By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
    Health
    Healthcare organizations are operating on slimmer profit margins than ever. One report in August showed that they are even lower than the beginning of the…
    Show More
    Top News
    Medical device classification and development strategies
    Medical device classification and development strategies
    April 5, 2023
    varicose veins
    Varicose Veins Prevention: 3 Lifestyle Changes to Make Right Now
    May 1, 2022
    Things You Should Know Before Buying Golden Teacher Mushrooms Spores
    Things You Should Know Before Buying Golden Teacher Mushrooms Spores
    September 15, 2022
    Latest News
    Beyond Nutrition: Everyday Foods That Support Whole-Body Health
    June 15, 2025
    The Wide-Ranging Benefits of Magnesium Supplements
    June 11, 2025
    The Best Home Remedies for Migraines
    June 5, 2025
    The Hidden Impact Of Stress On Your Body’s Alignment And Balance
    May 22, 2025
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
    Policy and Law
    Get the latest updates about Insurance policies and Laws in the Healthcare industry for different geographical locations.
    Show More
    Top News
    Aaron Carroll Defends Retail Clinics
    December 13, 2011
    Health Wonk Review – Opening Day Edition
    September 11, 2017
    Cigarette Warning Labels May Go Up in Smoke
    January 9, 2012
    Latest News
    Let Your Lawyer Handle the Work Before You Pay Medical Costs
    July 6, 2025
    Top HIPAA-Compliant Messaging Apps for Healthcare Teams
    June 25, 2025
    When Healthcare Ends, the Legal Process Begins: What Families Should Know About Probate and Medical Estates
    June 20, 2025
    Preventing Contamination In Healthcare Facilities Starts With Hygiene
    June 15, 2025
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Innovating Your Way to a Patient-Centric Emergency Department
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > Business > Hospital Administration > Innovating Your Way to a Patient-Centric Emergency Department
BusinessHospital Administration

Innovating Your Way to a Patient-Centric Emergency Department

Principle Healthcare
Principle Healthcare
Share
6 Min Read
SHARE

As noted in a recent article by Hospital & Health Network’s Senior Editor, Haydn Bush, “When a patient with a sore throat, earache or other minor ailment heads to the emergency department for a cure, there are a raft of consequences every hospital is familiar with: longer waits for patients with more serious conditions, higher costs for the patient and the hospital, and the challenge of treating a patient in a less-than-ideal care setting.”  With the onset of National Patient Safety Awareness Week, it is an ideal time to review innovative strategies for implementing Be Aware for Safe Care (the 2012 NPSF theme), proper selection of care setting, reduction of wait time and expense and, ultimately, a more positive patient experience.

Since hospitals are required by the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA) to take care of all patients that arrive in their ED, it is counter-intuitive to think that their best course of action might be to refer patients elsewhere.  It is in this vein that leaders at Presbyterian Healthcare Services of New Mexico have been piloting a program to screen patients for more serious problems prior to scheduling a primary care appointment for them.  Having met with the Centers for Medicaid & Medicare, local advocacy groups and ED physicians, this group’s initiative has led to decreased ED utilization and return visits from patients who had been navigated to primary care settings previously.

More Read

Healthcare Administrators: Lighten Your Load With These 4 Tips
Healthcare Administrators: Lighten Your Load With These 4 Tips
How to Extend a CAP Checklist for Increased Research Capabilities
Wound Market Analysis: A Case Study in Understanding Context
Wireless Health Hub Helps mHealth Entrepreneurs [VIDEO INTERVIEW]
Healthbox Heads South for New Digital Health Accelerator Programs

Additional tactics for preventing unnecessary ED visits include staffing and procedural changes within the ED department itself. Nurse Practitioner and Physician Assistants, along with a triage coordinator, have been successful at handling fast track patients with lower acuity.  Care coordination teams are also popping up at various facilities in order to ensure that patients presenting with chronic repeat problems receive care from a variety of disciplines – psychosocial, nursing, physical/occupational therapy, dietary and others.  Follow-up telephonic visits are conducted in efforts to confirm that patients are adhering to their care plan.  If one were to add a relationship management program that encompassed interactive voice response and mobile alerts, it would be intriguing to measure the enhanced outcomes.

According to Neighborhood Health Plans’ Multi-Dimensional Approach to Reducing Preventable Emergency Room Use, there are a number of additional steps that can be implemented post-visit to prevent future ones.  First, NHP distributes patient education materials in the form of the Healthwise Handbook to all members who have visited the ED for ambulatory-sensitive conditions in the past quarter.  In addition, members have access to the handbook online, which includes an interactive symptom checker.  By clicking on a body part and answering a series of questions generated by an evidence-based tool, patients can receive care recommendations such as seek urgent care, call a primary care physician or go to the emergency room.

NHP also sends quarterly reports to all physician groups in its network to indicate: (1) which of their patients have used emergency rooms; (2) which patients have used EDs frequently (i.e., more than five times in the past year); (3) the diagnoses of patients using emergency rooms and whether they used EDs for ambulatory-sensitive conditions;(4) times of day during which patients have used emergency rooms; and (5) health outcomes following ED visits. NHP sends reports to individual physicians and posts them on its secure Web portal so that physicians can sort and analyze the data.  Such impactful changes are to be lauded; however, just imagine the change that a multidisciplinary payer – provider team working in tandem with the chronic needs population could achieve.

While these examples are nothing less than noteworthy, the most potentially innovative change could be found in Intermountain Healthcare’s recent telehealth launch, which allows individuals to access primary care physicians or specialists from private computers at the hospital via a video chat feature located on the IHC website.  Individuals presenting at the ED, only to learn that their symptoms are more appropriate for primary care, now have the option to speak with a physician in a safe environment for a reasonable fee in an acceptable amount of time. Sounds like a win-win to me.

Principle Healthcare Associates is an expert resource and dedicated advocate for Nurse Practitioner, Physician Assistant, Physician and Healthcare Executive job seekers. With many years of recruiting experience, we deliver strategies to help clients identify diamonds in the rough and candidates that stand head and shoulders above the competition.

 

TAGGED:emergency department
Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

9 Lifestyle Tweaks That Can Add Years to Your Life
9 Healthcare Lifestyle Tweaks That can Add Years to Your Life
lifestyle
July 11, 2025
car accident lawsuit
Let Your Lawyer Handle the Work Before You Pay Medical Costs
Policy & Law
July 6, 2025
women dental care
What Is a Smile Makeover and How Much Does It Cost?
Dental health
June 30, 2025
HIPAA-Compliant Messaging Apps
Top HIPAA-Compliant Messaging Apps for Healthcare Teams
Global Healthcare Policy & Law Technology
June 25, 2025

You Might also Like

The_pc_2007
BusinessMedical Devices

If Doctors Demand Evidence and Med-Tech & Pharma Provide it, Health Care Might Cost Less

July 3, 2012

Telemonitoring at Work in the Netherlands

November 25, 2013
subscription based telemedicine
Hospital Administration

Subscription Management Solutions Are Crucial for Telemedicine

April 5, 2023
HIE cash payment
BusinessHealth ReformPolicy & Law

Unintended Consequences: How HIEs Force Patients to Quit Their PCPs

July 3, 2014
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?