Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas enlisted the help of Plano, Texas-based Toyota Motor North America to move patients through the emergency room more quickly, according to a Dallas Morning News report.
Parkland's ER treats 500 to 700 patients a day in a 118-bed space, making it one of the busiest nationwide. Toyota's team sought to improve the hospital's discharge time by simplifying a light system above doors that Parkland staff didn't use. The automaker worked with physicians, nurses and other ER staff until the project finished last month.
A purple light signifies a clean room ready for the next patient, while an orange light signifies the patient is out of the room having X-rays taken. A green light means a physician has said the patient can go home, and a red light means the room needs to be cleaned.
When the project began in February, average discharge time was 52 minutes. That time fell to 21 minutes after the light program took full effect in September, according to the Morning News.
The Parkland team aims to reach 15 minutes.