CHRISTUS Southeast Texas – St. Elizabeth implements new emergency room system

CHRISTUS Southeast Texas - St. Elizabeth announced the implementation of Fast Track, a new emergency room flow system to improve patient wait times and services.

The new system seeks to ensure there are emergency room beds available for time sensitive, life-threatening cases by providing an onsite nurse practitioner to provide care to patients with non-life threatening symptoms including minor injuries, infections and common illnesses.

"Fast Track is a game-changer for our emergency department,” said Jenny Kelly, administrative director for emergency services for CHRISTUS Southeast Texas – St. Elizabeth. “It allows us to efficiently manage patient flow and provide timely care to those who need it the most. By diverting lower acuity cases to our onsite nurse practitioner, we can ensure that our ER remains available for emergencies, ultimately saving lives."

Kelly said the department has already noticed a significant difference after implementing this new system in June. Previously, patients who were coming in with less severe cases were waiting a few hours to be seen. Now, they are typically in and out within an hour or so.

“When someone comes into an emergency room with minor symptoms, they tend to wait longer,” Kelly said. “This new process allows us to focus on both critically and minimally ill patients equally.”

While Fast Track has positively impacted CHRISTUS Southeast Texas - St. Elizabeth, Kelly still recommends patients with minor symptoms first seek treatment from their local primary health care provider or an urgent care.

“When you go to an emergency room, you never know what is going to happen or how long you may wait,” Kelly said. “Patients get frustrated watching others be seen before them, but we always treat major illnesses first.”

Each year, there are roughly 139.8 million visits to emergency rooms, according to the National Center for Health Statistics.

“CHRISTUS Southeast Texas - St. Elizabeth remains dedicated to providing the highest quality of care to the community,” said Paul Trevino, chief executive officer for CHRISTUS Southeast Texas Health System. “The implementation of Fast Track is a testament to its ongoing efforts to improve patient outcomes and ensure emergency services are readily available for those in need.”