Putting Emergency Room Patients on the Fast Track

At Sunnyside Medical Center in the Northwest, patients with minor injuries were waiting up to three hours for care—well above national wait time benchmarks. The UBT standardized criteria for triage and set up a fast track area at the front of the department. Patients use treatment rooms only while being treated; waiting occurs in the fast track waiting area. The team improved service scores, and after four months the length of stay was reduced from 162 minutes to the team’s target of 90 minutes.

Here's What Worked

• Setting up a fast track area with four patient rooms at the front of the department
• Agreeing to use standardized criteria for triage
• Keeping patients in treatment rooms only while being treated; waiting occurs in the fast track waiting area

What can your team do to identify areas that need improvement? What else could your team do to shorten the time patients have to wait for service?