NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Waiting long hours to be seen at the Emergency Room can be irritating. If you’re hurt or sick, it can feel like you’re waiting an eternity. However, Nashville General Hospital has implemented a new system to curb the ER wait times.
The team at Nashville General Hospital prides itself on providing patient-centered care. Dr. DeAnn Bullock, Chief of Emergency Services, expressed her dedication to this mission. “There are great days. There are hard days. We roll with challenges that come each day,” said Dr. Bullock.
Emergency room wait times have been a persistent challenge for the staff at the hospital, according to Clinical Director of Emergency Services Ashley Midkiff. To address this issue, the hospital launched a new program in April aimed at shortening the time patients spend waiting.
“The second you walk into the ER to check in, you are called back into a clinical space already,” Midkiff explained. “There are EMTs and registered nurses that get you checked in quickly. It’s what we call quick reg.”
They increased staffing to implement the new program. "We increased our EMTs that we have in the department and then we opened up a designated space across the hall, outside the ER department for overflow use Mon-Friday during busy days."
"We also have nurse navigators that are here 7 days a week now and they help get patients that need to be admitted upstairs or to the right area to be seen," Midkiff added.
Previously, patients would wait about 24 minutes to get a bed; now, it happens in just four minutes. “Patient satisfaction scores previously were about 58% and now they’re 82%," Midkiff said.
Dr. Joseph Webb, CEO of Nashville General Hospital, emphasized the collaborative effort required to make this program successful. “It takes a village—radiology, lab, pharmacy, it’s the floors. If the ED is able to get the patients through quickly and other areas aren’t functioning on that level, you get a backlog in the ED,” said Dr. Webb.
The new program is also benefiting doctors. “We’re not having to come back into the room as a provider 10 times to ask, as many follow up questions; like What pharmacy? There's a lot of extra help and hands make the provider's role easier and your experience as a patient quicker," Dr. Bullock noted.
Change isn’t always easy, but for these healthcare professionals, it’s worth it if it improves overall patient care.
The average wait time for emergency room visits in the U.S. is 2 hours and 25 minutes, according to Nashville General Hospital.
It's truly the small things that add up to a great day - and Warrick in Lebanon is having a big impact. His familiar face is becoming a staple in one part of the community and inspiring closer connection in the simplest way. Enjoy his warm personality! You may even feel inclined to wave to a stranger today, too.
-Rebecca Schleicher
