ED Management – May 1, 2004
May 1, 2004
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Want to improve quality of care and ease the burdens on your physicians?
While youre waiting for three physicians to return your calls about their patients in your ED, you anxiously watch the clock and realize that if they dont call before leaving the office, they arent likely to call until tomorrow. Dont you have enough to worry about without trying to track down dozens of physicians all the time? -
Hospitalist use increases: What is the benefit for EDs?
Hospitalists are becoming much more common in American health care and soon could change the way EDs work with physicians, says Ron Greeno, MD, chief medical officer and senior vice president of physician services at Cogent Healthcare in Laguna Hills, CA, one of several companies that provide hospitalist services across the country. -
Want to improve service? Promise a 30-minute wait
Even if you dont want to offer a service guarantee like those EDs that promise to treat patients in 30 minutes or less, you probably wouldnt mind streamlining your ED and improving patient flow through. So how do those hospitals promising fast service improve their EDs enough to make that promise possible? -
New ‘mini-triage’ system cuts wait time to 15 minutes
The EDs at St. Charles Mercy in Oregon, OH, and St. Anne Mercy in Toledo have adopted a streamlined triage system to shorten waiting times, and managers report that it has been very effective without compromising patient safety. -
This surveillance system goes beyond bioterrorism
A project that started out as a response to post-9/11 bioterrorism fears is turning out to have much more practical everyday applications, say two ED managers who have pioneered the use of a system that monitors for unusual patterns or patient surges. While still valuable for detecting terrorist attacks, the system can reveal more mundane but useful information in any ED, they say. -
Bioterror system reveals other patterns and illnesses in EDs
These are some of the patterns and unusual illnesses detected by the bioterrorism surveillance system being used in some Florida hospitals. -
Diversion crisis eases, but strategies still critical
Fast-track systems and 23-hour observation units are helping EDs across the country reduce ambulance diversions, but more effort is needed, one analyst says. A hospitalwide focus on more efficient use of beds also is helping ease the problem, she adds. -
Nursing recruitment, better coordination cut diversions
These were some other key findings from the diversion study released recently by the Center for Studying Health System Change (HSC) in Washington, DC. -
Reader Question: Will new CMS position on billing affect EDs?
Question: Ive heard the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently issued instructions that require us to provide emergency physicians more detail on what procedures are billed under their names. How is this going to affect billing for my ED? -
Three Criteria for ED
The final version of the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act says an ED is any department or facility of the hospital, whether situated on or off the main hospital campus, that: -
EMTALA Q & A: Emergency care: What if it’s on campus, outside ED?
Question: Should we have a plan for responding to patients on the hospital property, but not in the ED area, when they need or request emergency care? The final rule seems to make clear that we are not obligated to rush out of the ED to provide care for anyone who does not come to a dedicated emergency department, but were not clear on what should happen when that person is elsewhere on the campus. -
ED Accreditation Update: Joint Commission surveys: It’s a brand new world
As an ED manager, you may be accustomed to handling the brunt of responsibility for accreditation surveys. But under the new Shared Visions New Pathways process from the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, surveyors will be talking with your staff and your patients. How on earth can you prepare for that? -
ED Accreditation Update: Wary of unannounced surveys? Try these tips
Many ED managers are unsure of how to prepare for unannounced surveys from the Joint Commission of Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, which began for all facilities on Jan. 1. Here are insights from those who have had firsthand experience with the process. -
ED Accreditation Update: Tours help prepare ED for the real thing
Having managers or directors perform tours of your ED can help you and your staff prepare for unannounced surveys, say sources interviewed by ED Accreditation Update. -
Trauma Reports Supplement - Pediatric Controversies: Diagnosis and Management of Traumatic Brain Injuries