Northeast Georgia Health System opened on July 11 its Care Traffic Control Center to streamline hospital admissions and bed assignments.
The Care Traffic Control Center will monitor admissions and discharges across all four of NGHS’ hospitals. It will ensure patients are steadily progressing through different stages of care, and is designed to get patients home as soon as it is medically safe.
During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, NGHS’ hospitals were hard-pressed for bed space. Some patients had to be treated in hallways and makeshift rooms.
NGHS officials knew the hospital needed to enhance communications between physicians and staff in order to give patients a better experience and reduce wait times.
“A lot of thought went into this project, making sure it’s the best it can be,” NGHS executive director of systems, operations and resources Brian Schaub said in a press release. “Seeing this place come to life has been incredible, and having all of our teams come together to make it happen has really shown me how much our people care for the communities we serve.”
The Care Traffic Control Center is located on 1405 Jesse Jewel Parkway and is equipped with dozens of TV and computer screens. Staff wear headsets and are able to hear incoming ambulance calls. They then determine which open space patients will be moved to and if any other patients need to be transferred to make space.
Care Traffic Control Center staff are even able to see patients’ information in real-time if they are being transferred between NGHS hospitals.
“Care Traffic Control for NGHS is what air traffic control is for airports,” Northeast Georgia Physicians Group chief physician executive Dr. Bedri Yusuf said in a press release. “With the growth we’ve seen in recent years, we’re excited to be able to serve more patients well and ensure our teams are coordinated across the entire system, which in turn will reduce wait times for patients and improve patient throughput across the health system.”
