The National Public Health and Hospital Institute (NPHHI) received a generous grant from The Commonwealth Fund in 2008 to conduct a study entitled “Safety Net Hospitals and Emergency Department Throughput: Best Practices from High Performers.” In partnership with the University HealthSystem Consortium and with guidance from an advisory group comprised of NAPH member hospitals, NPHHI developed an emergency department (ED) cycle time survey to capture performance data relevant to ED throughput. NPHHI administered the survey, analyzed the data, and conducted follow-up interviews with administrators at facilities that ranked as “high performers” (i.e., those scoring in the top 25th percentile on key metrics, including length of stay and time to admittance). Continue Reading