An Analysis of the Los Angeles County Hospital Emergency Room Essay

An Analysis of the Los Angeles County infirmary Emergency RoomLearning Team Operations Management PlanThe problem of emergency department overcrowding has become an principal(prenominal) issue for many emergency departments by dint ofout the city andcounty of Los Angeles. Patients frequently have to wait hours just toget into the emergency department to be seen by a physician or otherhealthcare professionals. The problem does not depend to be gettingbetter as times goes on, but indeed studies seem to indicate that thecondition is growing worse. At a local Los Angeles County Hospital(King Drew Medical Center) emergency department, we found that theproblem is especially severe. Patients are force to wait as long as8-12 hours to be seen and treated by physicians. This paper willpropose a plan that will help to save this critical problem ofemergency department overcrowding and long patients waits forservices.Problem StatementThere is a nation huge shortage of emergency room space and anincrease demand for emergency services. Public health officials,hospital executives, and doctors are increasingly concerned aboutemergency department boarding, because of the potential impact on both(prenominal) patient safety and staff burnout (Kowalczyk, 2005). Our paperwill attempt to solve the problem of emergency department overcrowdingand long waiting times. We propose to first ca-ca a flow chart ofpresent operations from the beginning of the emergency departmentvisit to the discharge or admission of the patient. We believe thatthe process stub be analyzed and changed in a way that improvement canbe accomplished by improving efficiency and flow of traffic throughthe emergency department processes.Null HypothesisOur study attempts to identify a serious problem at a local LosAngeles County Hospital that appears to have slick solutions.Looking at other similar hospitals throughout the nation and abroad,it appears that restructuring and appropriate panning may help toallevia te long patients waits for services. The null hypothesisstates that changes in the processes of triage, registration,evaluation, manipulation and administration will shorten waiting times andimprove efficiency (mu= changes in process). The alternativehypothesis states that changing in the process of triage,registration, evaluation, treatment and disposition will not change orimprove waiti... ...ywill be made and expenses reduced by a more efficient process.ReferencesCampbell, A.B. (2003). Strategic readying in health care Methods andapplication. Quality Management in Health Care, 1(4), 12-23.Kowalczyk, L.(2005). Hospitals strive to reduce waiting lines forbeds. Retrieved April 26, 2005 from the world wide world http//www.boston.com/news/ tuition/higher/articles/hospitals=================================================================Kelton, W. D., R. P. Sadowski, D. A. Sadowski, 2002. Simulation withArena, Second Edition. New York McGraw-Hill Higher Education.Joint Commission o n Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations. Qualityin Healthcare. Retrieved April 26, 2005 from the world wide worldhttp//www.jcaho.org/qualitycheck/Los Angeles County Hospital (King Drew Medical Center Emergency Room,2005). Measures to reduce length of stay in the emergency room. LAAuthor.Affinity Data Collection Systems. Retrieved April 26, 2005 from theworld wide world www.affinitydata.com.Wilson, A. (2004). Reduction of ED Queues and Elopement Through theStraight Back Approach. .Retrieved April 26, 2005 from the world wideworld http//tgithomasgroup.com/