One of the most challenging patient situations for a health system is providing efficient and effective care to patients with suicidal ideations. Suicidal ideations demand urgent attention, yet shortages in behavioral health (BH) care beds often leave patients waiting in emergency departments (ED) for days. Not only does this impact the throughput and safety of the ED, but it also places significant strain on resources and personnel.
Mercy Health – Springfield Regional Medical Center recognized the urgency of this issue and embarked on a journey to identify barriers hindering effective care and safety for BH patients. Among these barriers, the patient transfer process emerged as a key area for improvement.
Transfer Collaboration:
Mercy Health – Springfield Regional Medical Center sought to streamline the transfer process and enhance communication to expedite patient care. Conduit has been serving as the transfer center partner for Mercy Health – Springfield Regional Medical Center and was asked to help redesign the workflow for transferring BH patients from the ED.
Together, the teams focused on developing a transfer checklist to facilitate swift and comprehensive information gathering at the bedside. This checklist empowered clinicians to initiate electronic bed requests seamlessly, triggering Conduit’s involvement at an early stage.
Significant Results:
Through this collaborative effort, Mercy Health – Springfield Regional Medical Center and Conduit achieved notable improvements in the efficiency and effectiveness of BH patient transfers including:
- A 64% reduction in ED length of stay
- 17% (or 2.3 calls per day) reduction in average phone calls from Conduit to the ED
- 50 second per call reduction in talk time during the calls
As a result of the operational efficiencies and improvements to the quality of care, Mercy Health – Springfield Regional Medical Center has expanded the pilot. Additionally, their parent organization, Bon Secours Mercy Health, plans to roll out this innovative workflow to several other hospitals in 2024. By prioritizing standardization and collaboration, this initiative offers hope for health care systems nationwide grappling with similar challenges.
About Conduit Health Partners
To learn more about Conduit Health Partners and our patient transfer services, view the full case study or contact our team below.