The Joint Commission journal on quality improvement
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Jt Comm J Qual Improv · Jul 2000
Multicenter StudyImplementing emergency department observation units within a multihospital network.
The proportion of emergency department (ED) chest pain patients who undergo an extended "rule out MI (myocardial infarction)" evaluation beyond the ED determines both the quality and cost of patient care. The higher an organization's rate of such evaluations, the lower the average miss rate for MI. Five of the 13 hospitals in the Voluntary Hospital Association Northeast multihospital network implemented ED observation units by June 1997 for outpatient rule out MI evaluations. ⋯ ED observation units represent a cost-effective restructuring of the diagnostic approach to patients with acute chest pain. In an improvement of quality of patient care, a larger proportion of ED chest pain patients receive an extended evaluation than is possible with hospital admission as the only ED disposition option.