‘Phone Triage’ Not New

I was disturbed by the article “Help in a Heartbeat” (Nov. 21).

While “telephone triage” is indeed a valuable service both for reducing needless emergency room visits and providing information to potential patients, I’ve been taking advantage of this service for over a decade--for free.

Every emergency room has a triage nurse who is happy to come to the phone to provide advice for patients. On those few occasions when I’ve been in doubt, triage nurses have been there to provide guidance at no charge--saving this uninsured American from often-exorbitant emergency room fees.

Your article should not have hyped Access Health Marketing’s expensive service without even mentioning its availability for free.

CHRIS RIDDER

Los Angeles