St. James Hospital

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Before EMP LWBS was as high as 6% now down to <1%, while at the same time volume increased over 4%

 "I would highly recommend Emergency Medicine Physicians (EMP). Our partnership has resulted in a very strong team of Emergency Room Physicians and Administration. This team has combined clinical and administrative talent to decrease LWBS from 6% to under 1%, improved patient satisfaction and grew patient volumes by 4%...all in 9 months."

• LWBS as high as 6% before EMP; now <1%
• Volume increased over 4% during same time period
• Patient turnaround time dropped 30 minutes
• ED collections improved increasing profit for hospital
• MVP award by the Sisters of St Francis Health Services

EMP partnered with St. James Hospital in Chicago Heights to accomplish one thing:  to foster the Emergency Department to exceed community expectations for quality and service.  EMP worked to change the actual culture of the department to one of service toward the patient - as opposed to one in which patients must advocate for themselves.  Before EMP came on board, the community, medical staff and patients had an increasingly negative perception of the Emergency Department at St. James Hospitals, with high walkout rates and low patient satisfaction. 

 EMP's first order of business was to collaborate with St. James Hospital leadership team to decrease wait time through a new model of care delivery which we call PhysicianFirst. With PhysicianFirst, patients see a physician before they are even registered. A physician, nurse and technician evaluate the patient and order tests, perform EKGs and start IVs immediately, reducing the overall length of stay and improving patient care and safety. Patients are registered bedside after the initial evaluation has been completed. The effect on key benchmarks is dramatic: Over a nine month period, patient satisfaction skyrocketed from the 5th percentile to 60th percentile as measured by Press Ganey.

 Shortly after coming on board, EMP led a two-day workshop for the hospital that focused on serving patients. Participants included all departments that impact the delivery of emergency care: nursing, radiology, lab, security, guest services and housekeeping. By the end of this two-day symposium, the staff had the tools they needed to redefine the way they were perceived by the community and to own the process of recovery. The results were exceptional:  Both staff and patient satisfaction have increased and staff turnover has been minimized. In fact, the Press Ganey ranking for the whole hospital has increased markedly due to the changes in culture and process.

 Our goal, to exceed community expectations for quality and service, is well underway.  To get the word out to the community, EMP worked with hospital administration to advertise the improved Emergency Department on TV and in local newspapers.  Along with word of mouth, our work with the media has resulted in a change in the way the community views St. James Hospital's ED.

EMP has partnered with St. James Hospital since April 1, 2009.