ED managers are deluged with statistical reports from many government agencies, and yes, your eyes can glaze over glancing over page after page of seemingly endless numbers.
There are times when EDs can achieve dramatic improvements in average length of stay (ALOS) or reductions in their left without being seen (LWBS) percentages in a relatively short period of time by instituting significant new process improvements, such as bedside registration or new triage protocols.
In early January, Mansfield, OH, was hit by an ice storm. We essentially had a town without power for six or seven days, recalls Anthony Midkiff, MD, FACEP, director of emergency services at MedCentral/ Mansfield Hospital.
In the wake of hurricanes Katrina and Rita, health care professionals across the country are revisiting their disaster preparedness plans.
In making changes to address new accreditation standards on patient flow (LD.3.11), and surge capacity (IC.6.10), one hospital has reduced its average throughput in the ED from 3.2 hours to 2.3 hours.
If youre an ED manager considering a career in health care consulting, the first thing you should do is examine your skill set to see if theres even a fit.
