The western journal of emergency medicine
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Sign-out (SO) is a challenge to the emergency physician. Some training programs have instituted overlapping 9-hour shifts. The residents see patients for eight hours, and have one hour of wrap-up time. This hour helps them complete patient care, leaving fewer patients to sign-out. We examined whether this strategy impacts SO burden. ⋯ The additional hour devoted to wrapping up patients in the ED had no affect on SO burden. The SO burden represented a fixed percentage of the total number of patients seen by the residents. PGY3s sign-out a smaller percentage of patients seen compared to other classes, and have faster TATs.
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Luxatio erecta humeri is an uncommon form of glenohumeral dislocation, resulting in the inferior displacement of the humeral head. Treatment with traction-counter traction techniques is usually successful in reducing most cases. We describe an unusual complication of this condition where initial reduction attempts of a luxatio erecta humeri repositioned the shoulder to an anterior dislocation position. After a thorough search of the literature, we were unable to find a similar case report of this type of complication during the reduction of a luxatio erecta shoulder dislocation.
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Physician reimbursement laws for diagnostic interpretive services require that only those services provided contemporaneously and /or contribute directly to patient care can be billed for. Despite these regulations, cardiologists and radiologists in many hospitals continue to bill for ECG and plain film diagnostic services performed in the emergency department (ED). The reimbursement value of this care, which is disconnected in time and place from the ED patient encounter, is unknown. In a California community ED with a 32,000 annual census, the emergency physicians (EPs) alone, by contract, bill for all ECG readings and plain film interpretations when the radiologists are not available to provide contemporaneous readings. ⋯ As EP-reimbursement is challenged by rising malpractice premiums, uninsured patients, HMO contracts, unfunded government mandates and state budgetary shortfalls, EPs are seeking to preserve their patient services and resultant income. They should also be reimbursed for those services and the liability that they incur. The reimbursement value of ECGs and plain film interpretations to the practicing EP is substantial. In the ED studied, it represents $30,444 gross income per full-time EP annually. Plain film interpretation services produce three times the hourly revenue of ECG reading at the hospital studied.
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Spinal immobilization is one of the most commonly performed pre-hospital procedures. Little research has been done on the movement of the neck during immobilization and extrication. In this study we used a sophisticated infrared six-camera motion-capture system (Motion Analysis Corporation, Santa Rosa, CA), to study the motion of the neck and head during extrication. ⋯ We found in this pilot study that allowing an individual to exit the car under his own volition with cervical collar in place may result in the least amount of motion of the cervical spine. Further research should be conducted to verify these findings. In addition, this system could be utilized to study a variety of methods of extrication from automobile accidents.
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Determine the effect that increased medical surgical (med/surg) bed occupancy has on the time interval from admission order to arrival in the bed for the patients admitted from the emergency department (ED). ⋯ Med/surg bed occupancy has a better correlation to extended transfer times, and occupancy over 92% at 5 AM in our institution corresponds to an increased frequency of extended transfer times from the ED. The process of ED evaluation, hospital admission, and subsequent transfer into the hospital are all complex processes. This study begins to demonstrate one variable, med/surg occupancy, as one of the intervals that can be followed to evaluate the process of ED admission and hospital flow.