99% Patient Satisfaction, Informed Patients, Shorter Wait Times
KENNER, LA - Every minute, 227 people will visit an ER somewhere in the U.S., and, on average, the door-to-doctor time is 56 minutes and, they'll wait a total of four hours for care, but the Ochsner Medical Center - Kenner ER has found a way to circumvent the national trend and average 35 minutes from door-to-doctor care with a little over two hours for total care, half of the national average. The secret to their success is simple; build a great team, work more efficiently and practice public transparency by posting real-time, ER wait times online and in the ER.
Typically, an unhappy ER patient experience is due to over-crowding which results in long waits. "To help reduce over-crowding we recognized a need to move patients efficiently through our facility with the same quality care," said Jim House, RN, BSN, CEN, Director of Emergency Services Ochsner Medical Center - Kenner. "We implemented a process called qTrack© in collaboration with our sister facilities. qTrack© is an evolving process in which capacity is created in the ER without adding additional space." Non urgent patients may be asked to wait in a comfortable, internal waiting room for completion of tests, allowing precious ER beds to remain open for prompt physician evaluation of incoming patients.
An improved qTrack© process and strong commitment from the staff was half the battle, as House explains, "Waiting in the ER is a repeated complaint, but research shows that if patients are aware of how long they may have to wait they feel more informed. We began providing in-house and online, up-to-the-minute wait times and our satisfaction scored soared." Communicating current wait times gives patients a sense of control over their care and allows them to go to another Ochsner ER, with shorter wait times, if their condition is less critical.
Overall, national patient satisfaction scores hover around the 80th percentile. In January 2009, Ochsner Medical Center - Kenner patients reported ER satisfaction scores in the 47th percentile; however, over the next five months, as wait times decreased due to process improvements and posted ER wait times, patient satisfaction scores increased to the 99th percentile in May of this year. "Our success is directly related to changes in our process and dedication of our nursing staff and physicians to enhance emergency care in our community," said House.
Ochsner Medical Center - Kenner's Emergency Room is located at 180 W Esplanade Ave, Kenner, LA 70065. For Online ER Wait Times, visit www.ochsner.org/emergency.
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