As more people become insured under health reform coverage expansions, ED use likely will increase, along with the importance of better coordination between ED and primary care physicians to avoid duplicative and improper treatment. Researchers conducted 42 telephone interviews between April and Oct. 2010 with 21 pairs of ED and primary care physicians. Key findings from the interviews include the following:
• Both ED and primary care physicians reported they had to send multiple pages and undergo lengthy waits before receiving a callback.
• Physicians had little confidence that faxes were carefully reviewed by their intended recipient and often reported that faxed records were poorly organized and difficult to decipher.
• ED and primary care physicians most commonly cited insufficient time and lack of reimbursement as significant barriers to communication.
Read the news release about communication between primary care and ED physicians.
Read other coverage about hospital EDs:
– Keeping Patients Out of EDs Would Not Save Money, Physician Group Says
– New EDs Focus on Elderly Patients
– Is Your Hospital Embracing Its ED?
At Becker's 4th Annual CEO + CFO Roundtable, taking place November 2–5 in Chicago, more than 1,500 hospital and health system executives tackle decisions that determine whether organizations thrive or merely survive: protecting margins under cost pressure, choosing where to grow, renegotiating payer relationships, stabilizing the workforce and proving real ROI on technology. This is where leaders work through them together, face-to-face. Apply for complimentary registration now.
