Emergency Department Patients Who Leave Before Treatment Is Complete

Autor: Courtney M. Smalley, Stephen W. Meldon, Erin L. Simon, McKinsey R. Muir, Fernando Delgado, Baruch S. Fertel
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2020
Předmět:
Zdroj: Western Journal of Emergency Medicine, Vol 22, Iss 2 (2020)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 1936-9018
DOI: 10.5811/westjem.2020.11.48427
Popis: Introduction: Emergency department (ED) patients who leave before treatment is complete (LBTC) represent medicolegal risk and lost revenue. We sought to examine LBTC return visits characteristics and potential revenue effects for a large healthcare system. Methods: This retrospective, multicenter study examined all encounters from January 1–December 31, 2019 at 18 EDs. The LBTC patients were divided into left without being seen (LWBS), defined as leaving prior to completed medical screening exam (MSE), and left subsequent to being seen (LSBS), defined as leaving after MSE was complete but before disposition. We recorded 30-day returns by facility type including median return hours, admission rate, and return to index ED. Expected realization rate and potential charges were calculated for each patient visit. Results: During the study period 626,548 ED visits occurred; 20,158 (3.2%) LBTC index encounters occurred, and 6745 (33.5%) returned within 30 days. The majority (41.7%) returned in
Databáze: Directory of Open Access Journals