CASE STUDY: PARTNERING FOR PATIENT-CENTERED EMERGENCY CARE
A Four-Year Journey of Collaboration and Innovation at a Community Hospital in Northeast Louisiana.
THE CHALLENGE: adapting to a dynamic healthcare environment
Emergency departments nationwide face growing pressures, and our partner hospital in Northeast Louisiana has encountered unique challenges as one of the region’s premier healthcare providers. The introduction of a new Trauma Program, consistently rising patient volumes, and a higher inpatient census created a complex operating environment that required innovative solutions.
- Patient Volume Growth: Over our partnership, patient visits increased by 16%, reflecting the community’s growing reliance on our partner hospital for emergency care.
- Rising Acuity: Admission rates climbed to 23% in April 2024, underlining the hospital’s expanding role in caring for patients with more complex medical needs.
THE SOLUTION
Partnership Through Innovation and Collaboration
Core’s commitment to addressing complex challenges highlights the power of collaborative leadership and long-term partnership. Our Emergency Department leadership team—including Core physicians, Advanced Practice Providers, nursing leaders, hospital administration, and both Core Operations and Clinical Operations—meets monthly and bi-weekly to review data, identify trends, and develop solutions together. These structured sessions focus on real-time metric analysis, rapid-cycle process improvement, shared decision-making, and strategic resource allocation, ensuring continuous progress and measurable impact.
2024 Strategic Initiatives and Innovative Operational Solutions
To meet evolving community needs, we launched several transformative initiatives aimed at improving patient care and satisfaction:
- Dedicated Pediatric Treatment Area: A family-centered space for children enhanced both comfort and quality of care.
- Expanded Fast-Track Program: Additional treatment rooms and streamlined workflows reduced wait times for lower-acuity patients.
These changes yielded immediate gains in patient throughput and experience:
- Notable Reduction in ED Length of Stay: Lower-acuity patients experienced shorter wait times in Fast-Track.
- Improved Satisfaction Scores: In Q4 2024, our Press Ganey Doctor Domain ranking reached the 88th percentile.
Key operational advancements supported these improvements:
- Optimized Operations and Staffing: Enhanced “holds” management, increased Advanced Practice Provider coverage (from 41% in January 2023 to over 50% in late 2024), and ongoing staffing model refinements.
By directing lower-acuity patients through an optimized Fast-Track and providing focused attention for higher-acuity patients in the main ED, we delivered more efficient care across all patient populations. Sophisticated Demand-Capacity Modeling helped us establish parallel treatment tracks and refine staffing, improving experiences for every group we serve.
The Results
Our care model ensures the right patient receives the right care at the right time. We consistently outperform comparable Emergency Departments in efficiency and speed without compromising clinical quality—even with rising volume and acuity.
- Stroke Care: Achieved 100% compliance in meeting or surpassing national Door-to-Needle benchmarks for 15 consecutive months.
- Sepsis Care: Exceeded national SEP-1 standards, emphasizing our focus on effective, outcome-driven care.
Clinical Excellence and Patient Experience
Top Quartile in Press Ganey Doctor Domain (Q4 2024) driven by:
- Reduced Fast-Track wait times
- Specialized pediatric treatment
- Improved patient flow through dedicated areas
- More focused care for each patient population
Operational Efficiency
- LWBS (Left Without Being Seen) consistently near or below 1%
- Median Door-to-Clinician Time: 12–14 minutes
- Efficient Resource Utilization: Stable clinician-to-decision times despite volume growth
Volume Management and Specialized Care
- 15%+ Volume Growth effectively managed in peak months
- Dedicated Treatment Areas address diverse patient needs with focused care pathways
Quality Metrics
- CT Utilization: Around 33 per 100 patients, indicating cost-conscious, high-quality care
- Opioid Prescription Rates: Reduced from 18–20% to 14–16%, illustrating responsible pain management
Community Impact
Our partnership has brought substantial benefits to Northeast Louisiana:
- Expanded access to specialized emergency care for every age group
- Improved patient satisfaction, supported by top-quartile performance
- Strengthened community confidence in local healthcare delivery
Looking Forward
By integrating a new Trauma Program, dedicated pediatric spaces, and expanded Fast-Track capabilities–while maintaining high-quality care–our collaboration has proven resilient and responsive to a shifting healthcare landscape. Future initiatives include:
- Optimizing specialized treatment areas
- Enhancing care protocols for complex patient populations
- Refining resource allocation models
- Developing innovative patient flow solutions
- Preserving exceptional patient experiences through Core CARES
This enduring partnership exemplifies how collaboration, data-driven decisions, and operational innovation can elevate healthcare delivery across an entire region, benefiting both patients and the broader community.