In response to syndicated writer Froma Harrop’s column, “Too many people still go to the ER” (June 23), Ms. Harrop’s friend absolutely made the right call by going to the emergency department. She was experiencing the classic symptoms of a medical emergency.

While it’s easy to be a “Monday morning quarterback” after finding out everything is okay — it could have been tragic if she had been having a stroke and turned up instead at a clinic. That delay could have led to permanent brain damage, or worse. Patients should never diagnose themselves.

The author is correct that the vast majority (96 percent) of patients seek emergency care appropriately and do require “prompt medical attention.”

Rather than finding ways to remove patients from the ER, we should focus on strengthening this vital resource. For millions of Americans who need immediate care day or night, the ER is the not just the only choice — often it’s the right one as well.

Michael Gerardi, MD, FACEP

President, American College of Emergency Physicians

Hackettstown, N.J.