Emergency room (ER) physicians serve as the front-line arbiters of many federal mandates regarding how to deliver care in the hospital setting, perhaps most importantly the two-midnight rule regarding observation care. According to Catherine Polera, M.D., chief clinical officer of Sheridan Healthcare, many ER physicians hesitate about making specific designations, fearing their hospitals will be financially penalized later on by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. As a result, many ER doctors resort to temporary "bridge" orders to facilitate the transfer of care between the ER and the inpatient setting. Read the full article at FierceHealthcare