-
The emergency medicine community has pushed hard against complaints that too many patients with non-urgent needs are being seen in the ED, but there is little doubt that so-called super-utilizers patients who come to the ED regularly for one reason or another are not receiving the kind of care they need in the most appropriate setting.
-
Health care has lagged behind other industries when it comes to leveraging the power of information technology (IT). However, in the race to catch up, which has been accelerated by $20 billion in federal stimulus dollars, ergonomists warn that hospitals and other health care entities are not giving adequate consideration to the potential for IT-related musculoskeletal injuries.
-
Billing for the services provided by teaching physicians (TPs) continues to create problems for providers, coders, and compliance professionals due the many faces of documentation provided through electronic medical records (EMRs), template records, and handwritten charts.
-
While new requirements are not always welcomed in the ED, to be sure, managers and front-line providers do have reason to feel optimistic about new standards, unveiled by The Joint Commission (TJC), regarding how hospitals manage patient flow.
-
No one wants to believe that a pediatric mass casualty incident will occur where they live and work, but, unfortunately, the recent events in Boston have shown that this is a very real possibility. In the event an incident occurs, preparation, response, and management of all of the victims, including the children, are critical and will define the future for each of the victims. The author reviews the basics for preparation and steps to recognize, prepare, and maximize the possibility of a good outcome in the event of a pediatric disaster.
-
he American College of Surgeons in 2008 released the Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) updates (eighth edition) with recommendations based on evidence-based medicine in addition to the expert consensus.
-
Adolescent girls may not be straightforward about gynecologic issues, and the emergency practitioner should specifically and in a sensitive manner ask about the patients gynecologic history.
-
No one wants to see the ED used inappropriately, but it can be particularly frustrating when patients keep coming back with problems that never seem to get resolved.
-
In the wake of the horrific massacre of young children by a disturbed gunman at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT, there has been a national discussion about what the country can do to curb such senseless acts of violence.
-
For the past few years, the ED at St. Mary Medical Center in Langhorne, PA, has seen double-digit increases in patient volume. The surging demand has been difficult, to say the least. And by early 2012, administrators realized it was time for a change in course.
