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Medication errors have been publicized as among the most dangerous risks to emergency department and hospitalized patients. Newspaper and magazine articles have leaped on the issue. While physicians and hospitals would like to believe this is just news propaganda to increase sales, they are wrong. Studies have shown that patients are dying from preventable adverse drug events (ADEs). Although hospitals, physicians, nurses, risk managers, and pharmacists have made attempts to reduce risks and prevent ADEs, there is much more that must be done. This months ED Legal Letter describes different types of ADEs and develops risk management strategies to reduce the chance of medication error. Adopting the guidelines provided in this issue will create a safer environment for our patients.
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With the help of some user-friendly software and a comprehensive staff training initiative, Parrish Medical Center in Titusville, FL, has dramatically reduced its medical necessity write-offs while improving customer service.
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When the access director asked her what shed like to do, Tara Tinsley, CHAM, access supervisor in the emergency department at Childrens Health System in Birmingham, AL, opted to take on the task of access department trainer, revamping the position into a proactive, hands-on job far different from the way it had been done in the past.
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Educating the public, keeping customers informed, and enlisting volunteers to serve as patient liaisons and advocates are the three main components of an ambitious campaign by Baptist Memorial Health Care in Memphis that aims to reduce emergency department overcrowding.
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Access managers continue to debate the intricacies of the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act, despite the publication of an EMTALA final rule on Sept. 9, 2003, by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
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Think beyond the patient when SARS is suspected; JCAHO quality reports available on Internet; Grievance vs. complaint clarified in SHCA guide
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About a year ago, Tara Tinsley, CHAM, access supervisor and department trainer for Childrens Health System in Birmingham, AL, says she came up with the idea of having separate policies and procedures for the various access areas.
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