Healthcare Quality in Focus: Rapid Evaluation Units - Uncrowding Your ED and Creating Capacity
Emergency Department overcrowding is a national problem. Often, patients wait for hours. Some leave in frustration. There are even reports of patients dying in the waiting room.
By reengineering the flow of patients using lean principles, the Rapid Evaluation Unit (REU) effectively reduced EMS diversion hours, improved “door to provider” times, and increased the functional capacity of the Emergency Department. The REU front loads the system, better matching services and resources with patient demand. Employing a team of nurses, physician assistants, and techs in an expanded triage area, medical providers see patients more quickly.
The REU can treat and release low acuity patients directly, decongesting the waiting room and creating capacity in the Urgent Care. Urgent Care becomes a sub-acute treatment area allowing moderate acuity patients to shift over from the main ED. When there are no beds available in the main ED, patients have their workups initiated in the REU. This converts your waiting room into a diagnostic results holding area.
The net effect is increased ED volume, reduced ambulance diversion hours, and increased hospital admissions.
Presenter
Dr. Joseph Twanmoh
