Ready-JET-Go: Split flow accelerates ED patient throughput

18^th International Conference on Nursing & Healthcare

December 05-07, 2016 Dallas, USA

Peter A Bish, Mary A McCormick, Laura Hayes and Dennis Guest

Virtua Voorhees Hospital, USA

Posters & Accepted Abstracts: J Nurs Care

Abstract :

Patient throughput metrics in emergency departments are receiving increased attention by accrediting agencies such as The Joint Commission and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services as a way to assess performance. There is a direct correlation between delays in throughput and patient satisfaction scores which are used to assess performance and can impact the compensation that healthcare institutions receive. The split flow model of patient care modifies the traditional triage process and separates midpriority patients into lower and higher mid-level triage designations. The lower mid-level priority patients are seen in a separate area of the ED that has a concentration on the team approach to patient care. Patients are assessed and treated simultaneously by a team comprised of two registered nurses, a physician, and a patient care technician. This model was introduced at Virtua Voorhees Emergency Department (ED) in the spring of 2014 as an attempt to improve throughput times and patient satisfaction scores. The staff was engaged during the planning, educational development and simulation exercises that prepared them for the change in patient care process. The resulting changes in throughput times and patient satisfaction scores showed that this process had significant positive impact on these metrics. As volume has continued to increase, we have examined additional innovative care delivery models that will help our emergency department to deal with these increases in patient visits.

Biography :

Email: pbish@virtua.org