SAINT THOMAS RUTHERFORD HOSPITAL EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT’S NEW SPLIT FLOW PROCESS BETTER SATISFIES PATIENTS, IMPROVES EFFICIENCY

Saint Thomas Rutherford Hospital has begun a new process in its Emergency Department (ED) fast-track area that results in faster and more satisfactory care for patients with low acuity, or less serious, illnesses or injuries.  The Saint Thomas Rutherford Hospital Emergency Department is one of the busiest in the state with 90,000 patient visits annually.  Saint Thomas Health is part of Ascension, the nation’s largest Catholic and non-profit health system.

When a patient comes to the ED, a triage team quickly provides a preliminary diagnosis and puts the patient on one of two tracks of care, depending on the severity of the injury or illness.  Patients admitted with low acuity medical problems such as minor lacerations, burns, earaches, urinary tract infections or sprains now are brought more quickly into exam rooms to be seen by technicians, nurses and doctors at the same time.

“We want the patient to provide information just one time, instead of having to tell multiple people the same information about what’s going on, which gets to be really frustrating for them,” said Bob Peglow, R.N., B.A, MBA, Saint Thomas Rutherford Hospital Director of Emergency Services.  “Hearing from the patient simultaneously allows our clinicians to coordinate care and work together as much as possible to provide treatment and determine next steps.”

Once the patient is evaluated and tests ordered or completed, the patient moves to a more comfortable waiting area with a television, access to the front lobby and room for visitors, before returning to an exam room to receive test results and follow-up care.

“We are making multiple changes to improve patient satisfaction, and the evaluations we’re receiving from patients are showing continuous improvement,” said Saint Thomas Rutherford Hospital Chief Nursing Officer Stacey Beaven, BSN, MSHA, NE-BC.  “Now, using this new process, we can see more patients in a day than we normally could, which serves the community better.  We want to take care of the community and our patients, and we continue to look for new ways to make our processes better.”

In addition to continuously improving processes to find better ways of caring for patients, Beaven says in Fall 2017 construction will begin on an additional 25-bed unit adjacent to the ED, allowing ED patients who need a short-term hospital stay to move out of the ED more quickly and get settled into a hospital room.

Patients with higher acuity illnesses and injuries or those who may be contagious aren’t included in the new process.  Those diagnosed with more serious injuries or illnesses are placed in rooms with beds where they receive a higher level of treatment and await possible admission.