ED Management – October 1, 2003
October 1, 2003
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EMTALA reg eases overall burden, but on-call physician issues still unclear
Its finally here, and its mostly good news. The government recently released the final rule of the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA), and the 262 pages offer many long-awaited clarifications that mean you no longer have to worry so much about issues such as when you must deliver emergency care within 250 yards of your hospital. -
Highlights of the final rule include definition of ED
The Baltimore-based Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) lists these highlights of the final Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA) rule: -
Blackout creates influx of patients, generator woes
When the lights go out, brace yourself for a surge in patients even if things seem relatively peaceful. That was the lesson learned during the blackout that recently crippled the northeastern United States. -
Support grows for more family access in ED
Very few hospitals have policies that allow family access during resuscitation and other treatment in the ED, even though research has shown that the public overwhelmingly desires it and a growing number of emergency physicians and nurses support the idea. -
Physician support, formal policy key for family access
Flexibility is the key word when developing a policy on family access, says Stephen Epstein, MD, MPP, spokesman for the American College of Emergency Physicians and clinical operations director at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. Understanding the familys needs is important, but they must be balanced with patient safety. -
Flowcharts are basis for symptom-based tools
Health care providers have access to plenty of flowcharts and algorithms designed to guide the treatment of patients with particular diagnoses, but many of them arent designed for use in the ED. What good is a flowchart for pneumonia if you dont know whats wrong with the patient yet? -
EDs need plan to contact smallpox-vaccinated staff
A new report from the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies in Washington, DC, urges EDs to create systems in which staff vaccinated for smallpox can be called up quickly in the event of an outbreak. -
Audio conference clarifies final EMTALA regulations, provides valuable information
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