Bon Secours St. Mary’s Hospital, is improving Emergency Care times by using AHRQ toolkits with Door-to-Doc services. Located in Richmond, Virginia, Bon Secours is a 320-bed, non-profit hospital. A few years back, the hospital advertised a 30-minute guarantee that staff would see patients in this allotted timeframe. They fell short. After the advertisement went public, the hospital started to see patient volume rise at about 20 percent. This also increased the amount of time patients spent in the emergency department, therefore eliminating the guarantee. Incorporating the Door-to-Doc toolkit has decreased the amount of time patients wait to see a physician, decreases the number of patients who leave without being seen in the ER, and lastly, improves patient satisfaction.
After the implementation of the Door-to-Doc toolkit in 2008, patient flow has improved. St. Mary's was able to decrease patient times by nearly 50 percent, and 30 minutes went to just 16 minutes. This determination is based on a brief analysis of data. This allowed the emergency department to absorb additional volume and focus on safety, health and satisfaction. When effective and efficient output is executed, hospitals do not become overcrowded. High performing systems, especially when it comes to emergency rooms, are often viewed as representing the gold standard of care. The current gold standard suggests that “reducing the time patients remain in the emergency department (ED) can improve access to treatment and increase quality of care” ("The Joint Commission", 2021). This reign true for this facility.
As we conclude, we’ve discussed how the Door-to-Doc toolkit brought good change to Bon Secours St Mary’s Hospital. With goals put forth initially to control the environment of the emergency room, patient care was and will always be at the forefront. With lack of knowledge on how to manage times, the toolkit brought much needed information and success. It allowed the hospital to brand itself as a patient centered time magnet.
After the implementation of the Door-to-Doc toolkit in 2008, patient flow has improved. St. Mary's was able to decrease patient times by nearly 50 percent, and 30 minutes went to just 16 minutes. This determination is based on a brief analysis of data. This allowed the emergency department to absorb additional volume and focus on safety, health and satisfaction. When effective and efficient output is executed, hospitals do not become overcrowded. High performing systems, especially when it comes to emergency rooms, are often viewed as representing the gold standard of care. The current gold standard suggests that “reducing the time patients remain in the emergency department (ED) can improve access to treatment and increase quality of care” ("The Joint Commission", 2021). This reign true for this facility.
As we conclude, we’ve discussed how the Door-to-Doc toolkit brought good change to Bon Secours St Mary’s Hospital. With goals put forth initially to control the environment of the emergency room, patient care was and will always be at the forefront. With lack of knowledge on how to manage times, the toolkit brought much needed information and success. It allowed the hospital to brand itself as a patient centered time magnet.