Hot Springs ED Reaches Benchmarks Worth Celebrating

The emergency department at Hot Springs is the only Level II trauma center in southwest Arkansas and the highest volume Level II trauma center in the state. That alone speaks volumes about the staff and the work they do. However, in an effort to continue to improve, they have set a goal to also be the preferred Emergency Department in South Central Arkansas for patients, coworkers, and physicians.

To this end, multiple quality and safety initiatives were a priority focus in 2019 to ensure that excellent care is delivered to every single patient.  We know that “hindsight is 2020” and looking back on 2019 allows us to not only celebrate the wins, but heighten the focus on the opportunities that have been identified to continue to get better.  A snapshot of the accomplishments include:

• Staffing vacancies are the lowest they have been in 2 years, with all current RN positions filled.
• Left Without Being Seen (LWBS) rates have remained < 1% for the past several months
  (2% is the national benchmark)
• Blood Culture Contamination rates remain below national averages’
• Sepsis bundle compliance has gone from 26% to 90% over the past quarter

“We are blessed with a really strong team that is willing to work together,” says Tamara Moody, ED Nurse Manager. “They just continue to work very hard to provide the best care possible for our patients.”

This incredible work has been accomplished due to the participation, collaboration and teamwork between the physicians, nurses, and other ED coworkers through the ED Specialty Council (ED Internal Steering Committee).

Phillip Nahas, Supervisor-Emergency Services, adds, “This team has really changed the culture and atmosphere here in the ED. Their work is what made this all possible.”

Thinking outside the box and implementing different throughput strategies, including “Vertical 3’s” and “Doc at Triage” has enabled the team to build an environment of saying “yes” – Yes to the community, and Yes to excellence.