from a nursing shortage.
All told, Riner believes California's ERs just don't have the capacity to deal with public health emergencies like a massive flu outbreak.
Kenny Goldberg, KPBS News.
