Hospitals in pursuit of excellence

Improving ED Flow through the UMLN II--Hahnemann University Hospital

The Problem

Like many urban safety net hospitals, Hahnemann University Hospital struggled with overcrowding in its emergency department (ED). From December 2008 through February 2009, the ED had 8,821 visits. Of these, 12.7 percent of patients left without being seen.

The Solution

Upon joining the Urgent Matters collaborative [http://urgentmatters.org/overview], three improvements were adopted:

• The implementation of the ESI 5-level triage system,
• A policy of immediately bringing patients to an open bed for triage and registration; and
• Dedicated space, staffing and resources for fast track

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