Welcome to Boone County Hospital

Emergency Management Admission Policy & Registration

POLICY:
Upon activation of the hospital emergency management plan, normal admission requirements will be abolished.  Initially, admissions to the hospital will be limited to those whose survival depends upon services obtainable only through hospital bed care.  Outpatient care will be restricted to those whose lives may ultimately depend upon the present expenditure of medical supplies and health manpower time.

PROCEDURE:
Identification and Registration:

Disaster Tags (DT) will be used to identify casualties, and record treatment received up to the time of inpatient hospital admission.  The DT is a pre-numbered 3-part tag filled out when the casualty victim first arrives at the Triage Area.  A supply of these forms is included in the pre-positioned Triage Area clerical kit.

The Triage Area will have one team.  The team will consist of one MD, one RN and one Identification Clerk.  Also in the Area will be a Registration Clerk.  While the Triage Area Physician is examining the patient, the ID Clerk will fill out the DT to the furthest extent possible.

The hard copy will not be removed from the patient until completion of treatment and release, or until completion of admission procedures and replacement by an ident-a-band.

On the basis of information contained the Registration Clerk will maintain a Victim Registration Log.  The Victim Registration Log will be prepared in duplicate, and will list each person received in the Triage Area:

Disaster Tag (DT) Number

Date and Time

Name and Address

Method of Arrival

Diagnosis

Emergency Treatment Area to which sent

After necessary data has been transferred to the Victim Registration Log from the yellow copy, the yellow copy is then forwarded to the Emergency Operations Center.  Every hour the original of the Victim Registration Log will be sent to the Emergency Operations Center, and the duplicate copy retained.  A new log will be started at that time.

Treatment received by a patient at an Emergency Treatment Area will be entered on the treatment record.  If the patient is released from the Emergency Treatment Area, the DT is sent to Medical Records.  If the patient is sent to the floor for admission from the Emergency Treatment Area, the DT will not be removed until replaced with an ident-a-band by an Admitting Clerk, at which time the DT becomes part of the patient's chart.

Admission:

Elective admissions (non-casualty) will not be permitted for the duration of the emergency.

As soon as possible after the declaration of an emergency, the Nursing Office will update the inpatient status board in the Emergency Operations Center.  Based upon this information, the Chief Executive Officer will determine the extent and areas to which patients may be consolidated in order to make room for anticipated casualties.

Patients may be admitted from the Triage Area or from one of the Emergency Treatment Areas.  In any case, after it is determined to which service a patient is to be admitted, a bed assignment will be entered on the DT prior to transferring the patient from the Triage Area or Emergency Treatment Area to the floor.

A regular hospital chart will be maintained on all patients after arrival to the floor to which assigned.

After the crisis subsides, or when directed, Admitting Clerks will go to the floors and locate the emergency admissions.  Necessary data will be obtained and taken to the Admitting Department where regular procedures will be completed, and information checked against copies of the DT.

Upon completion of admission procedures, the Admitting Clerk will take the appropriate forms to the floor and attach ident-a-bands to the patients.  At this time, the DT may be removed from the patient's wrist and attached to the patient's chart.

Medical Records Department:

The Medical Records Department will maintain a separate file of all material pertaining to casualty treatment, admission and release or discharge, as well as their normal records procedures.

Valuables:

Processing and treatment of casualties will not be delayed for the sole purpose of collecting and safeguarding valuables.

The Triage Area Clerical Kit contains a supply of pre-numbered receipts and envelopes for use in collecting, inventorying, and safeguarding valuables. Normally this function will be performed in the Triage Area by the Registration Clerk.

After being inventoried and listed, valuables will be placed in the appropriate envelopes and sealed. If able to do so, the patient shall sign the form. If the patient is unable to sign, the inventory shall be witnessed by a second party (hospital employee), who shall sign on the patient's behalf.

The patient's Disaster Tag Number will be recorded on the receipt and envelope forms. The valuable receipt will be stapled to the DT (hard copy).

The sealed envelope, containing the patient's valuables, will be delivered to the Admitting Department for placement in hospital safe.

US Patent Numbers 7,720,998 B2, 7,836,207