Hospital ED's

EPA’s goal is to provide the Physician with an excellent practice opportunity with a focus on “quality of life” issues. EPA is proud of its Physicians who participate in leadership roles such as Chairman of the BHS Emergency Service Line, Medical Directors at each ED, Clinical Directors at each ED, a Physician Coach for Patient Satisfaction, and other Ad Hoc hospital related committees, including Quality Committees, Medical Executive Committee, and many others. EPA’s desire is that each Physician associated with the BHS EDs will take ownership of their own practice and strive for constant improvement of all aspects of the Emergency Departments.

Mid-levels

EPA utilizes both Nurse Practitioners and Physician Assistants in its Emergency Departments. Our “mid-level” providers function autonomously for the majority of the lower acuity patients that they treat, while under the supervision of their Delegating Physician. Although there are always experienced physicians available, we do our best to make sure that patients are correctly triaged to our mid-levels to assure patient safety and that our providers do not have to practice outside of their comfort zones. Mid-level providers are all Independent Contractors and are paid a very competitive hourly wage. Please contact the EPA Chief Operating Officer at 210-495-9860 x24 if you would like to inquire about openings in either our adult or pediatric programs.

Scribes

EPA believes that the use of Scribes is imperative for an ED to function efficiently. EPA provides Scribes for all physician shifts and most of mid-level provider shifts. There are so many paperwork and computer demands placed on physicians these days that without Scribes, our productivity in the ED would be adversely affected if we, as physicians, were forced to document and order electronically without Scribes. EPA proudly supports its Scribe vendor: Proscribe, LLC. For more information about Proscribe go to http://www.proscribemd.com, or contact Toby Mulligan, Proscribe CEO, at (210)545-2500.

Split Flow

We have been utilizing a form of split flow for years, and many hospitals around the country have modeled their programs after ours. EPA’s goal is to eliminate time spent in triage or waiting rooms and to get patients immediately to an appropriate room where they can be seen by the appropriate provider. Those patients that are expected to be seen and discharged home are treated in the Intake and Procedure Area, while those patients expected to be admitted to the hospital are treated in the Acute Care Area.

Service Excellence

Since before Press Ganey and Studer were household names, EPA was on the forefront of Patient Satisfaction initiatives. The bottom line is that patients are happy if the people taking care of them are happy. Our physicians and nurses are able to work in environments where patients don’t wait, they are not boarded, and there is specialty support for those who need it. When physicians are treated and paid fairly, and they can work in a supportive environment, patient satisfaction becomes an afterthought because it just happens.