by Dave Mathison MD MBA
Children’s National

In this installment of the article of the week, I challenge you to:

1) Consider cost containment in your ED care delivery while you balance patient needs. This commentary in Annals talks about the concept of PRICE TRANSPARENCY in the ED. “You have a migraine? Why don’t you visit our new Pyxis Dim Sum bar? We have ketorolac for $75, ibuprofen for $30, and if you want reglan it’s buy two get one free.”

2) Review an expanded approach to ALTERED MENTAL STATUS. This a review article, not original research. But an important part of staying sharp in the ED is reviewing some of the inherently complex clinical dilemmas. There are a few review articles that i read every-so-often, so i put this in the category that includes: “localizing a neurologic lesion”, “toxidromes 101, “fever in the return traveler”, and “what’s the deal with incomplete kawasaki?”