Emergency Medicine

Care Quality from EMS & 911 Left Wanting, Rural Disparities Emerge

February 15, 2024 - The quality of care you get when you call 911 might depend on where you live, with a new analysis of emergency medical service (EMS) systems showing geographic health disparities in clinical quality. The study from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai was published in the journal Prehospital Emergency Care and showed some rural/urban...

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Patient Boarding in the ED Soars by A Third at MGH, Harms Experience

by Sara Heath

Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) is boarding patients in the emergency department nearly a third more often than it has in the past, marking a serious capacity problem that’s impacting...

EDs Use Restraints on Black Patients More than White, But Data Is Scant

by Sara Heath

There’s a gulf in how often emergency departments use restraints on Black patients compared to everybody else, an issue that’s alarming considering the physical and psychological harm such...

Showing Predicted Patient Wait Time Estimates Can Trim ED Delays

by Sarai Rodriguez

Nationwide, emergency departments (EDs) are grappling with extensive patient wait times, soaring patient visits, and significant overcrowding. However, new research reveals that predictive estimates of...

Patient Financial Responsibility Dissuades ED Care Access

by Sara Heath

The specter of a big bill and high patient financial responsibility is getting in the way of emergency department (ED) care access some individuals might actually need, according to data published in...

Emergency Department (ED) Overcrowding Leads to Worse Health Outcomes

by Sarai Rodriguez

Hospitals throughout the United States are facing increasing levels of emergency department (ED) overcrowding, an issue that Penn State researchers linked to worse health outcomes and even death. In a...

More Patients Lack Care Access as Emergency Department Wait Times Spike

by Sarai Rodriguez

A pair of new studies shine a light on how overcrowding and staffing shortages may be impacting emergency department (ED) wait times and patient care access. The studies, based on EHR data from across...

Telephone Follow-Up Improves ED Patient Education, Engagement

by Sara Heath

Better patient education and communication during the emergency department discharge process could be just a phone call away, according to a new study indicating telephone follow-up is a valid way to...

Patient Navigation Program Drops Emergency Department Utilization

by Sarai Rodriguez

A Medicaid accountable care organization (ACO) was able to cut emergency department utilization and increase care coordination through patient navigator interaction, a study published in The American...

Women, Black Patients See Longer Emergency Department Wait Times

by Sarai Rodriguez

Women and Black patients with chest pain experienced longer emergency department wait times than their White, male counterparts, new data shows, shining a light on disparities in timely patient access...

Patient Education About Emergency Department Utilization Will Be Key

by Sara Heath

New Health Affairs data is leaving researchers urging public health leaders to improve patient education about emergency department utilization. This comes amidst the backdrop of health payers...

Patient-Centered Tips to Cut Emergency Department Overutilization

by Sara Heath

The emergency department is an exceptionally important healthcare setting, giving patients a place to go when they are experiencing life-threatening and often frightening healthcare symptoms. But these...

What Are Microhospitals, Their Impact on Patient Access to Care?

by Sara Heath

Amidst the sea of healthcare access offerings, one new type of medical facility has seen an insurgence in popularity. Microhospitals are a new healthcare site supporting the growing need for convenient...

Patient Knowledge Impacts Use of Urgent Care, ED Services

by Sara Heath

Patients need more education to help them determine whether to access care in urgent care centers or the emergency department, according to a survey by New York City-based urgent care provider...