Today we toured the newly renovated University of Illinois Hospital Emergency Department. The entrance and lobby were redone, making the waiting area smaller to account for the addition of private rooms in the ED. They also added three private triage rooms with sliding glass doors that lead into the ED. For me, the biggest difference was the "Supertrack" that they added in front of the high acuity ED. A Supertrack is relatively new model that is gaining traction in emergency departments around the country. The idea, is for triage to separate low acuity patients from high acuity patients. For instance, a patient who arrives with a bruised ankle will be sent to the Supertrack. The patient will be seen a doctor within 30 minutes. The doctor will then send the patient to their next step of treatment, diagnostic imaging for this example. On average, Supertrack patients are in and out of the ED in two hours. Every day, 53% of patients who arrive at the ED are sent through the Supertrack. The model allows emergency department's to allocate their resources properly. High acuity patients get priority on beds, and doctors are able to spend more time with them.
We spoke to Debra, head social worker at the University of Illinois Hospital. She told about numerous reoccurring patients that come to the ED for secondary reasons. Often for warmth, food, and even just a bed to lay down in. The ED is not legally able to turn down patients; the Supertrack allows their stay to be much shorter at the ED. As Debra told us, it is significantly more expensive for the ED to serve a homeless patient weekly throughout a year versus buying them house. The demographic of a hospital will alter the type of patients seen in the Supertrack. However, regardless of patient's medical situation the Supertrack model should increase efficiency while also providing the necessary care and attention each patient needs.
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