Academic emergency medicine : official journal of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine
-
The objective was to conduct a systematic review and qualitative evidence synthesis (QES) to identify best practices, benefits, harms, facilitators, and barriers to the routine collection of sociodemographic variables in emergency departments (EDs). ⋯ Health systems should routinely collect sociodemographic variables in EDs guided by recommendations that minimize harms and maximize benefits and consider relevant barriers and facilitators. Our recommendations can serve as a guide for the equity-focused reformation of emergency medicine health information systems.
-
Observational Study
Estimated Reimbursement Impact of COVID-19 on Emergency Physicians.
The delivery and financing of health care services were altered in unprecedented ways by COVID-19 and subsequent policy responses. We estimated reimbursement losses to emergency physicians in 2020 compared to 2019 related to shifting acute care utilization during COVID-19. ⋯ Our analyses provide an estimate of the scale of economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. These findings warrant consideration for policymaker relief and future redesign of emergency care financing. Ultimately, the COVID-19 pandemic likely expanded known cracks in the financing of health care into steep fault lines.