Building An Emergency Department Team And Strong Culture From The Ground Up

SCP Health Thought Leadership

November 22, 2024

Resources

Partnership Background

A rural North Carolina health system built a new state-of-the-art facility to better serve the community and increase access to care. Though it quickly attracted a steady volume of ED visits in its first two years, the new facility only had one truly designated provider—the rest were pulled from the system’s main campus and supplemented with locums providers. Leadership quickly realized although the goal of access to care was being accomplished, the uncertain, irregular provider schedule was causing inconsistent patient experiences, sluggish volume growth, and a fragmented culture. Unsure how to handle these challenges, the facility chose to partner closely with SCP Health (SCP) to strategize and implement changes.

SCP's Strategy

To start, SCP’s recruitment team hired and supported a new Medical Director to help the facility navigate the cultural and organizational change associated with a fully staffed and operational team. Next, SCP staffed the ED with clinicians who were excited to get in on the ground floor of the process and culture development at this facility. This influx of talented clinicians helped give the facility visibility and establish it as a reliable part of the community—ultimately augmenting increasing patient volumes in the ED.

Throughout the process of building the ED team and establishing functional operations, SCP and the facility leadership worked in sync—communicating transparently and frequently. Together, they formed one team aligned with the same goals in mind. Most importantly, this model of teamwork, respect, and agility was the basis of culture development for the growing facility.

Goals

Recruit a qualified team of clinicians to staff the ED
Cultivate a facility-specific culture, rooted in collaboration and communication
Increase patient volumes and create consistent, quality care experiences
Manage the increasing acuity expected as the facility grows and matures its medical staff

Impact

Recruitment: Grew ED from one provider to a full, functional schedule
Patient volumes: Increased over 25% in first two years, with patient satisfaction scores and efficiency remaining consistently high
Culture: Developed a powerful local group culture for the facility, poised to efficiently manage the increasing acuity and volumes

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A physician-led team of clinical specialists in emergency, hospital, and critical care medicine, supporting local clinical practices with national resources to deliver high-quality patient care in the communities we serve.