Conduit Health Partners Publishes the State of Patient Access and Throughput Report

Health systems continue to face growing pressure related to patient demand, staffing constraints, and the movement of patients across care settings. While these challenges are visible day to day, many organizations lack a clear, system-wide view of how patient access and throughput are actually functioning across their networks.

To better understand these dynamics, Conduit Health Partners published the State of Patient Access and Throughput Report. The report provides a practical look at how patients enter health systems, how they move through them, and where coordination either supports or limits operational performance.

Rather than focusing on isolated benchmarks, the report combines system-wide operational data with frontline nurse perspectives to highlight real-world patterns and opportunities for improvement.

Where the Data Comes From

The findings in the report are based on two primary sources.

First, Conduit analyzed operational data from nurse-first triage and patient transfer center activity across partner health systems. This data provides visibility into patient demand, care navigation, transfer coordination, and patient movement across facilities and care settings. Because the data spans multiple months, it allows trends and recurring issues to be identified rather than relying on one-time snapshots.

Second, Conduit conducted a survey of nurses working in triage and transfer center roles. These nurses shared firsthand insight into daily workflows, coordination challenges, and operational bottlenecks they encounter while supporting patient access and movement.

Together, these sources provide a realistic view of patient access and throughput as they function in practice today.

What the Data Shows

The report shows that patient access and patient movement follow clear, repeatable patterns, many that are easy to miss without system-wide visibility.

What the Nurse Triage Data Reveals

Triage activity highlights how and when patients seek help, particularly outside traditional care settings. Demand is not evenly distributed. It clusters around specific times of day, weekends, and seasonal surges, creating predictable pressure points for health systems.

The data also shows that many patients are not seeking immediate in-person care. Instead, they are looking for guidance, reassurance, or help deciding what to do next. These interactions play an important role in directing patients to appropriate settings and preventing unnecessary escalation.

Viewed system-wide, triage data helps health systems understand:

• • When patients are most likely to seek clinical guidance

• • Which types of concerns drive access demand

• • How access impacts unnecessary ED visits

Without visibility into this activity, these signals remain fragmented and difficult to act on.

What the Patient Transfer Data Reveals

Transfer data provides a different but equally important view of system performance. System-wide transfer data can reveal recurring trends related to coordination, communication, and escalation timing.

System-wide transfer data helps health systems see:

• • Which providers are continuing care within the network versus which are transferring out

• • Variations between hospitals within a system

• • Where transfers slow consistently

• • Data on specific types of transfers

• • Timing of each phase and insights into causation. 

• • Why transfers are declined and how those reasons change over time

When transfer activity is viewed across the system, leaders can distinguish between internal process issues and external pressure from referring facilities—an essential step for meaningful improvement.

What Frontline Nurses Are Sharing

The nurse survey adds important context to the data.

Triage nurses report that many patient interactions involve guidance, education, and reassurance rather than immediate clinical intervention. These interactions play a key role in helping patients navigate care appropriately and in preventing unnecessary escalation to higher-cost settings.

Transfer center nurses point to coordination challenges as a frequent source of delay. Communication gaps, unclear ownership, and limited real-time visibility into capacity often slow patient movement more than clinical decision-making itself.

Across both roles, nurses consistently note that small operational improvements—such as clearer escalation paths, standardized communication, and earlier visibility into demand—can meaningfully improve patient flow and reduce strain on staff.

Nurses also report seeing risk when access or coordination breaks down. Delays are not just operational issues; they can affect patient outcomes.

What Can Be Gleaned from the Findings

Taken together, the report highlights several important takeaways for health system leaders.

1. 1. System-wide visibility matters. Health systems are better positioned to improve performance when they can see how patients enter care, how they move through the system, and where failed or slowed coordination impacts progress.
   2. Frontline perspectives provide essential insight. Nurses working directly in triage and transfer roles help explain why trends appear in the data and where targeted changes can make a difference.
   3. Many opportunities for improvement do not require expanding capacity. Better coordination, clearer communication, and earlier insight into demand can strengthen operations using existing resources.

Why This Report Matters

The State of Patient Access and Throughput Report is designed to support more informed operational decision-making. By combining system-wide data with frontline experience, it offers a clearer picture of how access and patient movement function across health systems today.

For leaders, the value lies in identifying patterns, understanding blind spots, and using visibility to guide improvement over time rather than reacting to issues as they arise.

To read the full State of Patient Access and Throughput Report, download the report below.