Number of freestanding EDs up, helping ease overcrowding, serving rural areas.
Freestanding EDs must look and act exactly like the ED in the main facility to meet Medicare requirements. Facilities must be open 24 hours a day with trained nursing and matching physician credentials. Specialty on-call panel must include the same physicians as the one used by main ED. Moving patients into your main hospital is a direct admit, not an Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act-covered transfer.
D003441:Crowding; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D010044:Outpatient Clinics, Hospital / Q000600:supply & distribution*; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D019035:Rural Health Services / Q000600:supply & distribution*; D014481:United States