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Hospitals in Boston, like facilities in many other major cities, are paying $1,000 or more to lure specialists to be on-call for ED coverage, according to a recent article in the The Boston Globe.
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Emergency health care experts agree that the ideal way to enhance treatment of patients who do not speak English or who are hearing impaired is a live interpreter, and indeed, many EDs do offer such a service.
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By laying a strong culture of safety as a foundation, ED leaders at Moses Cone Health System in Greensboro, NC, have achieved impressive process improvements tied to patient safety. For example:
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HealthGrades, an independent health care ratings company in Golden, CO, has compiled the first national database of physician malpractice records available to the public.
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A new report from The Joint Commission recommends targeted strategies to address language and cultural issues that increasingly pose challenges to hospitals seeking to deliver safe, effective care to an increasingly diverse American population.
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An Emergency Department Information System (EDIS) often is referred to as a "suite" because it is an integrated software system, with multiple applications designed to work in concert with each other. Given that design, an ED manager might well be inclined to purchase and implement such a suite in one fell swoop.
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The Joint Commission is keenly aware that much still needs to be done to address ED overcrowding; in fact, the agency is considering a redesign of its survey process to more accurately measure ED performance in terms of overcrowding, according to a leading Joint Commission official.
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" . . . Your left toe, looks like you're going to lose a little bit of the distal part," the trauma surgeon told the wounded patient. Then he paused, and rephrased: "The end of it, right at the toenails there; just a tip off the big toe and maybe the second toe in, just the tip."
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The Joint Commission has proposed revisions to its leadership standard that reinforce its emphasis on effective communication and conflict resolution between and among what it calls the "key leadership components" of a hospital: The ED manager and other department managers, ED physicians, and other organized medical staff, and the governing body.
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The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) in Washington, DC, is accepting comments through May 31 on draft guidance clarifying the scope of medical liability coverage provided under the Federal Torts Claims Act (FTCA) to federally supported health centers and their employees during emergencies.