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Insights & Solutions

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Interview
August 2017 Interview

Learn about: Ellis Medicine’s struggle to service a higher ED volume after two local hospitals closed their doors; why the new ED was initially unable to meet the high patient demand; and how a transitional unit, a split-flow model, and other strategic design choices ultimately helped improve ED throughput.

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Tool
April 2017 Tool

This tool provides healthcare designers and professionals with ED throughput principles/goals and how environmental, operational, and people measures can be implemented to achieve said goal. Download the tool by clicking the purple bar above.

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Lessons Learned
April 2017 Lessons Learned

The following are compiled from research literature, case studies, interviews, and other materials to provide an overview on the topic of emergency department throughput.  

Blog
April 2017 Blog

What message does your Emergency Department (ED) send to patients who step through the doors? If it isn’t a comprehensively welcoming one, you could be increasing patient and family stress levels before they’ve even begun assessment or treatment. As overcrowding in EDs and awareness of the consequences grows within the healthcare industry, it’s crucial to begin taking steps to improve your care environment for staff and patients.

April 2017 Related Resource

This list of resources is made of up of articles, books, policies, organizations, and more, related to the emergency department. Use this list to learn more about this topic.

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Interview
April 2017 Interview

Learn about: how the aging of the population contributes to overcrowding in EDs today, why some hospitals are creating ED areas specifically for seniors, with enhanced lighting, non-slip flooring, and other safety features, the need for Clinical Decision Units to provide a place for emergency patients who require a longer stay in order to free up space in the ED, and the challenges that behavioral health and chemical dependency patients pose to EDs, and how best to address these issues.

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Issue Brief
April 2017 Issue Brief

As part of the ED throughput toolbox, in this issue brief you will learn about ED metrics related to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, innovative strategies to reduce crowding, minimize wait times, and maximize care quality in the Emergency Department, and how the design of the built environment in the Emergency Department can best support strategies for improved throughput.

Webinar
August 2014 Webinar

Behavioral health settings guided by strict safety design measures often result in spaces that are stark, plain, and isolated - potentially exacerbating environmental stressors and escalating already difficult patient situations. Acute care emergency settings have a particular set of challenges as EDs are predicting increased visits from behavioral health patients. Faced with the challenge of designing a behavioral health care setting in the Emergency Department at UnityPoint Health in Rock Island, IL, the project team hypothesized that the creation of a Crisis Stabilization Unit (CSU) with a “Living Room Concept” would provide a higher quality of care to patients while assisting in the staff’s ability to quickly consult and treat a diverse set of patients entering the ED.