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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?
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As of Jan. 1, your accredited hospital was required to collect and report data on one additional core measure set as part of an expansion of the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organization's ORYX initiative.
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Emphasizing the importance it places on eliminating easily misinterpreted abbreviations and acronyms from written orders and medical records, the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations has amended patient safety goals to urge hospitals to achieve 100% compliance by the end of this year.
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We have a hospital 25 miles away that can provide a higher level of critical care for trauma than what we can provide. We recently signed an agreement with them that allows our community-owned ambulance (basic life support) team to call them to dispatch their paramedic squad for an intercept for trauma situations that the ambulance crew feels we cannot handle at our local hospital...
