STRONGER TOGETHER for Better Care
Beyond the ED:
Strengthening Physician-to-Physician Collaboration for Safer, Smarter Patient Care
by Melissa Platt, MD
In emergency medicine, collaboration is more than a best practice— it’ s a lifeline. Emergency physicians routinely make highstakes decisions with limited information, under severe time constraints. But they don’ t do it alone. The emergency department( ED) functions as a dynamic ecosystem, powered by emergency physicians, nurses, technicians, pharmacists, social workers, case managers— and, critically, other physicians.
Physician-to-physician collaboration in the ED is frequent, direct and decisive. Emergency physicians consult with specialists not only for admission decisions, but for real-time input on diagnostics, procedural interventions and care trajectories. The strength of these collaborations can significantly influence patient safety, quality of care and long-term outcomes.
Yet, despite the proven value of interdisciplinary and inter-specialty collaboration in emergency care, much of the broader health care environment still operates in professional silos.
The ED as a Microcosm of Collaborative Care
The emergency department is one of the few places in a hospital where physicians from multiple specialties routinely interact in real time. A single patient visit may involve coordination among emergency physicians, radiologists, surgeons, cardiologists, intensivists and more— all within hours, if not minutes.
This real-time, multidisciplinary teamwork results in faster diagnoses, improved treatment and better patient safety. It also promotes
“ Medicine is a team sport. The best outcomes happen when we communicate clearly, collaborate openly and respect each other’ s expertise.”- Atul Gawande, MD
a shared understanding of the clinical picture, ensuring that patients receive appropriate care whether they are being admitted, transferred or discharged.
Emergency physicians often serve as the hub of this collaboration, initiating discussions and synthesizing input from other clinicians. For example:
• A patient with an unstable cardiac arrythmia may be stabilized by the ED team, cardiology consulted and admitted by internal medicine— all in the same shift or day.
• A stroke patient might receive thrombolytics after close coordination between emergency medicine, neurology and radiology.
• A complex trauma case may involve emergency physicians activating surgical teams, consulting neurosurgery and coordinating with interventional radiology.
This model demonstrates the effectiveness of shared clinical responsibility and shows how thoughtful, timely communication can shape outcomes.
Physician-to-Physician Collaboration: The Next Frontier
While most health care organizations have adopted team-based care— particularly among nurses, case managers and social workers— true collaboration between physicians remains inconsistent. Consults often function as one-way transactions: an emergency physician may evaluate
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