ED Management – March 1, 2013
March 1, 2013
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Virulent influenza fills EDs across the country, prompting hospitals to launch emergency plans
After a few mild seasons, the flu packed a wallop this year, straining resources in hospitals across the country and forcing some EDs to go on diversion during peak periods. -
Taking a new tack, MetroHealth System welcomes super-utilizers of the ED, equips them with care coordinators
The emergency medicine community has pushed hard against complaints that too many patients with non-urgent needs are being seen in the ED, but there is little doubt that so-called super-utilizers patients who come to the ED regularly for one reason or another are not receiving the kind of care they need in the most appropriate setting. -
Ergonomic considerations loom large as hospitals and other health care organizations rapidly adopt IT tools
Health care has lagged behind other industries when it comes to leveraging the power of information technology (IT). However, in the race to catch up, which has been accelerated by $20 billion in federal stimulus dollars, ergonomists warn that hospitals and other health care entities are not giving adequate consideration to the potential for IT-related musculoskeletal injuries. -
ED Coding Update: Avoid common missteps when billing for the services provided by teaching physicians
Billing for the services provided by teaching physicians (TPs) continues to create problems for providers, coders, and compliance professionals due the many faces of documentation provided through electronic medical records (EMRs), template records, and handwritten charts. -
ED Accreditation Update: Use of the Universal Protocol in the ED: Clarifications and recommendations for enhanced procedural safety
Since mid-2004, The Joint Commission (TJC) has held all accredited hospitals to task for enforcing use of the Universal Protocol (UP), a practice designed to improve procedural safety by having clinicians go through a three-step process to insure that when they perform a procedure, they are performing the right procedure, on the right patient, in the right place. -
ED Accreditation Update: New standards make hospital leaders accountable for managing patient flow, nurturing relationships
While new requirements are not always welcomed in the ED, to be sure, managers and front-line providers do have reason to feel optimistic about new standards, unveiled by The Joint Commission (TJC), regarding how hospitals manage patient flow.