Tag: overcrowding

The Decline and Fall of Triage in the ER

April 13th, 2012
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The national trend toward overcrowding in emergency rooms is having an interesting effect on a process that was conceived to handle a large number of injured patients: triage. One might expect that as more and more patients flow into the ER, the process of triage would become even more central to the smooth flow and […]

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Posted in Quality Efficiency Utilization

Medicaid Rule for Emergency Departments Used a Hammer to Tighten a Screw

April 4th, 2012
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There are a thousand places to look for cost savings in healthcare, but this week in Washington State officials grappled with one of the most visible of those: emergency care. Thankfully, Washington Governor Christine Gregoire has suspended implementation of a rule that would have denied emergency rooms payment from Medicaid if the patient was diagnosed […]

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Posted in Future of Healthcare

The Future for Overcrowded EDs

May 17th, 2011
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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 […]

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Posted in Future of Healthcare

To CT, or not to CT, That is the Question.

May 12th, 2011
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A 13-month-old girl falls out of her high chair and strikes her forehead on the ceramic floor. She cries right away and vomits one time. A large area of swelling develops in the middle of her forehead. She is seen by a physician at an urgent care center who promptly refers her to the emergency […]

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Posted in Quality Efficiency Utilization