overcrowding
Study: ED crowding affects care
A new study suggests that overcrowding has a direct impact on the care emergency departments provide, even if the ED hasn't exceeded its maximum capacity. Researchers behind the study argue that... Read more...
Atlanta hospitals screen out non-emergent ED patients
The movement towards screening out non-critical emergency department visitors is continuing nationwide, with many hospitals opting to push such patients into primary care or charge them a fee to use... Read more...
Case study: TX hospital cuts ED admit times
A new project at Parkland Memorial Hospital has cut the wait time between the decision to admit an ED patient and the time he or she is situated in a bed from three hours to one. The improvements... Read more...
One ambulance an hour being diverted in NJ
Emergency rooms are crammed across the country--and what's happening in New Jersey is a perfect example. According to a new report, ED overcrowding and staff shortages are so severe, one ambulance an... Read more...
CDC report backs emergency department overcrowding charges
Emergency department visits hit a new high in 2005, with more than 115 million visits, says new research from the CDC. That's a jump of five million visits over the previous year, and a substantial 20 percent increase over 10 years.
Over the same time period, the number of hospital EDs decreased more than 9 percent from 4,176 to 3,795, the CDC says. More than half of these patients (62.8 percent) were referred to a physician or clinic for follow-up after their visit, suggesting …
... Read more...Study: Iowa emergency department visits shortest in U.S.
In an era of emergency department overcrowding, it's certainly worth noting: Iowa hospitals offer the shortest emergency department visits in the United States.
Patient satisfaction research firm Press Ganey Associates, says the national average for emergency department visits is three hours and 42 minutes. In Iowa, however, the average visit is two hours and 18 minutes, shorter than …
... Read more...CMS faces ED overcrowding scrutiny
The issue of emergency department preparedness is not a new one, and CMS is getting heat from Congress for not taking action on the problem. In recent years, lower ED capacity and higher patient demand has placed strain on the system even under the best of circumstance, and officials fear EDs are woefully unprepared to handle …
... Read more...ED boarding major issue for NY-area hospitals
Like peers around the country, hospitals in the sprawling region surrounding New York City are facing a emergency department crowding crisis. A recent survey by the American College of Emergency Physicians found that more than half of physicians responding from New York state, New Jersey and Connecticut reported that ED boarding had increased significantly in recent years. More worrisome, nearly …
... Read more...Case study: Calif. hospital tests ED referral system
Emergency department crowding--particularly by patients who could be treated in primary care settings--is the bane of hospitals across the U.S. To address this issue, a growing number of hospitals are developing programs which route such patients to community clinics. Most have referral relationships with several area clinics, and help patients get treated at those clinics. In San Diego, meanwhile, the University of California San Diego Medical Center has taken the process a step further, …
... Read more...NC providers to divert indigent from EDs
Concerned about the cost of providing care for indigent patients, group of eight North Carolina clinics, health systems and county agencies have set up a collective designed to streamline care for the uninsured. The CapitalCare Collaborative is working to make sure patients use less expensive nonprofit and county agencies for routine care rather than visiting the region's emergency departments. To help members coordinate such care, the group will share uninsured patients' financial and …
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