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Under a proposed rule from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the nations EDs will see payment rate increases of between 3.2% and 5% for services provided.
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Although purchasing a new computed tomography (CT) scanner and associated software can cost upward of $1 million (used and/or refurbished machines may cost half that), money may not be the biggest obstacle to putting a CT scanner in your ED, say experts.
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This second and final part of a series covers the topics of differential diagnosis that must be considered when a patient presents with symptoms consistent with PE, treatment, and considerations for prevention of this disease state.
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Optimizing outcomes in patients with acute coronary syndrome requires matching patients with strategies that will produce the best results in specific clinical subgroups. Identifying those patients with ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) who represent ideal candidates for fibrinolysis, and who are likely to have outcomes that are at least as favorable as they would have with percutaneous interventions, has become an area of intense focus among cardiologists and emergency physicians. Significant improvements in patient outcomes will be made when patients are managed according to their institutional capabilities, with the understanding that prompt thrombolysis in the setting of STEMI is fundamental to optimal patient care. This article, the second in a two-part series, provides a practical, evidence-based approach to comprehensive management of this patient population.
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Sooner or later, your emergency department will be the site of some type of construction project, whether it is a full-scale renovation or a relatively small repair job. If you think your ED is hectic now, just imagine a bunch of construction workers tearing out walls with sledgehammers and sawing lumber while your physicians and staff try to continue with patient care.
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Jon Huddy, managing principal of FreemanWhite, a Charlotte, NC-based firm that specializes in health care facility design, offers these tips for surviving construction in your ED.
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If you already are working to optimize the care of cardiac patients in your ED, seeking accreditation as a chest pain center can be a good way to draw attention to your efforts, improve capacity, and make sure you maintain those standards over time.
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This is the second of a three-part series covering the top five issues that lead to malpractice claims in the ED and how you can address them. The January 2004 issue of ED Management addressed chest pain, and this months installment involves headache and abdominal pain.
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A dedicated billing analyst for your ED can generate hundreds of thousands of dollars that goes straight to the bottom line instead of just flying out the window, say two managers who have added about $300,000 a year.
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The American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) in Irving, TX, has joined more than 40 organizations endorsing a new universal protocol to standardize pre-surgery procedures for verifying the correct patient, the correct procedure, and the correct surgical site.
