Tag: er
Twenty Years of Change and the “View from the Box”
Once, a really long time ago, before blogs if you can conceive of such a time, I embarked on a part-time writing career. My subject matter was the parade of frailty, the courage and the just plain bizarre that were to be found daily – hourly – in the ER. My first collection of essays […]
Read ArticleDoctors are Ready to Cut Costs – But Are Patients?
USA Today this week published another story on the continuing theme of innovative health systems and physician leaders who are finding big cost savings while providing better patient care. I know most if not all physicians are interested in providing more cost-effective care, but a recent encounter in the ER led me to wonder whether […]
Read ArticleDoes Emergency Medicine Really Matter?
I’m always curious when people ask what I do and I say I work in an ER: what exactly do they imagine I do there? They may picture us treating sniffles, ankle sprains, and the uninsured. At least, that’s what some in media and politics would have them imagine. You want to know what I […]
Read ArticleThe Expanding Role and Bright Future of Advanced Practice Practitioners in the Emergency Department
Advanced Practice Practitioners see a wide variety of patients at our hospital sites, from those with chest pain to those with minor lacerations and everything in between. This practice is not limited to us. Nationally, it is estimated that Physician Assistants (PA’s) see 10 percent of emergency room patients in the United States, and a 2009 […]
Read ArticleChild, Scalp, Laceration, Vacation – When the Patient is Your Son
If there were four words I was hoping to combine on our family vacation this past week, it is safe to assume they would not be the four listed above. My 19 month-old son, Chance (aptly named), decided to take a header off a kitchen chair and struck the back of his head while we […]
Read ArticleNew Observation Unit at WMHS Meets Growing Trend
We are proud to announce the opening of a new observation medicine unit at Western Maryland Health System (WMHS) in Cumberland, MD. We believe observation medicine will be a growing specialty as health care reform changes the way health care is delivered in the United States. The concept is to allow a focused, intense evaluation of certain patients […]
Read ArticleReducing Medical Errors Through Improved Communication
The most important take away point from this WSJ article “Hospitals Overhaul ER’s to Reduce Mistakes” is communication. The article states that most errors in judgment involve missing pieces of critical data or information that one team member may be aware of and assume that others know. In an ideal world, the best model for […]
Read ArticleThe Future for Overcrowded EDs
At Western Maryland Health System, our daily census of emergency department patients has risen from an average of 150 to 166 over the past 1-2 months. Many people openly acknowledge they can’t get an appointment with their primary care doctor or that no doctor in the area is taking new patients. As health care reform […]
Read ArticleEmergency Medicine – Whom Do We Serve?
I give a talk to new employees regarding service in emergency medicine. One of the questions I pose is whom do we serve when we practice emergency medicine? Seems like a simple question. We serve patients that come to the ER desiring care. At the most basic level that is indeed what we do. Like […]
Read ArticleImproving Healthcare Literacy
Emergency medicine has long been called the “safety net” in our medical system, taking care of people who cannot access healthcare through other avenues. While emergency medicine would be more efficient if we only saw true emergencies, this is not a practical reality in today’s healthcare system. We take care of patients with urgent conditions; […]
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