Using a multidisciplinary CQI approach to reduce ER-to-floor admission time

A 110-bed community hospital used a multidisciplinary continuous quality improvement process to decrease the time needed to admit a non-critical care patient to the hospital from the emergency department (ER). The specific objective was to reduce the total amount of time needed for a patient who has entered the ER to be assigned to a bed on a designated medical/surgical unit, while at the same time maintaining quality of care and providing the patient with a pleasant atmosphere.