ED Management – June 1, 2006
June 1, 2006
View Issues
-
Do you have the time — or the money — to offer HIV screenings?
Offering routine HIV testing to ED patients is something that probably sounds good to an ED manager with a strong sense of his or her public health mission. It also is, however, something more easily thought than done. -
CDC to change HIV test guidelines
In recognition of some of the challenges noted by ED managers regarding HIV testing, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is modifying its guidelines for HIV screening and testing in medical facilities. The new guidelines, which are out for comment, would make HIV testing a standard part of medical care in all health care settings, including the ED. They include the following: -
Fingerprint scanners help improve record security
St. John's Mercy Medical Center in Chesterfield, MO, has found a high-tech solution to the challenge of balancing the need for security of patient records with easy access for physicians and staff. -
ED diversions banned by Seattle-area hospitals
A new policy in King County, WA, means that hospitals in the area, which includes Seattle, will no longer go on diversion. -
ED located next to ICU to bolster patient safety
How far is your ED from the intensive care unit (ICU)? How far is it from radiology? What about surgery? At the new St. Joseph's Hospital in West Bend, WI, they are all a few steps away, and this was literally by design. -
Patient flow initiatives slash average LOS
Three years ago, the average length of stay (LOS) for admitted ED patients was about 7.5 hours at the 17th Street campus of New Hanover Regional Medical Center in Wilmington, NC. Today, it is down to just more than five hours. -
In-house 'Access Center' relieves ED bed burden
The creation of an "Access Center" to handle interhospital transfer coordination and unscheduled admissions at Saint Francis Hospital in Tulsa, OK, has taken a huge load off the ED and vastly improved the movement of patients into beds.