By Beth Fuller, Deborah Locklair and Steve Wuench

Interfacing with nearly every department in the health system and the "front door" of most hospitals, the emergency department (ED) serves an important purpose for many patients' overall health care journey. Nearly 142 million patients visited an ED in 2014, with 90.8% of them only experiencing the ED, as admission was not required.

But not every emergency department is the same. Hospitals vary widely in their service offerings, technology strategy, patient experience, and more to best meet the needs of their unique populations. In response to increased volume and issues with throughput, many health systems are enhancing their EDs for optimal performance through a renewed strategic approach in which data is leveraged in a manner that increases both technology utilization and staff efficiency.



Emergency departments have begun to recognize the power of performance analytics and transparency in the operation they can provide. McLeod Health Clarendon Hospital (MHCH) in Manning, South Carolina was a newly acquired hospital in the McLeod Health System, and the ED began experiencing a steady increase in volume, signaling the need for throughput and performance improvements.

With ED overhauls on the horizon, MHCH collaborated with Philips to jumpstart the efforts. The health tech company’s consultants were asked to help improve ED front-end operations and patient throughput, as well as create a culture of accountability for ED staff. To kick off the collaboration, the team started by conducting a comprehensive assessment of the ED which included a comprehensive data analytics review, numerous on-site observations, and staff and leadership interviews. The assessment revealed a number of inefficiencies and education gaps which negatively impacted the department’s overall operations.

To ensure the process changes in development would be able to fully support these necessary improvements, a performance dashboard was recommended to serve as an essential component in highlighting performance issues, monitoring the impact of changes made and helping MHCH achieve its operational goals.

With these goals in mind, the two teams began a 13-week performance improvement engagement, focused on the identification and implementation of new processes for the ED and its staff. The program focus included the following:

• Revision of triage processes
• Implementation of split-flow processes

Health IT Homepage