ED Wait Times by State
Becker's Hospital Review recently released a study revealing ED wait times by state, based on research from January 2020 to March 2021 by IT service automation company SysAid. The results show that the three longest wait times all took place in the northeastern U.S. — the longest of which was Maryland at 228 minutes.
The Impact of High ED Wait Times
High wait times can lead to:
- Higher health risks for patients, including readmission and medical error
- Patients leaving the ER without treatment
- ED overcrowding, leading to a delay in vital, life-saving treatment
- Low patient and staff satisfaction
One study shows that over one-third of the people who visit the ED were judged to be non-urgent and could be treated in a different department. Because of the excess time and resources spent on these non-urgent cases, ED times continue to rise, and patients continue to experience the negative side effects.
Create, Build, Communicate:
With Pulsara, EMS can create a dedicated patient channel so there is no wasted time gathering vital patient information and communicating it directly to the hospital, helping to pre-register inbound patients. EMS has the option to connect teams on the fly and consult physicians virtually, even creating opportunities for some patients to bypass the ED completely to get to the department and the resources they need.
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Improve ED Throughput
By connecting care teams within and across organizations, healthcare facilities are able to improve their ED throughput. One major health system in Wisconsin has experienced these results firsthand:
Within the first day of implementing Pulsara, the hospital was able to reduce the time it takes to place a patient by an estimated 45 minutes. And, within the first week, the average time it took from a bed request being entered to a bed being assigned was just 15 minutes. By reducing ED throughput, hospitals can reduce their overall ED wait times and get patients the care they need, right when they need it.
Bypass the ED When Possible
Pulsara also released an ED Availability feature that helps match supply and demand by allowing EMS teams to see critical details about a facility’s capability to accept patients. These details help teams make more informed decisions and prevent overwhelmed or compromised hospitals from gaining even more patients who need critical attention. Ultimately, this means faster care for patients.
Pulsara in Action
Ouachita County Medical Center in Camden, Arkansas partnered with Pulsara to streamline communication for their STEMI teams. Within three years, they reduced their door-in, door-out times for STEMI transfers by 50%.
