In this issue:

> Cut Turnaround Time with
> Fast Track

> Boost ED Reimbursement

> Improve Patient Safety with
> ED Communication Tools

> Ancillary Services Can Exceed
> Patient Expectations

> Reduce Patients Who Leave
> without Treatment

> ED Medical Directors Speak
> Out on Patient Satisfaction

> Discharge Phone Calls
> Deliver

> Is Your ED Hardwired
    for Excellence?

> Share a successful tool or tip
    From your Emergency
    Department.

> What was most useful in this
    issue of Hardwired Results?^®

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In health care, we have many front doors that don't include the hospital lobby. Our front door to patients is the physician office. And the ambulance. But especially the Emergency Department (ED). In fact, the ED accounts for between 40 to 50% of admissions at typical hospitals.
Read Quint's Full Message

With 78,000 adult and pediatric patient visits to its ED annually, Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola, FL was highly motivated to increase efficiency of care. And they have. Over the past five months, they've reduced wait time by 60 minutes per patient in the pediatric ED alone. Read Full Article

Healthcare organizations around the country are recouping more deserved
reimbursement for the care they provide with a few simple tactics. Try these... Read Full Article

Communication and coordination between caregivers have become synonymous with higher patient safety, satisfaction, and quality. In fact, the Joint Commission recently placed communication center stage in its 2006 patient safety goals, including a requirement that organizations demonstrate a standardized approach to "hand off" communications as of January 2006.² Read Full Article

It's amazing how easily the little things move EDs from "good" to "very good" in patients' perception of care in the ED,” explains Dr. Richard Gwinn, Medical Director of Sharp Reese-Steely Urgent Cares in San Diego. "The top of the bell curve in patient satisfaction is very sensitive to small changes." To exceed patient expectations, it's important to treat more than just the person's medical condition, he adds. We must address their ancillary concerns, which may included anxiety, discomfort, waiting time, and other personal preferences. Here's how to do it:
Read Full Article

What is your Emergency Department's Left without Treatment (LWT) rate? According to 2004 benchmarking data³, the average ED loses at least 2% of patients' and revenue—because patients choose to leave before getting treatment. Read Full Article

Whether your ED is a high volume Level 1 trauma center or a small hospital, you can deliver on patient satisfaction. Here, two medical directors, Dr. Corey Slovis and Dr. J. Greg Oakley, share their perspectives. Read Full Article

"If our goal is to create an astonishing patient experience, then follow up phone calls after discharge make the difference,” explains Studer Group Medical Director Dr. Jay Kaplan, MD, FACEP. "They also feel cared about as people…one of the top three priorities of patients in the ED.”
Read Full Article