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Brutal New AEM Report
[By Staff Reporters]
Hospital emergency rooms are not safely designed or managed, and improvements in working conditions are needed, according to a new study in the Annals of Emergency Medicine [AEM].
AHRQ
According to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality [AHRQ], December 9, 2008, the study surveyed 3,562 emergency medicine clinicians in 65 hospitals to examine their perceptions about their emergency department’s safety.
Incriminating Findings
The study found that:
- Nearly two-thirds of emergency departments reported insufficient space for patient care.
- One third said the number of patients consistently exceeded ER capacity for safe care.
- Forty percent reported insufficient physician staffing to handle busy period patient loads.
- Two-thirds reported insufficient nursing staff to handle patient loads during busy periods.
- Only a third reported frequent patient waiting-room monitoring.
Suggestions
The researchers recommend the following improvements:
- Increase or redesign emergency department space.
- Increase staffing during periods of high demand.
- Improve information sharing between clinicians by reworking team processes.
- Improve patient transitions between ER and inpatient areas of the hospital.
- Provide more computer workstations and access to eHRs.
Assessment
Recently, there has been a plethora of corroborating reports.
Conclusion
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Filed under: Breaking News, Practice Management, Quality Initiatives, Research & Development, Risk Management | Tagged: emergency departments, emergency rooms |
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ER BPO,
Did you know that Thomas Jefferson Regional Medical Center has begun full operation of Jefferson Regional Quick Care, the hospital’s answer to the walk-in clinics that have proliferated in the region?
According to the Pittsburgh Business Times, on February 9, 2009, the clinic is located within the hospital’s emergency department and was designed to treat non-life threatening problems such as broken bones, cuts, and viruses, according to the hospital.
More serious problems, including chest pain and trouble breathing, can be immediately referred to emergency medicine doctors. Patients entering the emergency department are interviewed briefly, and then referred to either the Quick Care center or the existing emergency room. The center is open from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. seven days a week
Of course, this is a concept championed by the Medical Executive-Post, since inception. And one first conceived by Publisher-in-Chief Dr. David Edward Marcinko, decades ago while working in the emergency room admissions department of the Pennsylvania Hospital during his medical school years; ER Business Process Organization [ER-BPO].
Ann Miller; RN, MHA
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Unsafe … And now Hospitals demand upfront payments from ER patients?
In an effort to process collections and reduce overcrowding, many hospitals are now requiring upfront payments from patients visiting emergency room visits with serious medical needs, reports Kaiser Health News.
http://www.kaiserhealthnews.org/Stories/2012/February/19/Hospitals-Demand-Payment-Upfront-From-ER-Patients.aspx?utm_source=khn&utm_medium=internal&utm_campaign=widget
Doris
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Weekend and Evening Hours in Doctors’ Offices Lessen Burden on ERs
Primary care physician practices that offer evening and weekend office hours can help patients avoid trips to the emergency department while cutting overall health system spending, suggests an emerging body of research.
A recent study in The Journal of Pediatrics examining the pediatric population confirms what earlier studies among adult patients have found: When patients with urgent health problems have the option to see their regular physician, they will skip ED visits that can involve long waits, big out-of-pocket costs, and unneeded testing.
Source: Kevin B. O’Reilly, amednews.com [7/8/13]
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Emergency Department Visits by Persons Aged 65 and Over
In 2009-2010, a total of 19.6 million emergency department (ED) visits in the United States were made by persons aged 65 and over. The visit rate for this age group was 511 per 1,000 persons and increased with age. The percentage of ED visits made by nursing home residents, patients arriving by ambulance, and patients admitted to the hospital increased with age.
Twenty-nine percent of ED visits by persons aged 65 and over were related to injury, and the percentage was higher among those aged 85 and over than among those aged 65-74 or 75-84. The percentage of ED visits caused by falls increased with age.
Source: DC/National Center for Health Statistics
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Injury-Related Emergency Department Visits by Children and Adolescents
[United States: 2009-2010]
In 2009-2010, an annual average of 11.9 million injury-related emergency department (ED) visits were made by children and adolescents aged 18 years and under in the United States. The injury-related ED visit rate was 151 per 1,000 persons aged 18 years and under, and rates were higher for males than for females for all age groups (0-4 years, 5-12 years, and 13-18 years).
Leading causes of injury-related ED visits among both males and females included falls and striking against or being struck unintentionally by objects or persons. Visit rates were higher for males than for females for both of these causes.
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics
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HealthGrades Top 10 Cities for Emergency Medicine
1. Cincinnati, OH
2. Phoenix, AZ
3. Milwaukee, WI
4. Dayton, OH
5. Cleveland, OH
6. W. Palm Beach, FL
7. Tucson, AZ
8. Baltimore, MD
9. Houston, TX
10. Detroit, MI
Source: HealthGrades
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ERs
Economically unsafe? The Company Behind Many Surprise Emergency Room Bills.
http://www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/the-company-behind-many-surprise-emergency-room-bills/ar-AAoKYCK?li=BBnbfcN
Quenton
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