ED Management articles from May 2004

ED Management archives from May 2004

Want to improve quality of care and ease the burdens on your physicians? Emergency departments discover hospitalists are a secret weapon.
May 1, 2004... Executive Summary Hospitalists are becoming increasingly common in U.S. hospitals, and EDs are among the biggest beneficiaries of their improved efficiency. * Hospitalists reduce the amount of time ED staff spend trying to reach...

Want to improve service? Promise a 30-minute wait.
May 1, 2004... Even if you don't want to offer a service guarantee like those EDs that promise to treat patients in 30 minutes or less, you probably wouldn't mind streamlining your ED and improving patient flow through. So how do those hospitals promising...

This surveillance system goes beyond bioterrorism: patterns, outbreaks show up in EDs.(Emergency Department)
May 1, 2004... Executive Summary Florida hospitals are benefiting in practical ways from a system originally designed to detect bioterrorism attacks. The system is proving useful in alerting emergency staff to naturally occurring infections early enough...

Diversion crisis eases, but strategies still critical.
May 1, 2004... 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,...

Will new CMS position on billing affect EDs?(Reader Question)(Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services)(emergency department)
May 1, 2004... Question: I've 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...

Emergency care: what if it's on campus, outside ED? You don't necessarily have to send staff.(EMTALA Q & A)(Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act)(emergency department )
May 1, 2004... 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...

CE/CME questions.
May 1, 2004... 7. Which of the following is one benefit of hospitalists cited by Paolo Coppola, MD, ED director at Brookhaven Memorial Hospital Medical Center? A. They are better trained than most physicians. B. They order fewer unnecessary tests....

Pediatric controversies: diagnosis and management of traumatic brain injuries.
May 1, 2004... Pediatric head injuries are common occurrences with the potential for serious morbidity or mortality. Fortunately, the incidence of traumatic brain injury (TBI) has been declining, mainly because of the development of effective prevention...

CE/CME questions.
May 1, 2004... 1. Which of the following is true regarding a child younger than 2 years who sustains a head injury? A. The younger the child, the higher the risk for traumatic brain injury. B. The incidence of brain injury in a child younger than 2...

Joint Commission surveys: it's a brand new world: how can you best prepare and educate your emergency department staff?(Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations)
May 1, 2004... 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...

Wary of unannounced surveys? Try these tips.
May 1, 2004... 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...