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Several important points were omitted from the March 12 story on legislation pertaining to emergency centers ["Emergency centers seek state regulations to qualify for reimbursements"], a story printed two weeks after a House of Delegates legislative hearing, a lifetime in the legislative process. The story failed to report that since that hearing, the Maryland Health Care Commission has worked on amendments to the bill that would allow its support; and it didn't mention the Senate hearing where a compromise was discussed. The story also failed to mention the governor's support for the legislation.

The commission's analysis on costs at the freestanding emergency centers versus other facilities was a faulty, apples-to-oranges comparison that did not analyze the actual cost. On page 43 of its own report, the commission acknowledges this: "As noted earlier, because the Germantown Emergency Center is not rate regulated, charge data for the facility is not directly comparable to the charge data reported by regulated hospital emergency departments." Indeed, the Germantown facility is low cost and has saved the state money since its opening.

Second, admission rate is not a true measure of acuity, as asserted. The Germantown Emergency Center treats a higher than average percentage of pediatric patients which, no matter where they go, are admitted at a lower rate than seniors. The facility has saved lives and improved access to emergency care in upper Montgomery County, treating everything from broken bones to stroke and heart attack patients.

Third, the emergency department volume at Shady Grove Adventist Hospital, once the busiest in Maryland, has dropped dramatically since the Germantown facility opened. The combined volume between the Shady Grove ER and the Germantown facility is fairly consistent with historical and projected trends for the Shady Grove ER alone.

The true picture of the Germantown Emergency Center was missing from this story.

Robert E. Jepson, Rockville

The writer is vice president of government relations and public policy for Adventist HealthCare.