Fast Track at Montogmery Hospital: A Brief History
Montgomery’s Fast Track operation began more than three years ago in the ED’s existing space. The new addition solves the problem of overcrowding, creating a more comfortable space for both Fast Track and acute care patients. Before the hospital’s Fast Track service was initiated in 2001, ED medical professionals cared for at least 60 patients daily. When the Fast Track service began in the ED’s existing space, patient volume increased to more than 80 daily. Now with the opening of the hospital’s new Fast Track space, ED physicians and nurses are caring for more than 90 patients daily.
“With the advent of the medical malpractice crisis, patients have a more difficult time getting access to the specialists they need in a timely manner,” says Dr. Morse. “Hospital emergency departments have been feeling an increasing pressure to respond and deliver care that in the past would have been carried out in a different setting.
“The current health care environment has caused us to think out of the box,” says Dr. Morse. “With the new space, dedicated specifically to Fast Track patients, we can serve both our Fast Track and critical care patients more efficiently.”
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