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In the face of steadily increasing volumes (13,000 between 2008 and 2009), the ED at Peninsula Regional Medical Center in Salisbury, MD, has improved all of its operating statistics, achieving a 'door-to-bed' time of three minutes and a door-to-doc time of 21 minutes.
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[Editor's note: ED Management issued an e-bulletin to readers on March 24, 2010, about health care reform's impact on EDs. We also described recent studies on the impact of health care reform in Massachusetts on ED crowding. ED Management issues such bulletins to keep readers informed of the latest developments in emergency management. If you wish to receive future ED Management bulletins, contact customer services at (800) 688-2421 or
[email protected].]
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The Joint Commission is seeking comments in two areas of concern to ED managers: candidate performance measures for inpatient and ED care of sudden cardiac arrest patients, and its revised National Patient Safety Goal (NPSG) 03.07.01, which addresses medication reconciliation.
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The Joint Commission has approved revisions to Medical Staff (MS) 01.01.01, formerly known as MS.1.20. This standard, it says, "is designed to contribute to patient safety and quality of care through the support of a well-functioning, positive relationship between a hospital's medical staff and governing body."
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An adverse event in the ED at University Medical Center (UMC) in Las Vegas might have drawn negative media coverage and state and federal investigations, but it also led to process changes that the ED managers say have made a world of difference in patient satisfaction and quality.
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With the release of the National Health Security Strategy (www.hhs.gov/disasters) and interim implementation guide for protecting public health in a large-scale emergency, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has taken the first step toward the realization of a vision long held by emergency response individuals and organizations: a cohesive plan to be followed by everyone in the nation who is involved in disaster response.
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A review of the literature has revealed that injuries in the elderly resulting from motor vehicle crashes has been underdetected, and resulted in patients being inappropriately treated or assigned to nontrauma centers. The article was published in the January 2010 issue of the Journal of Emergency Nursing.
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Many facilities and EDs use the tool called the modified early warning score (MEWS), which includes questions about the patient's health state, to determine if patients are getting sicker and if they require transfer to the intensive care unit (ICU).
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A change in documentation procedures in the ED played a significant role in making it possible for Porter Adventist Hospital in Denver to receive certification as an advanced primary stroke center by The Joint Commission.
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Recognizing that ED wait times and throughput are affected by the entire hospital, the leaders at King's Daughters Medical Center in Ashland, KY, engaged all the departments that interface with the ED and slashed the rate at which ED patients leave before treatment from 5% to 0.5%.
