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Tom Scaletta, MD, medical director of a high-volume community hospital in a Chicago suburb, says that his interest in calling back emergency medicine patients began a decade ago when he created and implemented programs in two high-volume EDs that he directed. "I staffed the position with dedicated clerks who attempted to reach every discharged patient," he says.
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A 50-year-old female called emergency medical services (EMS) because she is short of breath. She has a recent history of pneumonia and received outpatient treatment. The paramedics arrive and find the patient in moderate respiratory distress. The patient states she wants to be transported to Our Lady of the Financially Secure Hospital (Hospital A) because this is where her health maintenance organization (HMO) is; the estimated time of arrival (ETA) would be 15 minutes.
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In a growing number of states, including Florida, Georgia, Texas and South Carolina, Utah, Arizona, Michigan, Minnesota, and North Carolina, legislation is being introduced to give emergency department (ED) physicians added protections against malpractice lawsuits.
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Patients with acute joint pain present a diagnostic dilemma for many emergency physicians. Classically the joints are hot, swollen, and tender, with reduced range of motion. The differential diagnosis for the painful joint is extensive.
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The FDA has issued a warning regarding the combination of clopidogrel (Plavix®) with omeprazole (Prilosec®)
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Raising HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C) with niacin plus a statin is superior to lowering LDL-cholesterol (LDL-C) with ezetimibe plus statin in reversing atherosclerosis according to the widely reported ARBITER trial published on-line in the New England Journal of Medicine in November and simultaneously reported at the American Heart Association meeting in Orlando, FL.
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