The proportion of patients who left the emergency department without being seen was three times the national average in 2015, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
Data from this year show nearly 5 percent of St. Charles Bend ER visits involved patients who left before being seen, the most common diagnosis code applied to patient visits.
St. Charles Bend admits approximately 21 percent of ER patients, which shows that people visiting the ER truly need that level of care, said Michelle Brenholdt, MSN, St. Charles Bend’s director of emergency services and trauma program.
St. Charles Bend implemented an ED improvement committee that brainstorms ways to decrease the number of patients who leave without being seen and is working to speed up patient admission, Ms. Brenholdt said.
More articles on EDs:
Opioid epidemic prompts changes in San Diego ERs
St. Luke’s Health Memorial ER undergoes $10.2M expansion
Washington hospital works to streamline ED care
