The American journal of emergency medicine
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We investigated emergency physician knowledge of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) reimbursement for common tests ordered and procedures performed in the emergency department (ED), determined the relative accuracy of their estimation, and reported the impact of perceived costs on physicians' ordering and prescribing behavior. ⋯ Most emergency physicians indicated they should consider cost in their decision making but have a limited knowledge of cost estimates used by CMS to calculate reimbursement rates. Interventions that are easily accessible and applicable in the ED setting are needed to educate physicians about costs, reimbursement, and charges associated with the care they deliver.
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The objective of this study is to examine the annual utilization trends of emergency department (ED)-ordered magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography (CT) at an urban academic hospital from 2007 to 2011. We hypothesized that MRI and CT use would increase annually over the study period. ⋯ There was a steady increase in MRI testing in our academic ED, with most MRIs ordered for acute neurologic or behavioral changes. There was a corresponding decreasing trend for CT scans.
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Stratifying risk of patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) in the emergency department (ED) remains a frequent challenge. When ST-elevation criteria are absent, current recommendations rely upon insensitive and time-intensive methods such as the electrocardiogram and cardiac enzyme testing. Here, we report on a series of cases, where emergency physicians used a simplified model for identifying regional wall motion abnormalities by point-of-care echocardiography in patients presenting with chest pain to the ED. With the use of a simplified model described herein, high-risk patients with ACS were identified rapidly in a cohort usually difficult to risk stratify.
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Checklists have successfully been used in intensive care units (ICUs) to improve metrics of critical care. Proper peri-intubation care including use of appropriate induction agents and postintubation sedation is crucial when performing endotracheal intubation (ETI) on critically ill patients, especially in the emergency department (ED). We sought to evaluate the impact of checklists on peri-intubation care in ED trauma patients. ⋯ Peri-intubation checklists result in higher rates of RSI in ED trauma patients but do not alter other measured metrics of peri-intubation care.
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Case Reports
A life-threatening complication of warfarin therapy in ED: diffuse alveolar hemorrhage.
Warfarin have some serious adverse effects, and bleeding is one of the most serious and frequent of them. In this case report, we present the diffuse alveolar hemorrhage case as a rare and life-threatening complication of warfarin.