9 SEPTEMBER 2023CULTIVATING A WELL-ROUNDED TEAM, OF INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE IN THE POSITION FOR THE RIGHT REASONS, TENDS TO CREATE POSITIVE IMPACTS ON OUR PATIENTS AND THEIR OVERALL EXPERIENCEFrom a technology standpoint we utilize a healthcare software program called EPIC, to properly track, monitor, and document patient movement throughout. It is a very simple and user-friendly program that allows our end users to enter transport requests in real time or for future appointments. Once the entry is done, or if an appointment is released, an available transporter is automatically assigned. The system allows for either auto or manual dispatching, within our facility I prefer auto dispatching as it helps to keep things moving at a faster and more efficient pace. However, should there be a need for any escalations or prioritizations to take place we have a dispatcher, located at our National Performance Center, located in Knoxville, Tennessee, that is overseeing our transport board 24/7. The associates themselves carry smartphone devices, called Rovers, that provide them with their transport assignments.Once the transport task is received the associate is provided with all the impertinent information that is required for them to do their job successfully. This information includes the patient's name, MRN, DOB, weight, isolation precautions, mode of travel, origin, and destination. The best feature about the Rover device is its capability to scan a patient's armband, for verification and patient safety purposes. Once the transporter has completed their assignment, they simply select the "complete" option and then they are automatically assigned to their next task. Transport associates are extremely valuable assets within our healthcare organizations that often go unappreciated or unvalued for the services they provide. The bees to the hive, as I like to call them, keep everything flowing efficiently in order to decrease the potential for delays in the care that is being provided to our patients. It is my belief that without their dedication and strong efforts, a healthcare organization would be significantly impacted. Frontline heroes consist of more than just our medical personnel. Our patient transport teams are also frontline heroes as they too contribute to patient care, their medical outcomes, and the overall success of our healthcare organizations.
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