LEAN methodology, known for uncovering opportunities to improve by eliminating "wasteful" process steps, has helped the ED at Good Samaritan Hospital in Kearney, NE, make good patient flow numbers even better. The hospital went from a door-to-doc time of 28 minutes and length of stay (LOS) of 103 minutes to a door-to-doc time of 16 minutes and a LOS of 93 minutes. Here are some efficiencies that were implemented: standardized bedside carts and procedure carts that can be pulled into any room as needed; a manual-entry whiteboard with magnetized color-coded symbols to indicate patient status; a new documentation system that standardized the ED charting decreased the time required for documentation.
