Provide timely treatment and maximum utilization available resources

2 PATIENT FLOW REDUCING DELAY IN HEALTHCARE DELIVERY

Emergency Departments (ED) are perhaps the most challenged components of the health-care system with respect to patient delay. Patients arrive at the emergency department through multiple channels, including walk-in (or drive-in) and ambulance. Depending on the nature of the emergency, the patient may be served through an ambulatory or a non­ambulatory section of the emergency department. The patient ( or a friend) meets with a receptionist to collect background and information, and a nurse Patients are served by to triage (prioritize and stabilize) the patient.

physicians and nurses in treatment rooms, which may be specialized to particular injuries (e.g., orthopedics) or specialized by level of urgency. Before treating the patient, tests (X-ray, CT Scan, MRI, etc.) may be needed through a radiology department. In some cases patients must be moved to an operating room for surgery. Once emergency treatment is completed, it may be necessary to admit the patient to the hospital, in which case the patient is Eventually, the patient exposed to additional processes and delays.

1.2 Goal of Book

This book presents strategies, concepts and methods that can radically improve the delivery of health care by reducing delays. Our supposition is that much of the delay accepted by the public is both unnecessary and costly. Patients are harmed in the process of delay, not only through wasted time, but through unnecessary suffering, and through adverse medical outcomes. Health care providers are harmed through the added cost and reduced efficiency resulting from the complications of handling delayed patients. For these reasons, it is imperative for all providers to seek out and implement solutions that reduce delay.