This week was my birthday. Since I am no longer an 8-year-old, birthdays are quite often a few to a lot of happy birthday wishes and maybe a dinner out. Nothing that isn’t appreciated but it is not also required. Regardless I honestly took an unscheduled and unannounced a few days off from everything …
Category: Healthcare issues
Jacks or Better to Open…
There is no card deck in my workroom or at the nurses’ station on our unit. Last night I started the shift with a rapid response. If you don’t know what they are, it is when a patient’s condition has rapidly changed and not for good. It is still always strange to be the one …
We have a problem…
In Baton Rouge Louisiana last week a nurse was trying to assist another nurse who was being attacked by a patient on a behavioral health floor. Last year a nurse was attacked and held hostage in Ohio. Nurses and other medical staff are frequently the source of patient violence and sometimes coworker violence. Does anything …
EMTALA the acronym that many don’t know…
Emergency Medical Treatment & Labor Act (EMTALA) In 1986, Congress enacted the Emergency Medical Treatment & Labor Act (EMTALA) to ensure public access to emergency services regardless of ability to pay. Section 1867 of the Social Security Act imposes specific obligations on Medicare-participating hospitals that offer emergency services to provide a medical screening examination (MSE) …