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While hospitalists can provide consistency in the care of hospitalized patients, there can be drawbacks when it comes to transitions in care.
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When discharge planners identify potential options for hospitalized, frail seniors who are stable but no longer can fully care for themselves at home, they face a huge obstacle in the emotions and family conflicts that come into play at discharge.
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National reports indicate that cities across the United States are seeing double-digit jumps in the number of homeless people. Likewise, hospitals are reporting increasing numbers of indigent and uninsured people needing care in their emergency departments (EDs).
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When patients are admitted through the emergency department (ED) and multiple clinicians are involved with competing priorities in their care, discharge planning can be challenging.
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Was an abnormal lab result missed, such as a potassium level of 2.5? Was an incorrect medication prescribed? Or was a radiology study misinterpreted which revealed a pneumothorax? In every one of these scenarios, it is necessary for the ED physician to call the patient...
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Your daughter calls you from a party and tells you that she is on her way home. Two hours later, she hasn't arrived and she does not answer her cell phone. You call the emergency department (ED) and ask if she is registered as a patient there.
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To reduce legal risks, Linda M. Stimmel, JD, a partner with the Dallas, TX-based law firm of Stewart Stimmel, says the best strategy is to "show diligence." Document your ED's efforts to provide adequate staffing and educate staff and physicians on improved triage techniques, such as attendance logs on inservices to improve triage.
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This is a two-part series on liability risks involving ED triage processes. This month, we cover the impact of wait times on ED lawsuits, and ways to reduce risks during long wait times.
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