Priority on Patient-Centered Care

Introduction

Grace Health, a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) and Health Care for the Homeless provider in Battle Creek, Michigan, serves approximately 27,000 patients. The center provides Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, OB/GYN, Pediatrics, Behavioral Health, Dental, Optometry, Podiatry, Physical Therapy, and Pharmacy services.

As the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic subsided, Grace Health needed a way to make patients feel safe returning for care and improve operational efficiency. Vice President and COO Jill Wise explains:

“Patients didn’t want to come in because they were concerned about getting sick. We needed to function differently and provide care in a way that wouldn’t expose them.”

To address these challenges, Grace Health implemented Stat, powered by Stat’s Real-Time Location System (RTLS), to streamline operations and improve patient care.

Challenge: Ensuring Safe and Efficient Patient Care

Before SyncTimes, Grace Health faced several operational inefficiencies. Long patient wait times created frustration and inefficiencies in scheduling. Difficulty in locating staff and equipment led to wasted time and delayed care. The manual coordination of patient movement increased the workload for front desk staff and care teams. Additionally, concerns over COVID-19 exposure made self-rooming a priority for patient safety.

Solution: Stat Powered Self-Rooming

Grace Health implemented SyncTimes in three key phases:

1. The initial deployment involved installing SyncTimes in 17 exam rooms with self-rooming capabilities.
2. The next phase focused on workflow optimization, where patient self-rooming was streamlined with Stat, integrating custom workflows and automated notifications for care teams.
3. Finally, expansion and data utilization allowed SyncTimes to roll out across 132 medical exam rooms, 17 dental exam rooms, and four monitoring stations, with deep integration into the EMR to identify outstanding care gaps in real time.

The Results

Reduced Wait Times

A measurable improvement was seen, with an 18% reduction in patient wait times before and after room assignments. Patients could go directly to their assigned exam rooms, eliminating unnecessary waiting.

“We wanted to reduce interactions between patients and get them into rooms more quickly, to increase safety. The outcome is definitely increased safety for people who feel like exposure was an issue. But it’s also increased patient satisfaction.” — Jill Wise, VP & COO, Grace Health

Improved Staff Communication and Coordination

Instant staff and equipment location tracking reduced inefficiencies. Automated behavioral health alerts improved care response time, and self-rooming tablets welcomed patients by name, creating a high-tech, VIP experience.

Increased Staff Satisfaction

Staff no longer wasted time searching for rooms, doctors, or equipment. A 50% reduction in time spent waiting for Medical Assistants (MAs) was achieved, and real-time notifications improved efficiency and reduced manual tasks.

Optimized Room Utilization and Data-Driven Decisions

Rooms were no longer held open without patients, ensuring efficient use of space. Real-time data insights allowed for better scheduling and space allocation, and SyncTimes provided insights into peak usage hours and patient flow trends.

"Everybody’s aware of how long a patient has been in a room and how long they’ve been alone. We have the potential to improve cycle times because we can tell exactly how many patients use each room, and during which hours of the day.” — Sonya Elder, VP and Chief Information Officer

‍Future Expansion and Integration

With plans to onboard four to five times more staff onto SyncTimes, Grace Health is looking to maximize benefits. Deeper EMR integration will allow providers to see outstanding care gaps instantly, and the system is scaling across additional areas of the health center to further improve patient care and efficiency.

‍Conclusion

SyncTimes, powered by Stat’s RTLS technology, has transformed Grace Health by reducing patient wait times by 18%, improving staff communication and efficiency, enhancing patient experience through self-rooming, and optimizing room utilization with real-time data insights.

As SyncTimes continues to expand within Grace Health, its impact on patient care, staff efficiency, and operational excellence is expected to grow significantly.

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