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Qualifications & Major Responsibilities/Functions
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Three or four years ago, St. Johns Health Center in Santa Monica, CA, would typically receive one letter every week or two complaining about some aspect of care in the ED; perhaps once a month, it might get a letter complimenting that service. Today, We get one letter a week complimenting the staff, and I mean a great letter, says Russ Kino, MD, FACEP, FACEM, medical director of emergency services.
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Many of the new skills ED managers can use to oversee their departments more effectively and engender more fruitful relationships with upper management are offered in a new continuing medical education course from the Dallas-based American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) the Emergency Department Directors Academy (EDDA).
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Six in 10 emergency physicians surveyed report the increase in psychiatric patients is negatively affecting access to emergency medical care for all patients, causing longer wait times, fueling patient frustration, limiting the availability of hospital staff, and decreasing the number of available ED beds.
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Although purchasing a new computed tomography (CT) scanner and associated software can cost upward of $1 million (used and/or refurbished machines may cost half that), money may not be the biggest obstacle to putting a CT scanner in your ED, say experts.
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Under a proposed rule from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the nations EDs will see payment rate increases of between 3.2% and 5% for services provided.
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When an intruder with a rifle entered Alaska Regional Hospital in Anchorage on March 10, 2004, the ED staff followed the hospitals procedures, which confined him to a corridor leading to the ED and kept ED staff and patients from being harmed. The gunman eventually shot himself, became a patient in the ED, and died from his wounds.
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This second and final part of a series covers the topics of differential diagnosis that must be considered when a patient presents with symptoms consistent with PE, treatment, and considerations for prevention of this disease state.
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Optimizing outcomes in patients with acute coronary syndrome requires matching patients with strategies that will produce the best results in specific clinical subgroups. Identifying those patients with ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) who represent ideal candidates for fibrinolysis, and who are likely to have outcomes that are at least as favorable as they would have with percutaneous interventions, has become an area of intense focus among cardiologists and emergency physicians. Significant improvements in patient outcomes will be made when patients are managed according to their institutional capabilities, with the understanding that prompt thrombolysis in the setting of STEMI is fundamental to optimal patient care. This article, the second in a two-part series, provides a practical, evidence-based approach to comprehensive management of this patient population.
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In light of changes to the survey process made last year, what does my ED need to provide to surveyors to demonstrate compliance with staffing effectiveness standards?
