Twin Cities Community Hospital in Templeton has launched a new process in its Emergency Department to decrease wait times.
Here is how the program works:
- Patients are immediately registered and triaged by a nurse when they arrive in the Emergency Department
- Patients are taken directly into the rapid triage waiting room
- Physicians immediately evaluate each patient to determine whether additional tests are needed and whether they need to be admitted to the hospital
“Since we are the busiest Emergency Department in San Luis Obispo County, we wanted to dig deep into our process and develop a new rapid triage program that essentially cuts down on wait times for all patients who enter our doors, and provide a fast track to see a physician,” said Dr. Cinnamon Redd, who specializes in emergency medicine at Twin Cities Community Hospital.
This new process is geared toward patients with minor injuries or minor illnesses who need to get in and out of the hospital quickly.
Since launching this initiative, the average discharge time has dropped by 27 minutes.
