Boost capacity, slash LWBS rate with POD triage system.

With bottlenecks boosting ED wait times as well as the LWBS rate, Methodist Hospital of Sacramento decided to boost its triage capacity by taking over six beds that were being used for fast-track patients, and by taking advantage of waiting-room space for patients who don't need to be placed in beds. Within a month of implementing the new approach, the LWBS rate dropped to less than 2%, and door-to-doc time was slashed by 20 minutes. Under the POD system, providers have 15 minutes to determine whether patients should be discharged, sent back to the waiting room while tests are conducted, or placed in an ED bed where they can be monitored. To implement the approach, no alterations in physician staffing were needed, but the hospital added a triage nurse and a task nurse to manage patient flow of the triage POD.