Slideshow: Emergency Departments Focus on Flow

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Contributing forces, from the primary care shortage to the rise in the uninsured, are adding to overcrowded emergency departments and deep concerns about patient safety. Hospital leaders, uncertain about their systems' preparedness, as well as how healthcare reform will further affect the flow of patients, are strategizing to reduce congestion, cut wait times, and improve care coordination.

As health systems try to improve their EDs, healthcare leaders are watching the financial framework with caution. About 80% say they expect their ED revenue margins will worsen as a result of healthcare reform and 78% say their reimbursement also will get worse. View the data from the most recent HealthLeaders Media Intelligence Report, Volume, Flow, and Safety Issues in the ED, in this slideshow.