FastTrack at MidState Provides Timely Results in ED
MidState Medical Center opened a new FastTrack process in its Emergency Department (ED) on July 6. The goal of the FastTrack is to get patients in and out of the ED with a shorter length of stay.
Since the FastTrack was implemented, the average length of stay for all ED patients has dropped by 21 percent. For the FastTrack patients in particular, the length of stay has dropped by 25 percent.
“The shorter length of stay will result in us providing a better, more efficient experience for our patients and also allow us to better manage the volume of patients,” said Dr. Alan Weiner, medical director of Emergency Services. “Patients genuinely appreciate the effort made by the staff in getting them seen so quickly. A better patient experience certainly leads to a better experience for staff members as well.”
The FastTrack experience has been very beneficial for patients with non-urgent needs. Batia Shaffer was a FastTrack patient in the ED last July and she said that her and her family were very impressed and appreciative of the service that they were provided.
“We are not used to having such a quick experience in any Emergency Department, especially with having to have x-rays done for this visit,” said Schaffer. “We really appreciate how quickly we were in and out in less than two hours.”
Robert Flade, RN, regional director of Emergency Departments in the Central Region, said that the FastTrack hasn’t only been beneficial for FastTrack patients, but also for other ED patients who require more assistance.
“We can provide a quicker turn-around-time for patients who do not need the full capabilities of the ED,” said Flade. “(The FastTrack) also removes those patients from the main ED, thereby focusing the attention of the staff in the main ED on the patients who need that level of care.”
Flade said that the FastTrack has not only provided patients with a positive experience, but also the medical staff as well.
“Our MDs and PAs are telling us they love the new FastTrack,” said Flade. “The doctors are not having to spend time focused on patients who do not need their level of expertise and the PAs tell us they are excited that they can see these patients, treat them, and get them back to their lives quicker.”
The MidState ED continues to work on the FastTrack process and plans to have more improvements in both the FastTrack population and in the entire patient population.