Articles: emergency-services.
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Top Health Rec Manage · May 1992
Legal review: the medical records implications of state and federal anti-dumping provisions.
Federal and state enforcement agencies have increased their scrutiny of hospitals to make certain they are complying with anti-dumping law. Medical record practitioners can assist their institutions by providing policies that require appropriate documentation of compliance. Given the potential sanctions imposed by anti-dumping laws, these policies should be reviewed carefully by hospital administrative, medical, and legal personnel.
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The use of a Fast Track system in the emergency department is becoming increasingly popular in order to provide fast and efficient service to patients with minor emergencies. In this paper we describe the one-year results of our system staffed by nurse practitioners. During the first year of operation, a total of 4468 patients were seen in Fast Track. ⋯ Fewer than 1% of patients required admission to the hospital. Overall, patients and medical staff were highly satisfied with the Fast Track system. Our experience demonstrates that nurse practitioners can effectively and efficiently staff a Fast Track in an academic emergency department.
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Emergency physicians often encounter covertly and overtly suicidal patients, and can thus play a key role in the prevention of suicide. The epidemiology and diverse presentations of suicidal behavior are reviewed. We then provide a detailed approach to the assessment of suicide risk, and criteria for safe discharge from the emergency department (ED). Finally, management considerations for the ED are discussed.
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To determine whether the test ordering of physicians working in a teaching hospital emergency department could be influenced by modification of automated laboratory order sets. ⋯ Modification of ED "standard orders" can result in reduction of laboratory use without an adverse effect on patient care.
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To assess the impact of the introduction of an emergency medicine residency program on the quality of care in an urban community hospital emergency department. ⋯ As measured by a process evaluation, documentation of the medical record, the introduction of an emergency medicine residency significantly improved the quality of care in this urban community hospital ED.