Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

ER physicians can help meet the triple aim

Vipul Kella, MD
Policy
April 2, 2015
36 Shares
Share
Tweet
Share

It is amazing to me how far emergency medicine has come as a specialty. Until the 1970s, emergency rooms were staffed by low-level resident interns who moonlighted for extra money or physicians who couldn’t find work elsewhere. After finally getting recognized as a specialty, the specialty still spent a few decades finding its way: developing training programs, improving quality, and generally trying to raise the bar on emergency care in the U.S.

Fast forward to today. Big strides have been made in cardiac, stroke, and critical care. ER physicians have improved technologies such as ultrasound and have advanced the field of airway management. Emergency departments have served as a testing ground for patient queuing and improved efficiencies in patient throughput. Emergency physicians are no longer low-level residents fighting for a seat at the table, but truly are experts at emergency care whose presence at the table is vital.  In short, emergency physicians have arrived.

This realization came to a head recently as I was sitting in a hospital boardroom for a meeting. The topic was the triple aim: improving patient experience, improving the health of populations and reducing the per capita cost of health care.

This is a conversation that most hospitals are having as the health care system moves to being based on value instead of volume. No longer are the priorities to simply keep our hospital beds full and our operating rooms and cath labs busy. Rather, the question now is, “Are we providing the right care, rather than the most care?”

There are other questions, too: “Are patients better served in the outpatient setting rather than the inpatient?”  “How can we coordinate services with primary physicians and specialists in the community to prevent unnecessary hospital stays?”  “Are we addressing end of life care?”  “How can we improve utilization of imaging studies to patients and not compromise quality?”  Hospitals need answers to all of these. The idea of a value-based system of health care, which seemed like a nice conversation piece for cocktail parties not too long ago, is now a central part of our health care agenda.

Emergency physicians are central players in answering these questions, and a hospital’s success in integrating care will be driven squarely by the care that is provided in the emergency department. It’s an exciting time to be in the field of emergency medicine. The decisions that emergency physicians make over the coming years will have a real and lasting impact on the future health care system.

I am happy that we are finally asking the right questions — but happier still that we emergency physicians are the ones to be answering them.

Vipul Kella is is an emergency physician who blogs at The Shift.

Prev

Binge eating disorder: Real or disease mongering?

April 2, 2015 Kevin 4
…
Next

The special privilege of being a doctor

April 2, 2015 Kevin 94
…

Tagged as: Emergency Medicine, Public Health & Policy

Post navigation

< Previous Post
Binge eating disorder: Real or disease mongering?
Next Post >
The special privilege of being a doctor

More by Vipul Kella, MD

  • a desk with keyboard and ipad with the kevinmd logo

    Emergency departments should embrace clinically integrated networks

    Vipul Kella, MD
  • a desk with keyboard and ipad with the kevinmd logo

    The conversations can be more difficult than the procedures

    Vipul Kella, MD
  • a desk with keyboard and ipad with the kevinmd logo

    Do we need less art in medicine?

    Vipul Kella, MD

More in Policy

  • Pediatricians grapple with guns in America, from Band-Aids to bullets

    Tasia Isbell, MD, MPH
  • Health care wins, losses, and lessons

    Robert Pearl, MD
  • Maximizing care amidst provider shortages: the power of measurement-based care

    Tom Zaubler, MD
  • Unveiling excessive medical billing and greed

    Amol Saxena, DPM, MPH
  • Chronic health issues and homelessness

    Michele Luckenbaugh
  • The impact of certificate of need laws on rural health care

    Jaimie Cavanaugh, JD and Daryl James
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Reigniting after burnout: 3 physician stories

      Kim Downey, PT | Physician
    • Inside the grueling life of a surgery intern

      Randall S. Fong, MD | Physician
    • The erosion of patient care

      Laura de la Torre, MD | Physician
    • I’m tired of being a distracted doctor

      Shiv Rao, MD | Tech
    • Pediatricians grapple with guns in America, from Band-Aids to bullets

      Tasia Isbell, MD, MPH | Policy
    • COVID-19 unleashed an ongoing crisis of delirium in hospitals

      Christina Reppas-Rindlisbacher, MD, Nathan Stall, MD, and Paula Rochon, MD | Conditions
  • Past 6 Months

    • Medical gaslighting: a growing challenge in today’s medical landscape

      Tami Burdick | Conditions
    • I want to be a doctor who can provide care for women: What states must I rule out for my medical education?

      Nandini Erodula | Education
    • Balancing opioid medication in chronic pain

      L. Joseph Parker, MD | Conditions
    • I’m a doctor, and I almost died during childbirth

      Bayo Curry-Winchell, MD | Physician
    • Mourning the silent epidemic: the physician suicide crisis and suggestions for change

      Amna Shabbir, MD | Physician
    • Reigniting after burnout: 3 physician stories

      Kim Downey, PT | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • COVID-19 unleashed an ongoing crisis of delirium in hospitals

      Christina Reppas-Rindlisbacher, MD, Nathan Stall, MD, and Paula Rochon, MD | Conditions
    • Doctors and disability insurance: Protecting your income

      Amarish Dave, DO | Finance
    • Emergency care nightmare: the urgent need for experienced nurses

      Rachel Basham, RN, CCRN | Conditions
    • Physicians have no autonomy. Here’s how to change that.

      Diane W. Shannon, MD, MPH | Physician
    • Understanding intersex health care [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • The erosion of patient care

      Laura de la Torre, MD | Physician

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

View 1 Comments >

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

CME Spotlights

From MedPage Today

Latest News

  • Medical Residents Receive 100+ Job Offer Contacts, Survey Shows
  • Spell Check-Up: Can You Spell These Words?
  • Mydriasis-Reversing Eye Drops Win FDA Approval
  • States Face Challenges With Medicaid and CHIP 'Redeterminations'
  • Spine Surgery Cover-Up? Legal Threats Chill Misinfo Research; The Longevity Industry

Meeting Coverage

  • New Schizophrenia Treatments Are Coming: Don't Panic
  • Loneliness Needs to Be Treated Like Any Other Health Condition, Researcher Suggests
  • Stopping Medical Misinformation Requires Early Detection
  • AI Has an Image Problem in Healthcare, Expert Says
  • Want Better Health Outcomes? Check Out What Other Countries Do
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Reigniting after burnout: 3 physician stories

      Kim Downey, PT | Physician
    • Inside the grueling life of a surgery intern

      Randall S. Fong, MD | Physician
    • The erosion of patient care

      Laura de la Torre, MD | Physician
    • I’m tired of being a distracted doctor

      Shiv Rao, MD | Tech
    • Pediatricians grapple with guns in America, from Band-Aids to bullets

      Tasia Isbell, MD, MPH | Policy
    • COVID-19 unleashed an ongoing crisis of delirium in hospitals

      Christina Reppas-Rindlisbacher, MD, Nathan Stall, MD, and Paula Rochon, MD | Conditions
  • Past 6 Months

    • Medical gaslighting: a growing challenge in today’s medical landscape

      Tami Burdick | Conditions
    • I want to be a doctor who can provide care for women: What states must I rule out for my medical education?

      Nandini Erodula | Education
    • Balancing opioid medication in chronic pain

      L. Joseph Parker, MD | Conditions
    • I’m a doctor, and I almost died during childbirth

      Bayo Curry-Winchell, MD | Physician
    • Mourning the silent epidemic: the physician suicide crisis and suggestions for change

      Amna Shabbir, MD | Physician
    • Reigniting after burnout: 3 physician stories

      Kim Downey, PT | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • COVID-19 unleashed an ongoing crisis of delirium in hospitals

      Christina Reppas-Rindlisbacher, MD, Nathan Stall, MD, and Paula Rochon, MD | Conditions
    • Doctors and disability insurance: Protecting your income

      Amarish Dave, DO | Finance
    • Emergency care nightmare: the urgent need for experienced nurses

      Rachel Basham, RN, CCRN | Conditions
    • Physicians have no autonomy. Here’s how to change that.

      Diane W. Shannon, MD, MPH | Physician
    • Understanding intersex health care [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • The erosion of patient care

      Laura de la Torre, MD | Physician

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

ER physicians can help meet the triple aim
1 comments

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...