Cleveland, OHIO—June 16, 2010—St. Vincent Charity Medical Center has launched a Fast Track Service in the Emergency Department at the downtown Cleveland campus. This new service guarantees patients door-to-door service in 90 minutes—faster without diagnostic testing.
Staffed with a physician assistant, nurse practitioner, and medic, the Fast Track Service allows medical staff to efficiently treat patients with less-acute illnesses and injuries while maintaining its service for those with more serious or life-threatening injuries. Hours of operations are 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., Monday through Friday, where volume is in most need of support.
“The Fast Track service will allow minor emergencies to receive quick, efficient care,” said Joan Ross, chief operating officer. “Our patients will notice a difference in the rapid assessment and treatment so their time is not spent waiting to be seen.”
Multiple capital improvements have significantly changed the physical flow and appearance of the Emergency Department. The ED contains 24 private rooms, technologically equipped with wireless, portable monitoring so that any room can become a monitored room. Fast Track is operated out of five rooms. The electronic patient tracking board displays creates a seamless and efficient experience for the patient.
Speaking to the mission of high-quality patient care, the decision to implement this new service was based on the desire to improve patient through-put, decrease wait times and improve customer satisfaction.
“We respect the time of our patients and are dedicated to caring for them as safely and expeditiously as possible while maintaining high standards of emergency care,” said Dr. Carla Streepy O’Day, chair of emergency medicine at St. Vincent Charity Medical Center.
Other operational improvements include a 12-lead EKG service with the Cleveland EMS, which allows EMS to transmit 12-lead EKG’s directly to the ED and Cath Lab for chest pain patients—expediting patient care in emergent situations. In addition, standard order sets have been put in place to more quickly and efficiently triage patients receive.