St. Mary Medical Center in Langhorne, Pa., announced the launch of a new model for emergency care to accommodate increasing emergency department volume.
In the Split-Flow model, triage and registration are completed in parallel. When patients enter the ED, they are first seen by a nurse who uses the Emergency Severity Index to determine the level of care needed for the patient. The nurse then assigns the patient to a treatment area based on the level of care needed, and an ED pilot technician brings the patient there.
The prompt care area is for patients with minor injuries and the acute-care area is for patients with severe conditions who are likely to be admitted to the hospital. In the expedited treatment area, evaluations and tests are conducted quickly and the patient is then moved to a different space to wait for results. The ED also has a pediatric area for patients.
St. Mary aims for the model to ensure patients are seen by a provider within 30 minutes. The hospital originally planned for the new model to coincide with the upcoming $22 million expansion and redesign of the ED and trauma center, but patient volume demanded a more immediate solution. In 2011, St. Mary treated nearly 69,000 ED patients, though the space was designed to handle only 50,000 patients. Furthermore, ED patient volume has had double-digit increases for the past three years, according to the release. The expansion will allow the hospital to see up to 100,000 ED patients annually.
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In the Split-Flow model, triage and registration are completed in parallel. When patients enter the ED, they are first seen by a nurse who uses the Emergency Severity Index to determine the level of care needed for the patient. The nurse then assigns the patient to a treatment area based on the level of care needed, and an ED pilot technician brings the patient there.
The prompt care area is for patients with minor injuries and the acute-care area is for patients with severe conditions who are likely to be admitted to the hospital. In the expedited treatment area, evaluations and tests are conducted quickly and the patient is then moved to a different space to wait for results. The ED also has a pediatric area for patients.
St. Mary aims for the model to ensure patients are seen by a provider within 30 minutes. The hospital originally planned for the new model to coincide with the upcoming $22 million expansion and redesign of the ED and trauma center, but patient volume demanded a more immediate solution. In 2011, St. Mary treated nearly 69,000 ED patients, though the space was designed to handle only 50,000 patients. Furthermore, ED patient volume has had double-digit increases for the past three years, according to the release. The expansion will allow the hospital to see up to 100,000 ED patients annually.
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