Expectations
Today communities expect their hospitals
to respond - and respond well - to both routine and critical emergency
cases. Modern medical training, technology and treatment protocols
have advanced to a point where people often feel anything is possible,
anything can be fixed. Access to quality emergency care has now
become a fundamental right.
Emergency physicians and hospital staff
must understand and work with this expectation. Every hospital,
within its scope of services, must continually strive to ensure
that the best possible emergency medical care is provided. Simultaneously,
hospitals must also work to improve patient satisfaction and respond
effectively to reimbursement issues, as well as emerging opportunities
to increase market share.
The emergency department has become the
hospital's front door for patient admissions. It must be user
friendly for patients, medical staff, the hospital's support departments
and payer groups. Not unreasonably, every emergency department
has experienced increased pressure to provide consistent quality
care in a cost efficient manner. All of this is possible by adopting
a simple philosophy: Second best is not good enough for any patient.
Set high standards and they will be met.
Incorporating this belief and practice into emergency departments
forms the foundation for success in our challenging medical/business
climate. I learned many years ago that we as emergency physicians
can set the tone, attitude and expectations of the emergency department.
Behavior and attitude have to become as much a part of continuous
quality improvement as is clinical performance.
The most recurrent problem a hospital administrator
hears about is the unhappy or dissatisfied patient. Patients'
overall experience and satisfaction are keenly important to the
success of every hospital. Patients expect the best care possible,
as well as being treated with dignity and respect.
To maximize the hospital's emergency department's
image, emergency physicians and support staff must manage problems,
complaints and issues immediately as they arise. Clearly, new
demands have been placed upon emergency medicine. I know as emergency
physicians we are rising to these demands. Today it is not enough
just to provide good patient care. The art of medicine is now
as important as the science of medicine.
<< Previous Page
