Virginia Mason Medical Center (Seattle) opened a new emergency department in November 2011 with 17 beds — smaller than the hospital’s old ED. However, the new department is adjacent to an 18-bed Patient Accelerated Care Environment (PACE). The hospital found that there is less need for a fast-track area in the ED and more need for a place where patients can be accommodated for a few hours — those who will not be admitted, those who are being prepped for admission, as well as those who are in the discharge process. The hospital has found that 35 to 40 percent of ED patients are transferred to the PACE unit.
Source: New ‘patient accelerated care environment’ aims to facilitate work flow, free up ED for acute care needs. ED Management;24(2):17-19, Feb. 2012. Click here for publisher’s website: http://www.ahcmedia.com/public/products/ED-Management.html Posted by AHA Resource Center, (312) 422-2050, rc@aha.org
Filed under: Design, Efficiency, Emergency department, Posted by Kim Garber | Tagged: Downsizing the emergency department, Emergency department design concepts, Emergency department utilization patterns, Hospital emergency departments, Hospital patient flow strategies |
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