Best Practices of Postpartum Discharge Teaching
March 18, 2019
[8 MIN READ] Unprecedented maternal mortality and morbidity rates nationwide have pushed healthcare providers and obstetric experts to closely examine all areas of perinatal and obstetric health. Specifically, the postpartum period is a time of heightened patient vulnerability and is fraught with maternal risk. Sixty-one percent of pregnancy-related deaths occur in the postpartum period, making it…Read More
EMRs & Physician Burnout: What's the link?
February 26, 2019
With the concept of physician burnout taking center stage, questions have arisen regarding the factors affecting it, either positively or negatively. One particular factor that has been the topic of research is the use of electronic medical records (EMRs), specifically the link, if any, between EMRs and physician burnout. This blog will hopefully answer these questions…Read More
Case Examples of EMTALA Violations
February 18, 2019
In Part 1 of the EMTALA blog, I reviewed the bare-bones of what EMTALA is and highlighted recent studies of EMTALA investigations. In this installment, I have summarized nine recently settled EMTALA cases in which monetary penalties were levied by OIG against the hospital that serve to illustrate the factors responsible for alleged violations. Emergency Medicine…Read More
What is EMTALA?
February 12, 2019
[5 MIN READ] EMTALA violations can be a costly lesson for both healthcare providers and organizations. EMTALA is an acronym for the “Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act.” This statute was enacted in 1986 for the original purpose of preventing dumping – the practice of refusing service to patients in the emergency department for financial…Read More
Understanding Secondary Postpartum Hemorrhage
January 29, 2019
[6 MIN READ] After reading the case with perspective on how to recognize secondary postpartum hemorrhage, it’s critical to understand why it occurs and how to treat it. Etiology of Secondary PPH Why does secondary PPH occur? The normal physiologic changes associated with pregnancy are the perfect predisposition for an unrecognized hemorrhage. Typically, pregnant women…Read More
Case: Recognizing Secondary Postpartum Hemorrhage
January 21, 2019
[4 MIN READ] Your Postpartum Patient Your postpartum patient was not complaining. Her vital signs were stable. She had experienced a prolonged labor, but to your knowledge, her vaginal delivery the previous day went well. Her recovery seemed to be progressing nicely. The morning report did not reveal that she was at any risk. Source:…Read More
Surgery Malpractice: Are Surgeons More Prone to Complaints?
January 15, 2019
[4 MIN READ] Among physicians, surgeons are at increased medicolegal risk compared to non-surgeons; they also have more medical liability claims and claims paid per year. Jena et al.1 found that the probability of facing a claim varied from 15.3% in general surgery to only 5.2% in family general practice. In a recent review of National…Read More
How Medical Technology Can Prevent Opioid Abuse
January 8, 2019
[2 MIN READ] The development of tools and resources to guide the busy practitioner in prescription decision-making is a welcome trend in healthcare, particularly when the information is instantly available from valuable sources, including Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs and the patient’s medication history. As outlined recently by Ms. Caldwell on the MEDHOST blog, marrying these…Read More
Hot Topics: Top 10 Blogs of 2018
December 28, 2018
We’ve featured a variety of topics, cases, and missed diagnoses on our blog this year, and we hope that you’ve found the content useful and relevant. In case you missed some of 2018’s most popular posts, here are the top 10 articles from the blog this year, according to our website visitor statistics. Which article is…Read More
Triage Training Courses: How to Structure Your Education Program
December 21, 2018
When you serve clinicians with varying experience levels, how do you implement your triage training courses to create an ideal experience for each group? While your implementation plan and structure might vary based on the size of your facility, our experienced triage educators outline these best practices to streamline your program and ensure that expectations…Read More
