Abstract
Emergency departments (EDs) are increasingly the “front door” of the hospital, currently the source of approximately half of inpatient admissions to US hospitals. A major change in the past decade in the United States has been the proliferation of Electronic health records (EHRs). Conceptualizing the benefits and potential problems of EHRs is about understanding how human beings interact with their environments. The goal is to enhance the safety and efficiency of the process of providing care in the ED and understanding human factors is an important step to achieving that goal. This chapter presents two areas where technology has become increasingly important and will likely grow dramatically in the next decade in the ED, including telehealth and simulation. Then, it presents the role of the ED in care coordination, how new payment reform policies will impact emergency care, and legal issues in emergency care.