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After the emergency physician's (EP) preliminary reading of a seizure patient's X-ray was negative, the patient was discharged, but the following day, the radiologist's report showed compression of the spine.
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If you have a conflict with a colleague, do you document only facts and objective observations or accusatory statements such as, "Despite my intervention, the doctor refused to acknowledge what I am telling him?"
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The U.S. Supreme Court declined to review the controversial 6th Circuit decision in the case of Moses v. Providence Hospital, where the federal appeals court rejected Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' (CMS) rule that EMTALA ends once a hospital admits a patient in good faith for further stabilizing care.
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As reform helps more Americans gain access to health coverage, experts predict that the nation's EDs will be bulging at the seams.
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While emergency department (ED) volume is always going to be somewhat unpredictable, ED operations at Ochsner Medical Center in New Orleans, LA, used to hum along so optimally that there was no reason to rethink the way things were done.
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Hip fractures are among the most debilitating and expensive diagnoses to treat, but you can significantly improve outcomes and lower costs if you get hip-fracture patients into surgery quickly, explains Anthony Balsamo, MD, an orthopedic surgeon and head of the Geriatric Fracture Care Program (GFCP) at Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center in Wilkes-Barre, PA.
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With all the talk about the shortage of primary care physicians, one would think there is an abundance of surgical specialty care providers ready and willing to answer the call.
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Case: A 40-year-old man with a history of hepatitis C and alcoholism presents to the ED with dental caries. A brief history and unremarkable physical examination is documented. The patient is discharged and fills his prescription for hydrocodone 5 mg/acetaminophen 500 mg (1-2 tablets every 4-6 hours as needed, #25).
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Given the fact that almost every patient, family member, and ED staff member is carrying a cell phone, it's not surprising that inappropriate photos or videos have been posted online which means increased legal risks for EDs.
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Corey M. Slovis, MD, professor and chairman of the Department of Emergency Medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, says to remember that requirements of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) apply not only to words, but also to images.
