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Emergency Care Treatment

Quality Measures: Emergency Care Treatment

Comprehensive emergency care, delivered in a timely manner, has a significant impact on successful patient outcomes. Faster access to care and delivery of the right therapies, as well as shorter emergency department stays, are correlated with reduced infection rates and lower risk of recurrent heart attacks.

Virtua - 364 min
NJ - 393 min
National - 333 min

Median Time From ED Arrival To ED Departure For Admitted Patients

This measures the median time between a patient’s arrival in the emergency department to departure from the emergency department (for patients admitted to the hospital from the ED.


Why is this important?
Reduced wait times can improve access to treatment and increase the quality of care and patient outcomes.

Virtua - 163 min
NJ - 160 min
National - 136 min

Median Admit Decision Time To ED Departure For Admitted Patients

This measures the median time from the physician’s decision to admit a patient to the hospital who came to the ED for treatment until the time they leave the ED to be moved to an inpatient department or to the operating room.


Why is this important?
Reducing the time a patient remains in the emergency department (ED) can potentially improve access to care specific to the patient’s condition.

Virtua - 180 min
NJ - 158 min
National - 172 min

Median Time From ED Arrival To ED Departure

This measures the median time between a patient’s arrival to departure from the emergency department (ED) (for patients discharged to return home).


Why is this important?
Reduced wait times in the ED improve individual patient outcomes, and overall patient flow for better care.

Virtua - 42 min
NJ - 28 min
National - 29 min

Median Time From Door To Diagnostic Evaluation

This measures the median time from a patient's arrival in the ED to contact with a designated provider for diagnostic purposes.


Why is this important?
Shorter provider wait times are correlated to better patient care and outcomes.

Virtua - 37 min
NJ - 54 min
National - 50 min

Median Time To Pain Management For Long Bone Fracture

This measures the median time from patient’s arrival at the hospital to receiving pain medication.


Why is this important?
Pain management improves patient’s ability to tolerate tests and evaluation.

Virtua - 83%
NJ - 77%
National - 71%

Head Scan Results For Stroke Patients Within 45 Minutes Of Arrival

This measures the percentage of patients with stroke symptoms who have a CT scan and available results within 45 minutes of arrival at the hospital.


Why is this important?
A head scan is done for patients with stroke-like symptoms to determine if they are having a stroke and what type of stroke it is. The results of this test will determine the treatment the physician will prescribe. The use of “clot buster” drugs for strokes caused by a blood clot can only be administered within certain time periods of the onset of symptoms.

CURRENT DATA COLLECTION

Virtua Data Range: July 1, 2016 - June 30, 2017

National Data Range: Oct. 1, 2015 - Sep. 30, 2016