Mount St. Mary’s Hospital developed an emergency department (ED) throughput initiative in response to patient satisfaction surveys and safety initiatives from The Joint Commission for improving wait times patient safety. The initiative had two goals:
- Move patients from the point of entry to meeting with the medical provider as quickly as possible.
- Increase communication with the patient and his/her family members to keep them informed and move them through the system safely.
TeamHealth worked with Mount St. Mary’s administrative and clinical leadership teams to develop a new patient flow process designed to move patients through the department quickly, safely and comfortably. The new process includes pivot/triage areas to allow for quick evaluation upon arrival, a patient fast track for the least severe cases, and a results waiting area to free-up bed space when applicable.
The new design involves the constant transfer of information between frontline nursing staff, managers, and administrative staff to keep the process flowing smoothly. TeamHealth worked with administrative personnel, medical and provider staff, nursing, nurse attendants, volunteer staff, and transport personnel, among many other ancillary staff members, to hardwire the flow process.
With the engagement of the hospital’s chief executive officer, vice president of nursing, and countless members of the staff, the initiative garnered the support, belief in the process, and momentum needed to succeed. It broke new ground in an organization and department that previously believed in a “we have always done it this way” approach.
Download the full case study to learn more about the collaboration among TeamHealth and Mount St. Mary’s, and to see the impressive results this collaboration produced.
“Because of our close relationship with TeamHealth and our confidence in Medical Director Dr. Lloyd Brown and our care team, I was confident that they would address our challenges in a comprehensive way that would not compromise care, yet improvement patient experience. As their work continues, we are seeing very positive results,” President and CEO, Mount St. Mary’s Hospital, Gary C. Tucker.
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