Tag:

Emergency Room

Latest Headlines

Latest Headlines

Studies reveal rise and fall of ER use

The idea that Medicaid expansion will wreak havoc with state budgets due to increased hospital use by the previously-uninsured was challenged by results of a recent study by the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research. While rates of hospital and emergency room use rose soon after people enrolled in low-cost, government health plans, utilization of these services dropped off within a year, researchers found.

ER physicians increasingly stay out of provider networks

Patients who use an in-network hospital for emergency room visits sometmes get an unwelcome surprise: there is no guarantee the care is rendered in-network, the  New York Times  repo rted.

Fed up with violent incidents, hospitals seek to balance security with patient care

The gunfire that erupted in broad daylight outside Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis was the third shooting incident in hospitals this week and the latest in a wave of increasing violence nationwide. Although the shooting shattered windows and glass doors, the emergency room was back to normal operation in less than half an hour

Free-standing emergency medical centers reduce wait times, increase access

Long emergency room wait times continue to plague hospitals across the country, but free-standing emergency medical centers may help solve the problem.

ER physicians wind up making many observation care decisions

Emergency room physicians serve as the front-line arbiters of many federal mandates regarding how  to delivercare in the hospital setting, perhaps most importantly the two-midnight rule regarding observation care.

New York hospitals collaborate to redesign healthcare delivery, reduce readmissions

A new consortium of 200 hospitals, nursing homes and other health-related entities throughout the Rochester, New York, region aims to redesign healthcare delivery and reduce avoidable readmissions.

ER visits for traumatic brain injuries spike 30%

Public health campaigns and efforts to raise awareness about the dangers of concussions and other related head injuries may have contributed to the 30 percent increase in emergency room (ER) visits for traumatic brain injury over a four-year period, according to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Fort Hood shooting, Boston bombing anniversary spark emergency prep actions

In the aftermath of incidents like this week's Ft. Hood shooting and last year's Boston Marathon bombing, hospitals around the country have stepped up preparation for mass casualty and emergency scenarios.

Simple test may rule out heart attacks in ER

A simple test in the emergency department may prevent at least 20 percent of hospital admissions for chest pain, according to the lead researcher of a new Swedish study published in the  Journal of the American College of Cardiology  and presented Sunday at the cardiology college's annual conference in Washington.

Overcrowded EDs seek to redirect patients

Faced with a growing physician shortage and overcrowding, many hospital emergency departments must find ways  to redirect patients, such as the elderly, to other settings that can provide more appropriate treatment,  according to  a blog post from the  New York Times.