ED Management 2005-11-01

Prisoners, guns can be deadly combination in the emergency room

In recent weeks, two violent episodes involving inmates inside EDs have left managers wondering if they should take special precautions when they know a prisoner is coming to their department.

CDC study shows EDs opportunities to improve

ED managers are deluged with statistical reports from many government agencies, and yes, your eyes can glaze over glancing over page after page of seemingly endless numbers.

Administrative support helps keep your LOS low

There are times when EDs can achieve dramatic improvements in average length of stay (ALOS) or reductions in their left without being seen (LWBS) percentages in a relatively short period of time by instituting significant new process improvements, such as bedside registration or new triage protocols.

Ice storm puts staff in ED to the test

In early January, Mansfield, OH, was hit by an ice storm. We essentially had a town without power for six or seven days, recalls Anthony Midkiff, MD, FACEP, director of emergency services at MedCentral/ Mansfield Hospital.

Make decontamination part of all-hazards plan

In the wake of hurricanes Katrina and Rita, health care professionals across the country are revisiting their disaster preparedness plans.

EMTALA Q & A: Can EMTALA apply to the same patient twice?

Question: A patient is treated in your ED and discharged. Subsequently, the family is unhappy with the care that the patient received and brings him back to the ED.

ED leaders urge passage of emergency medical act

The leading national organizations representing ED physicians and nurses have urged the passage of the Access to Emergency Medical Services Act of 2005 (H.R. 3875), introduced in mid-September by Rep. Bart Gordon (D-TN) and Rep. Pete Sessions (R-TX), and asked Congress to pass it quickly.

Do hospital workers need flu shots? Groups disagree

Two national health care organizations have come out with contradictory positions on whether mandatory influenza vaccination for health care workers is justified.

ED Accreditation Update: Hospital addresses ED overcrowding, sees treatment times and walkout rates drop

While addressing the new accreditation standard for overcrowding (LD.3.11), one hospital has managed to decrease its treatment times, drop its walkout rate, improve its patient satisfaction scores, and improve its revenue capture, despite increasing patient volumes.

ED Accreditation Update: Get your ED patients in, out with ‘virtual’ beds

Mary Washington Hospital is trying out a virtual bed system that, when compared to the controls, decreased the average time to triage by 39%, decreased the turnaround time for treat and released patients by 16%, and decreased door to physician times by 82%.

ED Accreditation Update: ED cuts throughput from 3.2 to 2.3 hours

In making changes to address new accreditation standards on patient flow (LD.3.11), and surge capacity (IC.6.10), one hospital has reduced its average throughput in the ED from 3.2 hours to 2.3 hours.

2005 Salary Survey Results: Consulting, other careers luring emergency department managers — and it’s not all about money

In a trend that promises to create a serious challenge for EDs for the foreseeable future, talented ED managers are being lured away from their positions to alternative career paths. And, say observers, while compensation may be one factor, it is far from the only factor.

2005 Salary Survey Results: Is consulting for you? Try this checklist

If youre an ED manager considering a career in health care consulting, the first thing you should do is examine your skill set to see if theres even a fit.

ED Management – November 1, 2005

November 1, 2005