Which Practices Make for Efficient Emergency Department Providers?

What makes some emergency department (ED) providers more efficient than others is not clear. These investigators performed a mixed-methods study to identify practices associated with provider efficiency. First, they interviewed providers and medical directors to generate a list of practices/behaviors thought to be associated with efficiency. Next, they observed the activity of 35 providers in 4 community EDs and calculated the time spent on each of 18 practices. Finally, they determined associations between each practice and provider efficiency (measured by relative value units/hour) using a univariate generalized estimating equations model.

Five practices were associated with increased efficiency: carrying a higher patient load, using team …