The Philips team provided exceptional clinical and operational expertise and became part of our Emergency Department team"
Debbie Locklair, MEd, FACHE
Vice President and Regional Administrator, McLeod Health
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 patient’s overall healthcare journey. Nearly 142 million patients visited an ED in 20141, 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 into 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.
Assessing needs
With ED overhauls on the horizon, MHCH enlisted the help of Philips Blue Jay Consulting to jumpstart the efforts. Philips was 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 Philips TransformAnalytics 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.
Change initiatives
With these goals in mind, MHCH and Philips 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:
These change initiatives would be consistently monitored via the performance metrics built into the new ED dashboard. Through the use of the dashboard, the Philips consultants were able to drill down on the root causes of throughput issues, analyzing factors by the month, day – even by the hour – as well as by the physician and by patient demographics. As the process changes were implemented, the dashboard metrics were used to measure impact and delineate which new processes were most successful and which processes needed additional change to reach the highest potential.
Education and training
Philips provided dashboard training to
Enhanced visibility
The impact of the TransformAnalytics Performance Dashboard was not limited exclusively to the analytics and performance improvement teams. The dashboard also sent performance snapshots via automated daily emails to stakeholders including
Philips consultants also recommended education initiatives including educating staff on the 5-level Emergency Severity Index (ESI) triage system including inter-rater reliability, ED patient experience standards, and a customized novice nurse curriculum. The education programs were well-received by staff and leadership alike.
The Philips team provided exceptional clinical and operational expertise and became part of our Emergency Department team. They collaborated with our staff to implement process changes, create an analytics dashboard and develop training programs. Together, these initiatives have had a significant impact on our Quality Metrics performance and patient satisfaction scores with overall wait times."
Debbie Locklair, MEd, FACHE
Vice President and Regional Administrator, McLeod Health
By the numbers
As a result of these collaborative and patient-focused engagements, Philips was able to help MHCH significantly improve its performance metrics*, including:
Through the implementation of these new operational processes and the TransformAnalytics Performance Dashboard, Philips helped MHCH achieve the high level of performance improvement they had aspired to reach. The collaborative and data-based approach has provided the MHCH team with the methods, tools, and increased commitment to continue the efforts for long-term success.
Read the full article at Enhancing the front lines of emergency care through analytics
1 Centers for Disease and Prevention, Emergency Department Visits (2014 data).
https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/emergency-department.htm
* Results from case studies are not predictive of results in other cases. Results in other cases may vary.
Becca Dobler
Analytics Lead
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Beth Fuller, DNP, RN, CEN, CCRN, CFRN
Consulting Principal
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Deborah Locklair, FACHE, MEd
Hospital Administrator, McLeod Health
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