Emergency department decreases 4-hour wait times to 9 minutes.

The ED at Palisades Medical Center in North Bergen, NJ, has slashed its door-to-doc times down to nine minutes with the implementation of a new rapid evaluation unit model and other improved efficiencies. Here are some of the keys to their success: Triage was moved to the bedside, where specially trained nurses' aides perform point-of-care testing following evaluation by a nurse, a physician's assistant, or a doctor. Discussions with other departments made them aware of how their processes affected ED wait times. A discharge area was created to free up more beds in the ED proper.