Vermont Business Magazine The Emergency Department at Rutland Regional Medical Center has launched a new Nurse Practitioner Triage Model of Care with three Nurse Practitioners specializing in Emergency Medicine.
The traditional triage model involves nurses who assess/stabilize the patient, and then await the evaluation by a provider who can then place orders such as x-rays, Cat Scan, labs, etc. Under the new triage model of care, the patient will first see a Nurse Practitioner who is licensed to order diagnostic tests, x-rays, scans, labs immediately. When the attending physician sees the patient, they will already have the results of the patient’s testing, etc. in hand and can make a diagnosis or recommendation for next steps.
“We worked to find a solution to a few challenges that we are experiencing right now in healthcare in emergency rooms across the country,” said Sheena Fisher, RN, Director of Emergency Services at Rutland Regional Medical Center. “There is a shortage of nurses, there are more patients needing more advance care coming into our ED, we sometimes have long wait times because of this, and we sometimes have more patients than we have room for. This new model of care touches upon all these issues.”
From a patient’s perspective, they will experience a shorter wait time before seeing a provider. From a provider’s perspective, they will be able to deliver care faster to a patient because they will have the results from the patient’s tests faster and therefore have the information they need to make a diagnosis quicker.
This multi-disciplinary approach puts the patient at the center of care in a workflow that provides answers in a faster and more comprehensive way. Everyone has their specific task when working with the patient and each task is designed to move the patient forward in their recovery and/or treatment.
From an operational level, this new model of care will decrease the department’s reliance on traveler nurses and instead utilize the nurses they have more efficiently and in a more streamlined process.
“The Emergency Department is a very busy place,” said Alison Davis, MD, Medical Director of the Emergency Department at Rutland Regional, “This new process improves efficiency of care from both a patient and a provider perspective, and allows us to provide medical treatment for patients sooner.”
The Rutland Regional Emergency Department will launch their new Nurse Practitioner Triage process with three certified Emergency Medicine providers:
- Chris Andrews, APRN has been an ER nurse for eight years and has worked at Rutland Regional for ten years.
- Jackie Langsett, APRN has worked in Rutland Regional’s ED for two years and prior to that worked in the ICU at Albany Medical.
- Donald Bloodworth, APRN worked in the Emergency Department at Rutland Regional fore five years before joining the team at Rutland Digestive Services last year. He will now switch over to full-time at the Emergency Department.
During the month of April, the three Nurse Practitioners are working alongside providers in the Emergency Department, learning the best way to manage patient flow, order tests, and communicate patient information forward to the attending physicians.
Rutland Regional’s Emergency Department plans to launch the new Nurse Practitioner Triage Model of Care on April 24.
“We keep statistics on patient flow, patient wait time, etc. in the Emergency Department,” said Fisher. “We anticipate that we will continue to see improvements in all areas we measure with this new triage model of care, but the most important measurement is patient satisfaction, and we will be paying close attention to that as well.”
About Rutland Regional Medical Center: Rutland Regional Medical Center the largest community hospital in Vermont and is supported by a medical staff of 256 physicians, nurse practitioners and advanced practice providers trained in 37 specialty areas. The 144-bed hospital is supported by approximately 1,700 employees. With a strong patient-centered focus, consistent quality performance, Magnet® Nursing Recognition, and award-winning care, Rutland Regional remains dedicated to improving the health of families and individuals throughout portions of southern and central Vermont and communities in eastern New York State with preventative, diagnostic, acute and rehabilitative services.
Source: 4.24.2023. Rutland Regional Medical Center
