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Increasing payer scrutiny over diagnostic interpretations and continued belt-tightening at the private payer level has resulted in a resurfacing of the EKG interpretation payment issue for emergency physicians. There is no doubt that the interpretation of diagnostic tests for ED patients is an invaluable service.
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While the U.S. Supreme Court has settled the issue of constitutionality, President Obama's signature health reform legislation, the Accountable Care Act (ACA), still faces significant political headwinds that could chip away at provisions in the landmark health care law.
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Hospitals and EDs across the country continue to struggle with how to most effectively identify and treat patients who present with sepsis or develop the condition sometime after they have been admitted.
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Who says change takes a long time to implement? Certainly not Susan Peach, MBA, BSN, a division chief nursing officer at LifePoint Hospitals, based in Brentwood, TN.
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The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has announced that it will provide up to $75 million to 11 states and the District of Columbia to test whether Medicaid can support higher quality care at a lower total cost by reimbursing private psychiatric hospitals for some services for which reimbursement has historically not been available.
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To keep a lid on costs, health care policy experts recognize that hospitals need to find more effective ways to manage transitions.
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Most EDs see a high number of patients presenting with hand, wrist, or finger trauma. However, new research highlights the fact that many patients have to travel long distances for appropriate treatment because their local hospital does not have a hand specialist on call.
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Under-triage, or assessing patients as being less ill than they actually are, can lead to treatment delays and adverse outcomes, including serious injury and even death.
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When patients present to the ED with dizziness, oftentimes the provider will order a computed tomography (CT) scan to rule out serious medical problems, such as intracranial bleeding or stroke. However, a new study suggests that such scans may not be worth the expense in the vast majority of cases.
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Already burdened with increased demand for medical services, EDs across the country are also seeing a spike in the number of patients who present with behavioral health issues.
