The ED of the future
The emergency department of the future must be optimized from both the business side and the patient side and viewed not only within the ED but also as it compares or competes with other EDs outside of the hospital. To truly optimize performance, hospital executives must delve deeper into areas of discovery on utilization patterns, acuity patterns, and population trends over time. While patient volume may appear unpredictable in the short-term, if it is analyzed over time volume patterns can be more easily anticipated for the future.
Looked at in this way, it’s clear that more insight can be revealed to further ED optimization. Many hospitals are enlisting strategic partners to help address these complex challenges, train on best practice recommendations, and support the implementation to sustain meaningful change. As the ED becomes the new “face” of the hospital and strategic community partners, its overall success, its optimization and importance in delivering care cannot be overlooked. With long-term sustainable transformation of the ED, healthcare organizations can regain potentially lost revenue while elevating the level of care and increasing patient satisfaction.