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It is important to be aware of emergency department (ED) cases and situations that lead to lawsuits in order to avoid repeating errors and reduce personal liability. This issue highlights some recent cases that involve syncope and stroke.
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Upon learning he was being sued, one emergency physician (EP) was determined to defend the claim vigorously, until he learned that one of the experts on the plaintiffs side happened to be one of his professors from medical school.
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An EKG was misread by an emergency physician (EP), and the patient had an adverse outcome as a result. The patients family was contacted, and a face-to-face meeting was arranged with the hospital, the emergency department (ED) medical director, and the EP who made the error, who were all in attendance.
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This issue is the second part of our discussion of sudden vision loss, stressing conditions that present to the emergency department. You will note the utility of ocular ultrasound in diagnosing many of these conditions. This review was helpful to me as a practicing emergency physician.
-- J. Stephan Stapczynski, MD, FACEP, Editor
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There are many ways an ED practice can lose revenue. Todays complex medical payment systems require constant monitoring and analysis to stay ahead. Without a flexible data management tool/dashboard to identify outliers and compare provider productivity and quality, it may be difficult to manage your ED appropriately.
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Informed by the cases of two nurses who contracted Ebola virus disease (EVD) while caring for a patient with the disease in Dallas, TX, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, GA, has unveiled strengthened guidance for health care workers. Further, nursing organizations are pledging to work together to identify gaps and make system-level improvements to protect both patients and caregivers.
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Hospitals around the country have stepped up their efforts to train staff and implement procedures to ensure the safe identification and management of any patients with signs of Ebola virus disease (EVD).
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Unsafe injection practices with respect to the misuse and unsafe use of vials is being targeted by The Joint Commission (TJC).
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The Joint Commission (TJC) is calling on health care organizations to develop and implement policies and procedures to prevent the misuse of vials.
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Faced with rising demand from patients with mental health problems, Mercy San Juan Medical Center in Carmichael, CA, is using telemedicine to connect many of these patients with psychiatrists. With input from the psychiatrists, emergency physicians feel more comfortable initiating treatment for these patients, many of whom can then be discharged with instructions to pursue outpatient follow-up.