ED Management – September 1, 2007
September 1, 2007
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Proposed OPPS changes for 2008 may threaten observation units
For years now, the annual changes proposed in the outpatient prospective payment system (OPPS) rules by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) have been changes of degree, not kind. -
Solid plan, 'gut instinct' are disaster response keys
When a bridge that links Minneapolis and St. Paul, MN, collapsed early in the evening on Aug. 1, it touched off a series of events and tragedies that unfolded rapidly amid much confusion and conflicting media reports. -
Disaster communications need to be improved
While ED the staff at Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis responded quickly and efficiently following the collapse of an interstate bridge, John L. Hick, MD, medical director for emergency preparedness, already has set in motion actions to remedy the few shortcomings that were noted. -
'PIT' more than triples ED's satisfaction rates
How would you like to boost your patient satisfaction scores from the 30th percentile to the 96th percentile with a single new strategy in your ED? If that's not enough, how about a 44% reduction in your LWOT (left without treatment) rate and a 42-minute decrease in your average length of stay (LOS) for all patients? -
'Sense of urgency' helps sell staff
One of the keys to getting staff onboard with the new Physician in Triage (PIT) program in the ED at Parma (OH) Community General Hospital was creating a sense of urgency, says Dawn Beljin, RN, director of emergency services. -
Anticoagulation therapy is safety goal for 2008
One of the new National Patient Safety Goals recently published by The Joint Commission addresses a situation emergency medicine experts say is becoming increasingly common: Patients on anticoagulation medication. Goal 3E for 2008 states: "Reduce the likelihood of patient harm associated with the use of anticoagulation therapy." -
Patient navigators show the way to faster flow
The ED at Lutheran Medical Center (LMC) in Brooklyn, NY, has reduced its average door-to-doc time from more than two hours to 30 minutes in just 18 months, with the nearly simultaneous implementation of six major initiatives. -
New staff and a team approach boost morale
New staff physicians, a reduced workload, and a team approach to department endeavors have not only improved morale in the ED at Samaritan Hospital in Troy, NY, but they also boosted patient satisfaction scores from between the 70th and 80th percentiles into the 90s. -
$25 million available for preparedness grants
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is making $25 million for hospitals and other health care facilities via a competitive emergency care grant program that will focus on hospital surge capacity, emergency care system capability, and community and hospital preparedness for public health emergencies. -
Vermont EDs acessing records of patients' meds
Two Vermont EDs have initiated a health information technology project that will enable their physicians and nurses to obtain accurate medication lists for patients within seconds even if the patient has never visited the hospital before.