Forty hours under pressure: a rapid-response improvement team achieves synergy

A rapid-response team process was used to achieve unique team synergy and project success. The team's mission was to reduce the waiting time in the emergency care unit for inpatient telemetry beds. Data needed for root cause analysis were collected before the first team meeting, and "just-in-time" team training was provided at the team's first meeting. With leadership from the chief executive officer, a vice president, and a core group of physicians, the team was energized to complete the mission and present its plan to the entire executive team at the end of just 1 week.