Celebration of Excellence
Our department participated in the 2025 Celebration of Excellence event and received the "Par for Excellence" ribbon, marking our second consecutive year of recognition. We showcased a quality improvement poster titled "Streamlining Neurosurgery Patient Discharge: Cutting Time, Not Corners, for Faster Transitions," highlighting our efforts to improve discharge efficiency and patient flow.
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Poster Focus
The poster detailed the department's multifaceted approach to improving discharge processes for neurosurgery patients:
- Background and Goal
- Prior to August 2023, only 25% of patients were discharged by noon, and the average order-to-discharge time was approximately 4 hours.
- Goal: Reduce average order-to-discharge time to under 3 hours by December 2024.
- Methodology
- Used Epic-driven, data-informed tracking of discharge processes across neurosurgical units.
- Conducted a two-week patient discharge tracker and analyzed delays to identify root causes.
- Key Interventions
- Discharge Checklists (Launched Fall 2023): Four role-specific checklists integrated into Epic to standardize tasks and ensure accountability.
- Early Patient Education (Launched Fall 2024): Preoperative education and interdisciplinary updates reinforced preparedness and reduced delays.
- Results
- By September 2024, 34.8% of patients were discharged by noon, a 37% improvement from August 2023.
- Average order-to-discharge time decreased to 2 hours and 58 minutes, achieving the department's goal.
- Percentage of discharge orders placed by 10 a.m. improved by 19.15%, demonstrating better alignment and readiness across teams.
Conclusions
The initiative led to significant improvements in discharge efficiency and patient flow. The poster demonstrated that structured interventions, early communication, and Epic integration can streamline operations and improve timely patient discharges. Moving forward, these interventions will continue to be refined to sustain improvements and optimize neurosurgery patient discharge.
Recognition
The "Par for Excellence" ribbon underscores our commitment to quality improvement, innovation, and teamwork in delivering safe and efficient patient care.