SGMC Health honored its Emergency Department Express Care team as Health System Heroes at its monthly board of directors meeting. The team was honored for their work in implementing Express Care at its main campus which serves as a separate route for ER patients with non-emergent issues.
The Express Care is open Monday-Friday from 7am-11pm, times that the ER is traditionally very busy, and allows non-emergent patients access to expedited care. Since implementation, approximately 9,000 patients have been treated in Express Care. Through constant operational improvements, the length of time from a patient’s arrival to discharge is averaging less than two hours.
The health system treats nearly 100,000 ER patients each year across its four locations, with the main ER seeing more than half of those. Traditionally, ERs see patients based on their acuity, or the severity of illness or medical condition. As the region’s most sophisticated ER, operating as a Level III Trauma Center, open heart program, and certified Primary Stroke Center, more and more high acuity patients are being served.
According to Chief Nursing Officer Cherise Giddens, “As we continue to grow and expand our services to meet the needs of our community, we want to ensure all patients receive timely and appropriate care. This team is a great example of what can happen when you have great leadership with a commitment to providing extraordinary care to all of our patients in their time of need.”
While time is an important metric, the system also measures and monitors patient experience scores, which have also improved significantly. The Express Care model has been so successful that it is being implemented at other locations, such as the SGMC Health Smith Northview Campus.
This fall, SGMC Health will break ground on a new ER facility at its main campus, which includes a designated Express Care unit and larger, more efficient design to support a higher number of patients.
For more information, visit sgmc.org/growth.