Elm City Hospital

While the Emergency Department (ED) at Elm City Hospital had always been a hectic place, the COVID-19 pandemic had strained the resources of the department as never before. However, even as the pandemic waned, the ED remained overburdened as patients who had avoided treatment for other ailments during COVID had begun to arrive in an unbroken flow. Dr. Rohit Sangal, an emergency medicine physician at the hospital since 2014, knew that something had to be done to reduce waiting times and provide high quality care.

Sangal had heard that some hospital departments had adopted a split-flow model to ease congestion, dividing arriving patients by those that could be treated while sitting from those needed to lay flat. But would such an arrangement improve patient flow at Elm City with current staffing levels? Sangal, who beside his medical training had gained an MBA from the Yale School of Management, considered the operational implications of the revised procedure. The hospital administration would want to know if the new approach would help before investing in retooling the facilities.