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Measuring the number of ED malpractice claims that are avoided by calling patients post-discharge is difficult, acknowledges Jeanie Taylor, RN, BSN, MS, vice president of risk services for Emergency Physicians Insurance Company (Epic) in Roseville, CA. "It is hard to measure what did not occur, so the effectiveness of callback programs from a claims perspective is largely anecdotal," she says.
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With surging demand from patients with both medical and mental health needs, and continuing pressure to reduce costs, ED managers have a full plate of concerns to contend with.
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Getting an entire staff of physicians, nurses, and techs to do things differently is never easy, but you can clear away hurdles by giving them the ability to formulate some of their own solutions.
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In early March, a swath of deadly tornadoes plowed across the nation's Midwest and South, once again underscoring the importance of hospital disaster planning.
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When Hurricane Sandy was taking aim at states along the northeastern coastline in late October, hospitals and emergency management officials in the region had several days to prepare.
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While 2012 has been a year of uncertainty in health care, as both the Supreme Court and voters made judgments on whether provisions of the Accountable Care Act will continue to unfold, salaries for ED leaders have remained relatively stable, according to the results of the 2012 ED Management Salary Survey.
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While blood transfusions are often essential in the care of trauma patients, several prominent health care organizations recognize that too often providers are ordering blood transfusions when they are not medically necessary. This drives up costs and exposes patients to unnecessary risks, according to experts. And it also essentially wastes precious blood supplies.
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A new study, led by researchers at the University of Michigan (UM) in Ann Arbor, MI, suggests that clinicians might not be spending enough time discussing some of the most complex patients when they are handing-off these cases during shift changes. And there is a simple reason why, according to Michael Cohen, PhD, professor of complex systems, information, and public policy at UM.
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In the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, many hard-hit hospitals along the northeast coast were putting in calls to colleagues in New Orleans for advice on how best to pick up the pieces and, perhaps more importantly, bolster their defenses for future disasters. While hospitals along the Gulf Coast are much more accustomed to preparing for hurricanes than facilities in the Northeast, Hurricane Katrina knocked even the best-prepared facilities on their heels when it devastated the region in August of 2005.
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Michael Gerardi, MD, FAAP, FACEP, director of pediatric emergency medicine at Goryeb Childrens Hospital in Morristown, NJ, reports that he is aware of several recent lawsuits naming an emergency physician (EP) for failure to diagnose child abuse.