Here are seven insights:
1. The hospitals are searching for ways to reduce emergency department wait times, not only to provide better experiences for patients but to also increase revenue. Processing more people drives the marginal costs down.
2. In Louisiana, the average wait time in busy emergency departments, treating more than 60,000 patients annually, clocks in at 33 minutes.
3. Baton Rouge General hired Schumacher Clinical Partners in hopes of decreasing wait times. Baton Rouge General’s average wait time hit 26 minutes, according to CMS.
4. Baton Rouge General implemented an Advanced Assessment Center at Bluebonnet, which filters certain patients to specialized areas. These patients, often those with heart attack symptoms, are monitored in another area so other patients can fill the ER beds.
5. A new trend involves separating patients with severe needs from those with less severe needs. This separated area is a mini-emergency room within the department.
6. Offering a fast-track lane allows treatment of patients with less serious conditions outside of the main emergency department.
7. Baton Rouge General hopes to decrease wait times to 20 minutes to 25 minutes.
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