 Computerized Patient Tracking Reduces Wait Times
Patients visiting the new emergency center will experience shorter wait times and a simplified registration process, thanks to a new patient tracking system called IBEX. At the glance of a computer screen, this interactive, Web-based system allows physicians, nurses and staff to see how many patients are in the waiting room, which treatment rooms are available, which patients are in each room and how long each patient has been at the center.
"IBEX has enabled us to redesign our triage and registration process," said Donna Biederman, emergency center assistant manager. "Patients will no longer have the hassle of going to multiple locations for triage, registration and treatment, and waiting in between each process. Now they will come to one of our three private triage booths and will be registered and assigned a room at the same time."
IBEX offers other features that improve patient service. It stores patient information, such as medical history and prior visits, which can be accessed the next time a patient comes to the emergency center. It communicates with the lab, so test results can be accessed quicker. It provides communication between radiology and emergency staff to more efficiently serve patients. IBEX is used to create computer-generated prescriptions, which reduces the chance of errors. It also prints discharge instructions.
Microcell Phones Offer Quick Access to Nurses
Need to ask your nurse a question after she or he has left the room? In the new emergency center, patients can press a call button that automatically dials their nurse's microcell phone, a special phone suited for hospital use because it does not interfere with medical equipment.
Previously, when patients pressed the call button, it would ring the nurses’ station and then the patient's nurse would be paged. The new system reduces delays by connecting you directly to your nurse. If your personal nurse is not able to answer the call within 40 seconds, the system will transfer your call to the nurses' station to ensure you receive an immediate response.
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