Quality & Patient Safety

Washington DC area experiencing extreme emergency department overcrowding

Patient Safety Monitor Alert, June 3, 2009

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In what healthcare analysts believe to be representative of the nation as a whole, hospitals are more often placing ambulances on diversion except for those carrying the most critical of patients needing care at the emergency department, reports The Washington Post.

Hospitals in that area are experiencing emergency departments with little to no beds available for new patients or staff members available to care for them. This practice can place patient safety in jeopardy, as well as drive up costs related to emergency care.

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