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September 13, 2011
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September 13, 2011
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September 13, 2011
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September 13, 2011

Emergency Department/Trauma

Overview

Emergency Department/Trauma

December 7, 2008

Emergency services and trauma care in California are being threatened. Financial pressures, infra-structure requirements and shortages of licensed health care professionals have caused numerous emergency department (ED) and trauma center closures or downgrades.

The willingness of physician specialists to take calls in hospital EDs has also become increasingly problematic for California hospitals.

News Headlines Article

University of Colorado Hospital tries to make its new ER run more like The Gap
Denver Post

May 7, 2013

At midafternoon on a recent weekday, the vast waiting area at University of Colorado Hospital’s new emergency room is empty. Missing are the dozens of patients who crowd a typical ER lobby, often waiting more than an hour to see a doctor. Empty, though, does not mean idle. Behind secured doors, a warren of treatment rooms is packed with complaints of chest pain, dizziness and earaches, some of the 230 patients University Hospital’s ER will see on a given day.

That’s just the way the design team wants it. They meticulously planned the space to employ retail magic alongside medical miracles, putting the hospital at the forefront of a national movement to deliver health care with industrial efficiency.

CHA News Article

RWJF Online Map Ranks States on Trauma Injury Prevention

January 28, 2013 BJ Bartleson

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) has developed an interactive online map that provides state-by-state injury death rates and ranks states on injury prevention based on 10 key indicators of steps states can take to prevent injury. The map uses data from The Facts Hurt — a policy report RWJF issued last year. According to the report, “millions of injuries could be prevented annually if more states adopted additional research-based injury prevention policies, and if programs were fully implemented and enforced.” To view the map, visit the RWJF website.

CHA News Article

Community Paramedicine Project Works to Improve Health Care Access

January 17, 2013 BJ Bartleson

The California HealthCare Foundation is working with the Emergency Medical Services Authority and the Institute for Population Health at the University of California, Davis, to study how community paramedicine (CP) programs can be used to improve access to health care in California. CP programs use paramedics who have received additional training and work under medical direction to fill gaps in community health care. The project is exploring whether CP programs can be used to increase efficiency of the Emergency Medical Services system and help integrate it with health care systems. CHA and 34 other organizations are participating in the project.

CHA News Article

CHA, EMSA to Hold Stakeholder Meeting on Patient Offload Delays in EDs

January 16, 2013 BJ Bartleson

CHA and the California Emergency Medical Services Authority are convening a group of key stakeholders in March to explore ways to solve delays that occur when patients are transferred from an ambulance by emergency services personnel to hospital emergency department staff.  These delays, frequently referred to as ambulance “wall” or “wait” times, prevent emergency services personnel from prompt return to service. Most importantly, they threaten safe patient evaluation and transfer of care.  The group will examine the problem and develop solutions that can be applied and controlled locally, as deemed appropriate by local stakeholders.

Recording

Advanced Decision Making for EMTALA Web Seminar CD
EMTALA principles, case scenario learning, surveyor compliance tips

Image of Advanced Decision Making for EMTALA Web Seminar CD
June 27, 2012

Web Seminar Recorded Live June 18, 2012

Whether you are a sending or receiving hospital, many factors must be considered when dealing with a potential EMTALA situation. The patient’s medical condition, screening exams, capacity and capability, and on-call issues are at the top of the list. Learn how to analyze these and other complicated EMTALA situations with confidence.

Publication

2012 EMTALA
A Guide to Patient "Anti-Dumping" Laws

Image of 2012 EMTALA
February 1, 2012 M. Steven Lipton

The EMTALA Manual cuts through the legalese to help you navigate the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act — or “patient-dumping” law — that was enacted to ensure patients equal access to emergency services without regard to financial or insurance status. In a question and answer format, the manual provides guidance to hospitals and physicians on how to comply with the Act and clarifies situations to which EMTALA applies.

General information

CHA Medication Safety Guidelines for Fentanyl Patch

Image of CHA Medication Safety Guidelines for Fentanyl Patch
October 14, 2011 BJ Bartleson

Despite warnings from the Food and Drug Administration, manufacturers and various patient safety agencies, fentaNYL transdermal patches continue to be prescribed inappropriately to treat patients with acute pain who are not opioid tolerant. CDPH has issued several Immediate Jeopardy administrative penalties for inappropriate use of fentaNYL transdermal patches.

Commands