Last updated
Emergency Medicine Therapy Collaborative
Share PrintPhysical and Occupational Therapists bridge services between Emergency Medicine and Rehabilitation to deliver a collaborative care model focused on Veteran-centered care. By meeting Veterans closer to their time of need, therapists optimize long term outcomes by expediting access to specialty resources, early and consistent pain management, and addressing equipment needs.
Origin:
August 2012, Cincinnati VA Medical Center (Cincinnati, Ohio)
Adoptions:
6 successful, 7 in-progress
Partners:
VHA Innovators Network
Recent Updates
Overview
Problem
Solution
- initiate practice with low staff demand using only partial coverage or on-call consultation at first until practices are established
- encourage clinicians to consistently communicate and collaborate with Emergency Department prov ... - use patient flow reports for local Emergency Department can support 'peak' demand times to help design dedicated tour hours
- initiate practice with low staff demand using only partial coverage or on-call consultation at first until practices are established
- encourage clinicians to consistently communicate and collaborate with Emergency Department providers to develop relationships See more
Images
Emergency Department: Patient Flow (average persons per hour)
Results
Diffusion tracker
Does not include Clinical Resource Hubs (CRH)
Multimedia
Images
Physical Therapy Orthopedic Resident learning and providing care within Emergency Department setting.
Implementation
Timeline
-
Day 0
Establish connection between Therapy team and ED teamInitiate formal chain of communication for coverage needsIdentify strategic staffing based on therapy abilities and ED patient flow (0.2 FTE or more)Establish early measures (focus on feasibility) to use for initial feedbackConnect with EMTC group -
Day 90
Review early measures (feasibility) and feedback from therapy and ED teamsAdjust ED coverage as per ED patient flow and needsConsider modality of therapy coverage (remote vs. embedded)Establish long-term measure for systems assessment -
Day 360
Formally reassess outcomesImplement sustainable model based on optimal mode of service delivery (remote vs embedded) and dedicated FTE adjustmentsConsider inclusion of clinical education
Departments
- Emergency care
- Physical therapy, occupational therapy and kinesiothology
Core Resources
| Resource type | Resource description |
|---|---|
PEOPLE |
|
Files
- Clinical Strong Practice Review initial model and materials supportive of practice CSP: Emergency Medicine Therapy Collaborative
- Initial APTA Toolkit explore historical data related to relevant physical therapy practices Incorporating Physical Therapist Practice in ED
- Current support statement of Physical Therapy practice in ED settings APTA: Support of PT Practice in ED
Optional Resources
Files
- Perspectives of Therapy inclusion in ED services from ED perspective: Emergency Medicine Provider Survey 2020
- Perspectives on PT / OT practices and inclusion in ED teams: Rehab Care Line Leadership Survey
Risks and mitigations
| Risk | Mitigation |
|---|---|
| Staff Productivity: Ensure optimal use of your human resources. | Seek information on patient flow to best assign therapists during times when patient are most likely to need assistance from therapist team |
| Clinic Utilization: Address administrative demands early. | Clarify how schedule will occur and if consults will be used and what this process will look like. |
| Consults / Patient Identification: Plan early how ideal consults will occur. | Onsite coverage will result in therapist-driven patient-selection. Remote coverage will require provider referral. |
Contact
Comment
Comments and replies are disabled for retired innovations and non-VA users.
Email stephanie.christman@va.gov with questions about this innovation.
About
Origin story
Original team
Stephanie Christman PT
Physical Therapist
Way to go Stephanie!
Hello All! I am excited to get this out there to our VA family. Please feel free to message me or ask questions if you are looking to implement PT or OT in your respective Emergency Department.