The Importance of ESI in the Emergency Department

Dr. Berkowitz is a pediatric emergency medicine physician and the medical director for fast track services in the division of emergency medicine at Children's National and Washington DC. The ESI system assigns a number from one to five, with 5 being most critically ill Patients are often sent to pods that may be down the hall or even further away from the main ED. At some hospitals, the lower acuity pod doesn't have resources immediately available as the main ED does.