Emergency department: Improving patient satisfaction

Increasing diversions from the emergency department, prolonged wait times, and increasing patient and provider dissatisfaction with care delivery motivated the Virginia Hospital Center to embark upon an organization-wide effort to improve performance. Starting with the board of directors, the organization set quantifiable, benchmarked performance targets for service that were tied to performance-based compensation. Barriers to performance were addressed through the collaboration of administrative, medical, nursing, and operational leadership. Daily monitoring provided focus on the goals and allowed for constant refinement of newly implemented processes. Closer coordination with the admitting department and the creation of an admission unit, were among the ideas responsible for the improvements realized.