Patient Care & Procedural Skills

ED Handoff Communications

The ED is an error-prone environment, and is perhaps the most handoff-intense setting in all of healthcare. While sign-out is a point where error may be introduced, it is also a point where error may be caught and corrected. Standardized…

HIV Diagnosis and Treatment: What Should You Know?

The CDC estimates that almost 50,000 new cases of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections occur each year, approximately 1.2 million people in the U.S. are infected with the virus, and approximately 20% of those people infected are unaware of their…

Maternal and Newborn Levels of Care & Transport Implications

A current imbalance in the our perinatal care system has led to inappropriate, unsafe, and lack of transports in clinically relevant patients, as well as, risk of costly EMTALA violations by hospitals and physicians. In an effort to encourage safe…

External Fetal Monitoring Case Study #7: Levels of Care and Transport

Inappropriate, unsafe, or lack of transport when clinically indicated increases medical-legal risk to obstetricians and hospitals. Early identification of a perinatal patient (mother or fetus) requiring transport to a higher level of care improves outcomes. In 2015, ACOG & SMFM…

Withholding Life Sustaining Treatment, an Ethical Paradox

CMS is allowing reimbursement for healthcare providers who have stand-alone discussions with patients about their health care options near the end of life, including life-sustaining treatment. Lack of reimbursement has likely represented one barrier to these important discussions. Another obstacle…

Abnormal Uterine Bleeding

Abnormal Uterine Bleeding (AUB) accounts for nearly 30% of all visits to the gynecologist and 70% of all visits in the perimenopausal and postmenopausal years [ACOG, 2014]. Recent advancements in diagnostic modalities and new terminology warrant an up-date on this…

Opioid Mortality: What Prescribers Can Do

Deaths from opioid overdose have risen to epidemic levels, leading to a proliferation of many regulations and counter-measures, such as the pharmacy drug monitoring programs (PDMPs). This monograph will assess the effectiveness of these measures, review existing clinical practice guidelines,…

HIV Testing Guidelines (Part 2 of 2)

Since the CDC recommended expanded HIV testing, screening of patients for HIV will increase. In addition, with the approval by the FDA of rapid HIV tests and in-home HIV tests, screening will take place both in primary care and at-home…

HIV Testing Guidelines (Part 1 of 2)

Since the CDC recommended expanded HIV testing, screening of patients for HIV will increase. In addition, with the approval by the FDA of rapid HIV tests and in-home HIV tests, screening will take place both in primary care and at-home…