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A new study published online by the journal Health Affairs had some sobering, though perhaps not surprising, news for ED managers. Between 1997 and 2004, waits increased 36% (from 22 to 30 minutes, on average) for the more than 90,000 ED patients whose records the researchers reviewed.
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One year ago, the waiting room situation in the ED at Cape Fear Valley Medical Center in Fayetteville, NC, was "a sinking ship," according to John Reid, MD, chairman of emergency services.
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New receiving processes, a new team structure, and zone divisions in the ED at Cape Fear Valley Medical Center in Fayetteville, NC, have enabled the hospital to cut triage time in half, according to Linda K. Dietterich, RN, MS, CEN, CAN, service line director for the ED.
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The time-to-triage in the two very busy EDs in the Children's Healthcare of Atlanta system has been cut in half in less than a year through a process improvement initiative that eliminated several steps in the initial assessment.
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The number of patients between the ages of 65 and 74 who visit the nation's EDs annually is likely to double from 6.4 million in 2003 to 11.7 million by 2013, according to a new study published in the Annals of Emergency Medicine.1 This growth, the authors warn, could lead to catastrophic overcrowding.
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When you're planning a geriatric ED or looking to transform part of your department into a geriatric wing, there are several design and staffing considerations the ED manager must take into account, advises Robert Fitzgerald, MD, FACEP, an attending physician in the ED at Boswell Hospital in Sun City, AZ.
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The ED at Martha's Vineyard Hospital in Oak Bluffs, MA, has consistently achieved extraordinarily high customer satisfaction ratings while operating in a unique environment.
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Caring for patients with little privacy other than thin curtains in a crowded emergency department seems to fly in the face of the requirements of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). But what are the actual liability risks of this practice?
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Whether you are interviewing emergency medicine physicians, midlevel providers, or technicians in your ED, certain questions or remarks can get you into legal trouble. What should you avoid saying during the hiring process?
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After receiving input from several medical organizations and other interested parties during a Sept. 25, 2007, summit on medication reconciliation, The Joint Commission is digesting that feedback and crafting a response.
