Quality Efficiency Utilization
Wall Street Journal Should Dig Deeper on Observation Care
The Wall Street Journal’s Dec. 1 story on observation care is relatively even-handed and does a good job at bringing to light the highly complex web of regulation, which has gotten a little slice of the U.S. health care system to where it is today. The gist of the story is rather straightforward: 30-day readmissions […]
Read ArticleFour Rules for Bed Assignment In An Efficient Hospital
Editor’s Note: the following is an excerpt from Dr. Robbin Dick’s forthcoming book on Hospital Capacity Management. Dr. Dick is MEP’s Director of Observation Services. He will be speaking on hospital capacity management and other subjects at MEP’s third annual observation medicine conference, Observation Care ’15. Bed assignment often sets the pulse for the entire hospital, affecting every patient and every […]
Read ArticleThe APP Residency: A New Program for Rural Emergency Departments
As the Chairman of Emergency Medicine at Western Maryland Health System in Cumberland, I love that I get to make a difference in the lives of my patients and colleagues every day. But it’s not easy. Cumberland sits at the base of the Appalachian Mountains. It’s a gorgeous area, with plentiful hiking, skiing, fishing, and […]
Read ArticleTwo Types of Thinking Physicians Use in the Emergency Department
There is a natural tension to decision-making in the emergency department. In a busy ED with multiple patients to assess and keep track of, it can be difficult to dissect every patient’s complaints and make clinical decisions both quickly and effectively. Emergencies, by definition, must be dealt with fast. For this, whether they are fully […]
Read ArticleWhat Does “Patient Satisfaction” Really Mean in the Emergency Room?
In the last several shifts I’ve worked in the ED I’ve had more people stop and compliment me on my care. I’ve heard the usual, “Do you have a private practice?” compliment and, “I’ve been here a lot and you really took the time to hear what I was saying, I appreciate that.”
Read ArticleFour Lessons for Hospitals from a Trip to Disney World
Recently, I returned from a trip to Disney with my family. It was my third time at the parks, but this trip was different. My wife and I were thrilled to have brought our three children, son in law, and, most importantly, our two grandchildren. Seeing my three and a half year old grandson, Erez, […]
Read ArticleHow Mentorship & Leadership Development Took Me from Residency to Assistant Medical Director
As I approached residency graduation, like many new physicians before me, I was scared. During residency I had been surrounded by mentors – people guiding my personal growth and development, and I was scared that on my own, that growth would stop.
Read ArticleWhat Does Patient Choice Have to Do With Integrated Care?
Recently I was taking care of a gentleman in one of our Emergency Departments named Paul. Paul is 55 with a history of alcohol abuse. He also had some psychiatric problems, and was diagnosed with rectal cancer approximately one year ago. He was placed in one of our psychiatric rooms as he was visibly intoxicated and […]
Read ArticleImagine If Your Favorite Restaurant Ran Like an Emergency Department
Imagine you walk into a restaurant named Luigi’s. From the décor and the smell of pasta sauce coming from the kitchen, you assume that this restaurant serves Italian food. You walk forward, your name is taken and you are then told to sit off to the side and wait until your name is called so […]
Read ArticleWhat US Hospitals and Healthcare Providers Should Take Away from the Ebola Outbreak
Among reams of coverage on the ebola outbreak, Politico just published a characteristic story with the headline, “In the world of ebola, no room for error.” The only problem is that is as soon as you introduce a human element to any system, there will be error. That’s the reality that healthcare leaders across the […]
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