Observation Medicine Newsroom

June 10, 2023

2023 Observation Coding and Reimbursement Update - Part Two Focus On Medical Decision Making

Just as with emergency department (ED) evaluation and management (E/M) codes, the current procedural terminology (CPT) codes covering observation care underwent a substantial revision beginning in 202...

June 9, 2023

2023 Observation Coding and Reimbursement Update - Part One

2023 has brought with it a myriad of documentation, coding, and reimbursement changes impacting Observation services including:

June 8, 2023

Observation Medicine Literature Spotlight

Chaftari P, Lipe DN, Wattana MK, et al. Outcomes of Patients Placed in an Emergency Department Observation Unit of a Comprehensive Cancer Center. JCO Oncol Pract. 2022;18:e574-e585.

December 6, 2022

Social Observation – A Case of Value

When discussing observation medicine, one generally thinks of the patients with chest pain, abdominal pain, musculoskeletal pain, and other such clinical presentations as the “standard” observation pa...

December 6, 2022

The Role of Emergency Department Observation Units in Pandemic Surge Response

Emergency departments (EDs) have functioned as the clinical safety net for society since their inception.

December 6, 2022

The Past, Present and Future of Observation Medicine

An Interview with Dr. Louis Graff IV

December 6, 2022

Tele-Observation: Using Telemedicine to Centralize Observation Care Across Multiple Hospitals

Telemedicine is an exciting frontier for medicine, as well as an area targeted by ACEP for growth and training of its members.

October 16, 2020

Observation in the Literature

I wanted to share a summary of observation related topics in the current literature for your review.

October 16, 2020

The Effects of Observation Unit Location and Physician Staffing on Patient Outcomes

Observation units have become increasingly common in recent years. Observation units (OUs) can be staffed by emergency physicians (EP) or by internal medicine physicians (IMPs).

October 16, 2020

Update from the Chair

It’s unfortunate that we won’t be able to see each other in person at the section meeting this year. On September 17th and 18th, I participated in the Michigan chapter’s Observation Medicine Science a...

March 27, 2019

Creation of an Observation Visit Outcomes Database using the Clinical Emergency Data Registry (CEDR)

Greetings section members! Recently, our section voted for this year’s ACEP section grant topics, here are the results.

March 27, 2019

Teaching Observation Medicine Through a Serious Game

The practice of observation medicine by emergency medicine (EM) providers has spiked over recent years. An increasing number of emergency departments (EDs) across the country are adopting clinical mod...

March 27, 2019

Observation Medicine in the Journals

In this series we will look articles and abstracts both inside and beyond the emergency medicine journals related to observation medicine. While these may or may not change care, I hope to provide inf...

March 27, 2019

Expanding the Reach of Emergency Medicine

This is a piece on observation medicine as the expansion of our specialty. My oh my, have things changed since my days of training where I learned to care for all comers irrespective of their money, b...

March 27, 2019

Impact of Highly Sensitive Troponin Testing in ED Observation Unit Case Mix

The ED Observation Unit at Highland Hospital (Rochester, NY) has been operating since 2011. In May of 2018, the University of Rochester Medical Center introduced global clinical use of a highly sensit...

March 27, 2019

From the Chair

Back in November, ACEP released its clinical policy on the care of patients with suspected NSTEMI. I strongly advise everyone to take a look at it if you haven’t already as there are some key recommen...

September 5, 2018

Observation Care for Elderly Patients

Medicare is the largest payer of healthcare in the United States (US) for adults 65 and older and is administered by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).

September 5, 2018

Observation: Outside the Protocols

Emergency department observation units (EDOU) have increased efficiency and streamlined patient care. In addition to the “ED mentality” being applied in the units, the use of protocols linked to sympt...

September 5, 2018

Documentation Requirements Update for Observation Care

CMS defines observation care as “a well-defined set of specific, clinically appropriate services, which include ongoing short-term treatment, assessment, and reassessment before a decision can be made...

September 5, 2018

Observation Medicine in the Journals

In this new series, we will look at articles and abstracts both inside and beyond the emergency medicine journals related to observation medicine. While these may not change care, I hope to provide in...

September 5, 2018

So, You Had a Heart Attack When?

Many of us started an observation unit under the directive of “let’s have a place where we can rule out MIs.”

September 5, 2018

Use of the Emergency Department Observation Unit (EDOU) for Patients with Opioid Use Disorder

Nine months ago, we began an observation protocol for buprenorphine (Suboxone ®) induction in our EDOU. This idea came from our toxicology division, as they were trying to cope with the opioid epidemi...

February 6, 2018

Observation Units: An Intersection of Outpatient and Inpatient Quality

Dedicated, protocol-driven emergency department observation units are defined by value and have been proven to deliver high-quality, cost-effective care. Additionally, observation services delivered v...

February 4, 2018

Observation Medicine Innovations in Free Standing Emergency Medicine and Integrated Health Systems

As integrated healthcare systems continue to evolve, the existing and potential roles of observation units should be considered, due to their key strategic position at the outpatient-inpatient interfa...

February 3, 2018

Update: Self-Administered Home Medications in Observation

This year, an issue was presented to the ACEP Council regarding an important subject affecting our patients. Currently, there is a significant focus on unexpected and variable out-of-pocket costs for ...