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Evaluation

Scientific Assembly

Panel Discussion

Session: Session 205

Streamlining the Storm: Evaluating ED ICU, Observation Units, and Triage Physicians for Optimal Flow

Monday, April 13, 2026
11:25 AM - 12:15 PM PT
Location: Cascade Ballroom I - 2nd Floor
CE: 0.75 CME Credit
Admin / Operations

    Panelist(s)

  • Matthew Johnson, MD

    Assistant Professor
    Albany Medical Center
    Albany, New York

    Disclosure(s): No financial relationships to disclose

    • Panel Moderator(s)

  • Luke J. Duncan, MD FAAEM (he/him/his)

    Associate Professor
    Albany Medical Center
    Albany, New York

    Disclosure(s): No financial relationships to disclose

    • Panelist(s)

  • RM

    Robert G. McHugh, DO FACEP (he/him/his)

    Emergency Dept Director and Chair
    Glens Falls Hospital
    GANSEVOORT, New York

    Disclosure(s): No financial relationships to disclose

  • GG

    Gretchen Gunn, MD

    ED Attending
    Bayhealth
    Townsend, Delaware

    Disclosure(s): No financial relationships to disclose

Disclosure(s):
matthew Johnson, MD: No financial relationships to disclose
Luke J. Duncan, MD FAAEM: No financial relationships to disclose
Robert G. McHugh, DO FACEP: No financial relationships to disclose
Gretchen Gunn, MD: No financial relationships to disclose
Emergency medicine is facing mounting pressures, including prolonged patient wait times, increased emergency department (ED) length of stay, and critical care boarding driven by ICU overcrowding. These challenges strain clinical resources, compromise patient outcomes, and contribute to provider fatigue and burnout. In response, EDs are increasingly exploring innovative care delivery models to improve patient flow, resource allocation, and overall system performance. This panel will feature a pro-con debate comparing three such models—an ED Intensivist, an ED Observation Unit, and a Triage or Front-of-House Physician—specifically through the lens of limited staffing, where only one full-time equivalent (FTE) is available. The session will explore the operational trade-offs, clinical impacts, and broader system implications of each strategy, offering practical insights into how they can be prioritized or combined to meet rising demand while sustaining high-quality emergency care.

Learning Objectives:

  • The learner will be able to describe the pros and cons of ED intensivists to improve flow and patient care in the ED.
  • The learner will be able to describe the pros and cons of ED observation units to improve flow and patient care in the ED.
  • The learner will be able to describe the pros and cons of Front of House physicians to improve flow and patient care in the ED.