Nationwide, hospital emergency departments (EDs) are in crisis. The demand for ED services have increased steadily while capacity has shrunk, due largely to hospital closures. Many Emergency Departments are overcrowded, causing long waits for care, poor quality outcomes and low patient satisfaction. ED crowding is particularly prevalent at EMC, a safety-net hospital, because of our historic mission and legal mandate to care for vulnerable and underserved individuals. The capacity of EMC’s Ed has exacerbated this growing concern. The department was built for patient volumes that existed 25 years ago, and many days the waiting room is full, the beds in the department are full, and patients are becoming increasingly frustrated with service. Furthermore, the reimbursement changes
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Patient Eckman arrived at 3:15am in the ED and registered at the Admissions desk, waiting for someone to assist them. After waiting for an amount of time that exceeded the Eckman’s standards, the triage nurse evaluated Haley, yet failed to adequately perform routine vital signs, namely not taking Haley’s temperature. Haley was asked to wait in the waiting area where she began vomiting and feeling weak. The Eckman’s asked for a bed, and although empty beds were visible to the Eckman’s, a staff member told them there were none available and they must continue to wait. When evaluated by the physician, she was given medicine that she could not keep down, and subsequently diagnosed with the stomach flu and discharged home. The following day, with a dangerously high temperature of 106 degrees, the Eckerman’s presented to nearby Memorial Medical Center in Modesto where Haley was diagnosed with a urinary tract infection. The California Department of Health Services later ruled that the ED staff at EMC did not follow appropriate procedure and acted without consideration and
Patient Eckman arrived at 3:15am in the ED and registered at the Admissions desk, waiting for someone to assist them. After waiting for an amount of time that exceeded the Eckman’s standards, the triage nurse evaluated Haley, yet failed to adequately perform routine vital signs, namely not taking Haley’s temperature. Haley was asked to wait in the waiting area where she began vomiting and feeling weak. The Eckman’s asked for a bed, and although empty beds were visible to the Eckman’s, a staff member told them there were none available and they must continue to wait. When evaluated by the physician, she was given medicine that she could not keep down, and subsequently diagnosed with the stomach flu and discharged home. The following day, with a dangerously high temperature of 106 degrees, the Eckerman’s presented to nearby Memorial Medical Center in Modesto where Haley was diagnosed with a urinary tract infection. The California Department of Health Services later ruled that the ED staff at EMC did not follow appropriate procedure and acted without consideration and