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Many ICU physicians dont get the reimbursement they deserve because they quit billing for critical care too soon, says consultant Frank Lucas, who has performed chart audits based on payer mix and midnight census of 100-150 records to assess potential revenues for more than 35 ICUs.
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In patients with pulmonary embolism, elevated plasma levels of cardiac troponins help to identify a subgroup of patients who are at high risk and who may benefit from more aggressive treatment.
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The Women's Health Initiatives (WHI) was halted 1 year ago, but fallout from this landmark study continues. The study was designed to identify the risks or benefits of estrogen plus progesterone vs placebo in healthy postmenopausal women.
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Developing a research survey instrument is a lengthy and complicated process, says Daniel P. Sulmasy, OFM, MD, PhD, of the John J. Conley Department of Ethics at Saint Vincents Hospital in Manhattan. Sulmasy and several colleagues spent five years developing an instrument that elicits ratings of quality and satisfaction with care from medical inpatients, especially those near the end of life.
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In 1936 Selye noted that rats exposed to stressors had enlarged adrenal glands. In the late 1940s, Kendall and Reichstein isolated cortisone as the active principle of the adrenal glands. In more recent years our understanding of the hypothalamic-pituitary-axis has grown immensely.
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Although cervical spine injuries are uncommon in children, a missed or delayed diagnosis may have devastating consequences for the patient. A thorough understanding of normal pediatric anatomy, injury patterns, and children who are at increased risk for injury is critical for the physician caring for the acutely injured child.
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When performing a transfer, is it necessary to have an interpreter along for the transfer of a non-English-speaking patient, assuming that an interpreter was available for performing the medical screening examination?
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A sickle cell patient is in excruciating pain. A man who comes to your ED frequently always complains of different illnesses to obtain narcotic analgesics. These two patients have completely different needs, but youll need strategies to improve care for both. To improve management of chronic pain patients, follow these steps proven to work.
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A sharp decrease in hours on diversion. Decreased length of stay. Greater staff satisfaction. These three items are on every ED managers wish list, but they are real-life examples of changes made as a result of one EDs participation in the GE Medical Systems Six Sigma process.
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Is your ED in compliance with federal regulations for care of non-English-speaking patients and their families? You are required to provide language assistance to patients in your ED, and penalties for failure to comply are severe, including exclusion from participation in Medicare and Medicaid and possible criminal charges.