The president of ProMedica Charles and Virginia Hickman Hospital in Adrian, Mich., recently spoke about some of the ways the hospital is addressing capacity challenges and emergency room wait times in a podcast with WLEN Radio.
Among the operational changes to streamline patient flow is a fast track approach in the ED.
"We try to get patients back in with a nurse and get their history, and get some basic testing done that we know based on their diagnosis and information that they shared will be needed so that those tests will be waiting for the provider when they see patient," Julie Yaroch, DO, the hospital's president told the news station.
This gets patients out of the waiting room and "allows us to start that delivery of care faster and hopefully get them in and out if they are able to get discharged back home," she said.