Patient Flow Enewsletter
Volume 2, Issue 3
Thursday, June 16, 2005
In this Issue
:Free Upcoming Webinars
Strategies to Improve Patient Flow and Reduce ED Crowding
Join us for two upcoming webinars on June 23 and July 14 as experts and hospital leaders from across the country discuss case studies and strategies to optimize hospital patient flow and reduce ED crowding. Topics include triage, service guarantee, the admissions process and surgical scheduling. These two webinars are supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and are available at no charge.
Perspectives
Medical Screening Exams Help Hospitals Maintain Community Commitment to Emergency Care
Since Lorna Prutzman, R.N. M.S.N., began working in emergency medicine more than 30 years ago, she has seen a troubling number of patients in the ED who are not experiencing a medical emergency. Through the years, the flow of these patients into EDs has increased, causing long waits and overcrowded conditions. Ms. Prutzman tells Urgent Matters about the University of Colorado Hospital's medical screening exam system and how it has decreased throughput time in their ED.
Best Practices
Emergency Department Nurse Recruitment and Retention Initiatives
At a time when EDs across the country are overcrowded and under increasing pressure from nationwide nursing shortages, finding ED-experienced nurses is more difficult than ever. Melinda Stibal, R.N., B.S., C.E.N., Administration Director, ED & Trauma Services, Memorial Healthcare System (MHS) in Hollywood, Florida, talked to Urgent Matters about how nurse training and retention efforts have helped MHS stabilize staffing in the ED and reduce the number of nurse vacancies from 17 to 0.
Innovations
Tri-City Medical Center's Trial in Team Accountability
Beginning in 2003, Tri-City Medical Center (TCMC) began the process of implementing a program called Team Accountability -- a hospital-wide merit review system that holds literally every staff member accountable for improving hospital-wide patient flow. Sharon Schultz, R.N., Service Line Leader for Emergency Services at TCMC, shares highlights and results of the program with Urgent Matters.
