Washington Health System

LET'S MAKE IT QUICK WASHINGTON HEALTH SYSTEM GREENE MAY BE A SMALL COMMUNIT Y FACILIT Y, BUT IT'S PERFORMING WELL ABOVE ITS WEIGHT CL ASS—JUST ASK JEREMY KERN. Jeremy is no stranger to emergency departments (EDs). Having worked in emergency medical services for about 25 years and as a flight nurse for 17, there are few people who know the ins and outs of an ED quite like Jeremy. So, when he suffered a severe ankle sprain, he wasn't excited about the idea of visiting one. "My wife and I are both nurses, so we're big believers in only using the ED when it's absolutely necessary," Jeremy says. "However, my sprain caused such excruciating pain that I felt it was inevitable." Jeremy was taken to the ED at WHS Greene where, to his surprise, he was in and out in just 45 minutes. "I was thoroughly impressed by the staff who helped me," Jeremy says. "ey were efficient, helpful and had me on my way in no time. It's good to see a local hospital operate at such a high level." BEHIND THE SCENES e efficiency that Jeremy experienced didn't happen overnight. When WHS purchased the facility in 2015, there were many changes that needed to be made. "e ED is basically the front door of the entire hospital," says Bridgett Trump, Director of Nursing for WHS Greene. "We made a lot of improvements to both the facility and our processes to create a pleasant experience for visitors." Some of the most notable upgrades include: » new furniture, paint and private treatment rooms » cardiac monitors in every room » a new communication system that links the Greene ED to the entire health system » a triage area for improved efficiency "I was born and raised in this area, so it's great to see a local hospital like WHS provide such excellent care," Jeremy says. "If another emergency arises, I'd surely go back." 16 The average number of minutes it takes for a patient to see a physician or nurse practitioner 118 The average number of minutes it takes for a person to be seen, treated and sent home "We set very high goals for ourselves, and I'm proud to say that these numbers actually surpass the goals we had in place," says Bridgett Trump, Director of Nursing for WHS Greene. "It's all thanks to the dedicated and skilled staff that we have working here each day." Despite treating 18,000 patients a year, the Emergency Department (ED) at Washington Health System Greene is able to operate at a high level of efficiency. This is especially true when it comes to treatment times. The ED's two most notable numbers are: Our Press Ganey survey for December 2017 showed patient satisfaction was 94.8 percent. YOU CAN COUNT ON An Emergency Department YOU CAN COUNT ON W I NTE R 2018 | connections whs.org 15

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