When every second matters: Emergency care across a growing system

Chris Fox, MD, professor and chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine at UCI Health, joins Physician Huddle to discuss the evolution and growth of emergency medicine at UCI Health and the department’s expanding leadership across Orange County.

Fox reflects on his long connection to the city of Irvine and UCI Health, from undergraduate and residency at UC Irvine to his faculty career in emergency medicine. He discusses how point-of-care ultrasound became a defining part of his academic work, including the development of an ultrasound fellowship and a longitudinal ultrasound curriculum for medical students.

The conversation explores the UCI Health growth from one emergency department to a broader acute-care network, including emergency departments in Orange, Irvine, Los Alamitos, Fountain Valley, and Placentia. Fox discusses how his team is working to deliver consistent, high-quality care across different sites while respecting the needs and strengths of each community.

Fox also shares how technology is changing emergency medicine, including the value of a shared electronic health record, ambient documentation and evidence-based clinical decision support. He explains how these tools can help physicians understand patients more quickly, document more efficiently, and preserve the human connection at the bedside.

The episode also covers leadership during system growth, emergency department staffing, patient experience, Irvine’s new emergency department, the challenge of boarding, and the opportunity to move from a hospital-based model to a more integrated health system.

Please note: This episode was recorded ahead of publication. While the discussion remains relevant, some references to events, programs and timelines reflect the context at the time of recording.

Topics discussed: 

• UCI Health emergency medicine is expanding from a single academic emergency department into a broader health system acute-care network.
• Patient experience in emergency medicine starts with accurate care, timely access and the ability to build trust quickly with someone in a vulnerable moment.
• Technology can improve care when it supports physicians rather than distracts from the patient encounter.
• Ambient documentation may help clinicians stay more present with patients while reducing documentation burden.
• Integration across UCI Health emergency departments, urgent care and community hospitals will be essential to improving access and patient flow.
• Boarding remains one of the most serious challenges in emergency medicine because it limits access for new patients who need care.
• Fox’s leadership style centers on transparency, culture-building, staffing support and recognizing that each site needs a model that fits its community.

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