Evaluation of Emergency Department Patient Admission Time at Bellevue Hospital Center

The Capstone team evaluated the Emergency Department (ED) patient admission time from the time a general medicine patient arrives in the ED to the time s/he is transported to an inpatient floor. The primary goals of the project were to increase patient satisfaction, decrease emergency room congestion, and possibly reduce the average length of stay per patient. The Capstone team assessed and quantified the current admission process by tracking adult medicine patients and evaluating the major delays. These major delays or “bottlenecks” were further analyzed during the second phase of the project, and the Capstone team formulated reasons why these problems exist. During the final phase of the project, the Capstone team developed feasible options that could decrease the length of time required for patients to be admitted to the medicine floors. The proposed options were evaluated in terms of costs, available resources, and long-term benefits.