'24 Hours in the ER' Shows Challenges of Health System
from USA Today
 The key elements of today's debate on health care converge in the ER, from the cutting-edge quality of the U.S. system to the millions of uninsured people who show up for care. To explore the issue, USA TODAY chronicled 24 hours in the emergency room at the UVA Medical Center, a teaching hospital and trauma center that serves patients across a swath of central Virginia.
More
Could Lawsuit Curbs Pave Way For Health Care Deal?
from NPR
In the Republicans' most recent weekly radio address, Wyoming Sen. Mike Enzi offered several of what he called "common sense reforms" aimed at curbing health care costs: more competitive insurance plans, better information for health care shoppers, and that old GOP chestnut - cutting down on frivolous lawsuits. "We need to reform our flawed medical liability system and eliminate junk lawsuits against doctors and hospitals," Enzi said. "Unnecessary lawsuits cause extra costs and drive up health care costs."
More
Tool to Offer Fast Help for H.I.V. Exposure
from The New York Times
Time is of the essence in treating someone who may have been exposed to the AIDS virus. Starting Wednesday, emergency room doctors throughout New York State will be just a computer click away from concise guidelines for starting prompt drug treatment that can reduce the risk of becoming infected.
More
Dominican Hospital: Rx for Emergency Room Overcrowding
from The Mercury News
In April, when Dominican Hospital started a new system to evaluate people seeking emergency care, the goal was to make sure beds would be available for those patients in critical condition. A nurse, physician or physician assistant, and an emergency medical technician see the patient all at once, eliminating duplication of effort and quickly identifying whether a bed will be needed.
More
Indiana: Pressure Ulcers Reduced by 30 Percent
from EMax Health
Health care facilities participating in a state healthcare quality initiative reduced pressure ulcers by 30 percent, the Indiana State Department of Health announced. The reduction occurred at 95 nursing homes, 40 hospitals, and 28 home health agencies participating in the Indiana Pressure Ulcer Initiative. Citing data indicating a high pressure ulcer rate, the initiative was launched in June 2008.
More
Understanding Cardiac Biomarkers
from Emergency Medicine Magazine
When a patient presents with suspected acute coronary syndrome, the immediate task is to assign him or her to one of four categories: noncardiac diagnosis, chronic stable angina, possible acute coronary syndrome, and definite acute coronary syndrome. To do that, the American College of Cardiology (ACC) and American Heart Association (AHA) guidelines recommend immediately taking the patient’s history, performing a physical examination, getting a 12-lead ECG, and doing an initial cardiac marker determination.
More
Senator Eyes Insurer Fee for U.S. Health Reform Plan
from Reuters
A leading U.S. senator seeking to forge agreement on healthcare reform will put forward a plan that includes sweeping insurance market changes and a fee on companies that will help pay to cover the uninsured, a source familiar with the proposal said.
More
New Group to Take Health Records into Digital Age
from the Pantagraph
A patient comes to Dr. John Warner Hospital in Clinton with chest pains. Doctors and nurses there determine he is having a heart attack. They stabilize the patient and send him by ambulance to OSF St. Joseph Medical Center in Bloomington or BroMenn Regional Medical Center in Normal, where he can have a higher level of care. “Now suppose that instead of sending paper charts with the ambulance driver, we sent them electronically to BroMenn or St. Joe so the doctors could see the EKG and lab results long before the patient arrives, meaning they would know exactly what to do with the patient," said Kathy Isaac, a registered nurse and risk manager at Warner hospital, who provided the patient scenario.
More
|
|
