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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Regional Medical Center of San Jose Receives Emergency Department of the Year Award

Contact: Sarah Hay
800.476.1504
hays@cep.com

(November 2005, Emeryville, California) –The Emergency Department (ED) at Regional Medical Center of San Jose (RMC) recently received the 2005 Emergency Department of the Year Award from California Emergency Physicians (CEP) Medical Group.

Out of 54 sites in California, Oregon and Georgia, Regional Medical Center of San Jose received the top award based on its successful site modifications, strong physician/nurse relationships, impressive reductions in wait time and increased patient satisfaction. Within a period of just five months, RMC obtained designation as a Trauma Center, opened an Urgent Care Center, added nine ED beds, two new nursing stations, and a cath lab.

Following the closure of a nearby facility, the ED absorbed new providers and an additional 20,000 patients/year. Even as volume increased, Regional Medical Center managed to make remarkable operational improvements. One way the ED did so was through a Rapid Medical Evaluation (RME) program, aimed at reducing patient wait time.

Under RME, staff and leadership collaborate to investigate potential sources of slowing patient flow and to continually address issues that arise in the ED. Following discussions at RMC and the resulting site modifications, the average wait time dropped from 76 minutes to 36 minutes, the percentage of patients who left without being seen (LWBS) decreased from 7% to 1%, and the number of hours/month ambulances were diverted to other hospitals plummeted from 63 hours to 1.5 hours.

Moreover, the ED made patient satisfaction a major priority, enlisting the expertise of a Service Excellence Consultant, instituting Patient Leader Rounding, and implementing a Patient Account Liaison program. As a result, the ED rose from the 4th to the 1st quartile in the Gallup survey.

Staff satisfaction at Regional Medical Center also rated very high. In a recent survey taken by nursing staff, the ED earned top scores in both “Overall Atmosphere” and “Sense of Team.” By introducing Leadership Rounds, an “Employee of the Week” program, RN/MD Liaison Education, and offering positive feedback, the ED has made employee satisfaction a top priority. Nurses appreciate and respect the type of RN/MD relationship at RMC.

Says Elaine Nelson, MD, Medical Director of the ED, “I've been quite impressed with the way the entire ED team came together when the merger happened. They understood the importance of delivering excellent patient care and worked very hard to do just that. We have lived through many operational changes, all geared toward providing the best care we can to our patients. The entire staff rose to the challenges that our site encountered, which is why we were able to achieve the 'ED of The Year' award.”

Says David Hunter, MD, Regional Director for the Central Valley and San Jose, “I’ve watched the transformation of RMC over the last year. An exceptionally strong Leadership Team met frequently to successfully introduce operational changes and guide the ER staff through the many changes that come with bringing two hospitals together during cold and flu season. A number of best practice processes at RMC are being emulated successfully at other sites, and we know that imitation is the highest form of flattery. I’ve enjoyed watching RMC emerge as an outstanding facility, one the community identifies as the ER they would bring their family to for treatment.”

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Regional Medical Center of San Jose is a 34-bed ED with an annual patient volume of over 60,000. CEP was founded in 1975 and is a premier provider of physician staffing, management, and consulting services for Emergency Department and Ambulatory Care Practices in California, Oregon and Georgia. CEP includes more than 1,000 providers who treat almost 2.5 million patients each year. For more information on CEP, visit their website at www.cep.com.