Streamlining AMC ED Care: Improved Flow, Fewer Walkouts
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University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics (UIHC) is an 811-bed public teaching hospital and level 1 trauma center. It is affiliated with the University of Iowa and part of University of Iowa Health Care, a partnership that includes the University of Iowa Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine and the University of Iowa Physicians group practice.
Hospitals nationwide are experiencing a rise in patients leaving the emergency department (ED) without being seen by a qualified medical provider. Left without being seen (LWBS) rates pose a complex challenge with significant consequences for patient experience and outcomes, quality of care, and hospital finances.
UIHC is no exception to this trend. UIHC found that in 2022, its main campus ED had 3,892 patients (7.55 percent) leave without being seen, representing more than $5 million in lost revenue. Nearly 10 percent of these LWBS ED patients were deemed high priority, defined as a level 2 patient according to the Emergency Severity Index triage tool.
In response to this and other system throughput challenges, UIHC launched a large, coordinated effort to improve patient throughput and resource allocation. UIHC engaged BRG to develop a change management framework to help measure and improve performance.
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