Measuring Emergency Department Performance and Improving Quality

February 2010

An Issue Brief From RWJF-Supported Urgent Matters Learning Network Signals a Promising Future In today’s increasingly strained health care environment, our nation’s hospital emergency departments (EDs) provide a critical primary and emergency care safety net for Americans in every community. Yet over the last decade, studies have deemed the country’s EDs to be at a breaking point, weighed down by crowding as patient volumes have steadily increased, while at the same time, capacity has decreased.

A new issue brief from Robert Wood Johnson Foundation-supported Urgent Matters Learning Network II (LN II) highlights the initiative’s first year achievements in developing hospital ED performance measures and improving quality. Six participating hospitals nationwide are working together over an 18-month period to identify, develop and implement strategies to do this while improving patient flow and reducing ED crowding. Their successes to date signal a promising future for our nation’s ED system.

• Read the Issue Brief