The Effect of a Rapid Assessment Zone on Emergency Department Operations and Throughput.

Study Objective: We examine the effects of a front-end flow model designated the rapid assessment zone on multiple emergency department (ED) operational metrics.

Methods: This was a retrospective, before-after study of consecutive patient visits at an urban community ED. Six-month periods were compared before and after an intervention in 2017 that changed patient flow and the intake process.

Integrating clinical practice and public health surveillance using electronic medical record systems.

Electronic medical record (EMR) systems have rich potential to improve integration between primary care and the public health system at the point of care. EMRs make it possible for clinicians to contribute timely, clinically detailed surveillance data to public health practitioners without changing their existing workflows or incurring extra work. New surveillance systems can extract raw data from providers' EMRs, analyze them for conditions of public health interest, and automatically communicate results to health departments.

Integrating clinical practice and public health surveillance using electronic medical record systems.

Electronic medical record (EMR) systems have rich potential to improve integration between primary care and the public health system at the point of care. EMRs make it possible for clinicians to contribute timely, clinically detailed surveillance data to public health practitioners without changing their existing workflows or incurring extra work. New surveillance systems can extract raw data from providers' EMRs, analyze them for conditions of public health interest, and automatically communicate results to health departments.

Harnessing electronic health records for public health surveillance.

Electronic medical record (EMR) systems are a rich potential source for detailed, timely, and efficient surveillance of large populations. We created the Electronic medical record Support for Public Health (ESP) system to facilitate and demonstrate the potential advantages of harnessing EMRs for public health surveillance. ESP organizes and analyzes EMR data for events of public health interest and transmits electronic case reports or aggregate population summaries to public health agencies as appropriate.

Lessons learned from a collaborative to improve care for patients with diabetes in 17 community health centers, Massachusetts, 2006.

Introduction: In 2006, the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers convened a collaborative to systematically improve health care delivery for patients with diabetes in 17 community health centers. Our goal was to identify facilitators of and barriers to success reported by teams that participated in this collaborative.

Methods: The collaborative's activities lasted 13 months.

Addressing stroke signs and symptoms through public education: the Stroke Heroes Act FAST campaign.

Introduction: In 2003, only 18% of Massachusetts adults were aware of all signs and symptoms of stroke, but 80% would call 9-1-1 if they thought someone was having a stroke or heart attack. Because early recognition leads to early treatment and improved clinical outcomes, increasing symptom recognition could have an impact on stroke survival and stroke patients' quality of life.

Methods: We conducted secondary research to identify messages with evidence-based effectiveness for communicating stroke signs and symptoms.