ED Management 2010-11-01

The world of the ED manager changed significantly in July, when the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) for Health Information Technology released the final rule for the definition of the term "meaningful use."

Expectations exceeded in productivity gains

When the University of Michigan Health System, Ann Arbor, instituted a "rolling forecast" approach to budgeting, its administrators established a target to improve labor productivity by 2% in fiscal 2010.

Gold Star Award: Pediatric ED opens behavioral health area

Behavioral health issues present an ongoing challenge for ED managers in pediatric as well as adult facilities. To address these challenges, the ED leadership at Akron (OH) Children's Hospital has built a separate area within the department to treat patients with such issues.

Patient Flow Solutions: Cell phone pix: A new diagnostic tool

Initial data on the use of cell phone photos of injuries, taken by the patients themselves in the ED at The George Washington University Hospital in Washington, DC, offers the promise that they might have the potential to speed treatment without sacrificing diagnostic accuracy.

Actual legal risks if you did it, but didn't document

Despite the adage, "If it wasn't documented, it wasn't done," not everything that ED nurses and physicians do is actually documented. The fact is, documentation omissions and errors do occur. The question is, what piece of information is likely to become crucially important from a legal perspective?

ED Accreditation Update: Where do EDs remain challenged? Record keeping and egress integrity

Every summer The Joint Commission issues a list of those standards hospitals find most difficult to comply with. Among those challenging standards are three that experts say most directly impact the ED:

ED Accreditation Update: Involve clinicians in egress plans

There are any number of reasons why an ED and its hospital would have difficulty complying with The Joint Commission standard regarding egress, says Diana S. Contino, RN, MBA, FAEN, senior manager of health care with Deloitte Consulting in Los Angeles.

ED Accreditation Update: Medication reconciliation: Another change planned

As The Grateful Dead might say if asked to describe the various iterations of the National Patient Safety Goal (NPSG) for medication reconciliation, "what a long, strange trip it's been."

ED Accreditation Update: Adopt a team approach for med reconciliation

What should ED managers be doing while they wait for The Joint Commission to publish a new standard for medication reconciliation? Take a team approach, recommends Diana S. Contino, RN, MBA, FAEN, senior manager of health care with Deloitte Consulting in Los Angeles.

ED Management features management tips patient flow successes, and awards Gold Star

ED managers' responsibilities will increase with meaningful use rule