Virtua’s ERs provide a dose of outstanding customer service
What do you remember about the last time you were in the emergency room (ER)? If you're a mom whose son was quickly treated for a life-threatening infection, you'd remember that it's a place where they save lives. Or, if you're a man who fell off a ladder while cleaning the gutters, you'd remember it as a place that kept you from being paralyzed.
That's because the ER is on the front line of emergency care — taking care of thousands of people every year from the grandfather having a heart attack to the infant with a middle-of-the-night ear infection.
"Virtua's highly skilled ER team treats more adult and pediatric emergencies than any other healthcare organization in South Jersey, and we're grateful that the community trusts us to care for them and their families," says
Jeffrey Morris, MD, chief of emergency medicine at Virtua Memorial Hospital. "And since we treat such a great number of people, we're always looking to improve their experience with outstanding service."
Enter into outstanding ER care
"We took direct input from patient surveys and actually spent some time in the waiting room to see where we could make a difference," says Virtua Voorhees emergency medicine director
Lawrence Isaacs, MD. "With what we learned, we came up with solutions to improve service at each stage of care in the ER."
It starts with greeting and registering patients as soon as they enter the emergency room. A new process called quick registration was implemented, and it reduces the time it takes to move patients from the waiting room to a treatment room.
During quick registration, the greeter asks for the patient's name, date of birth, social security number and chief complaint. "Quick registration lets doctors order tests immediately, which speeds up diagnosis and treatment," says Dr. Morris. Previously, patients had to fill out several forms and provide insurance information before tests could be ordered. "But at Virtua, we focus on caring for the patient first and gather insurance information later," he says. Registration can be completed at the bedside or any time before the patient leaves the hospital.
After registration, nurses jump right into patient care with triage. The nurse assesses the patient's condition and takes "vitals" like blood pressure, pulse and temperature. "This information helps us determine which patients need care the fastest," says Dr. Morris. "When a 55-year-old male patient with chest pain enters the ER, we treat him immediately as it could be a life-threatening condition," says Dr. Morris. "However, an 18-year-old male with knee pain may have to wait a little longer since his injury may not be as urgent."
New technology speeds up care behind the scenes
All of the information collected during triage is entered into an information system that helps staff manage care for every patient in the ER. Once the triage nurse enters the patient's information, the staff can see how many patients are waiting, the length of their wait and the severity of their illnesses. This system even interfaces with the lab and radiology to provide quicker test results. A red blinking light appears next to patients' names when their tests are complete and alerts staff to urgent cases. This allows physicians and nurses to spend more time with their patients and less time tracking down test results.
"In addition, Virtua has streamlined care by dividing the emergency room into fast track and acute care areas," says Dr. Isaacs. "For example, fast track provides prompt treatment for patients with minor illnesses like ear infections or vomiting, or injuries like cuts and sprains. Whereas, the acute care area provides immediate treatment for patients who may have chest pain or other serious illnesses or injuries that require more diagnostic tests and intensive care," he adds.
Keeping patients informed improves the wait
"At times when we're treating a high number of people, a patient care representative serves as a liaison between the patients in the waiting room and ER staff," says Dr. Isaacs. "The patient care representative's role is to update patients about delays, to make sure that they're comfortable and to relay any changes in their condition to the ER staff."
And while no one ever wants to find themselves in the ER, it's comforting to know there's a trusted place to go for excellent clinical care — where there's also a focus on providing outstanding customer service.
Physician Profiles
Lawrence Isaacs, MD, received his medical degree from Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. He completed an internship in internal medicine and a residency in emergency medicine at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. He is board certified in emergency medicine.
Jeffrey Morris, MD, received his medical degree from Hahnemann University. He completed a residency in internal medicine at Hahnemann University Hospital. He is board certified in internal medicine and emergency medicine.