ED Management – July 1, 2008
July 1, 2008
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CMS wants to double list of conditions for which it will not pay a higher rate
In a move that has generated great concern in the ED community, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is proposing to more than double the list of hospital-acquired conditions (HACs) for which it will no longer pay hospitals at a higher rate for the resulting increased costs of care. -
CMS looks to drive quality improvement
A leading official from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) in Boston says that the impetus behind its list of hospital-acquired conditions for which it will no longer pay the "bump-up" in the complexity rate is a desire to improve quality of care. Some of the fears expressed by ED experts may be unfounded, he says. -
Pandemic strikes — Who receives no treatment?
ED managers are well aware of the need for triage protocols during a disaster and have incorporated them into their disaster response plans. However, plans vary among facilities and within regions. -
Pediatric ED seeks to touch all the bases
The "child-friendly" environment of the pediatric ED at Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) Children's Hospital in Charleston is a dead giveaway as to the kind of patients the department sees. -
CA-MRSA shown to be an emerging problem
In the wake of a series of media warnings about the deadly health care-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus(MRSA) comes a new study in Annals of Emergency Medicine that outlines the emergence of its "cousin," community-associated MRSA (CA-MRSA). -
Alcohol screening can reduce readmissions
On April 10, 2008, 360 nurses in EDs nationwide began using the Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) program, an alcohol screening and intervention tool kit provided free by the Emergency Nurses Association (ENA). -
Matching nurses, skill sets spells ED success
Although EDstat, a new eight-bed area that was added to the ED at Reston (VA) Hospital Center about a year ago, is only open from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., it has helped to improve the performance of the entire ED. -
NYC jury rejects rectal exam lawsuit
A New York City jury has decided that a hospital did nothing wrong when it tried to examine the rectum of a construction worker who had been hit on the head by a falling wooden beam.