eCQM Title

Median Time from ED Arrival to ED Departure for Discharged ED Patients

eCQM Identifier (Measure Authoring Tool) 32 eCQM Version number 8.2.000
NQF Number 0496 GUID 3fd13096-2c8f-40b5-9297-b714e8de9133
Measurement Period January 1, 20XX through December 31, 20XX
Measure Steward Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)
Measure Developer Oklahoma Foundation for Medical Quality
Endorsed By National Quality Forum
Description
Median elapsed time from emergency department (ED) arrival to emergency room departure for patients discharged from the emergency department
Copyright
Measure specifications are in the Public Domain.

LOINC (R) is a registered trademark of the Regenstrief Institute.

This material contains SNOMED CT (R) copyright 2004-2017 International Health Terminology Standards Development Organization. All rights reserved.
Disclaimer
These performance measures are not clinical guidelines and do not establish a standard of medical care and have not been tested for all potential applications. The measures and specifications are provided without warranty. CMS has contracted with Mathematica Policy Research and its subcontractors, Lantana and Telligen, for the continued maintenance of this electronic measure.
Measure Scoring Continuous Variable
Measure Type Process
Stratification
Report total score and the following strata: 
Stratification 1 - all patients with principal diagnosis consistent with mental disorders;
Stratification 2 - all patients transferred to another acute care hospital; and 
Stratification 3 - all patients who do not have a principal diagnosis consistent with mental disorders and who are not transferred.
Risk Adjustment
None
Rate Aggregation
Calculate the ED encounter duration at the facility in minutes for each ED encounter in the measure population; report the median time for all calculations performed. The specification provides elements from the clinical electronic record required to calculate for each ED encounter, i.e., the length of time the patient was in the Emergency Department, also stated as: the Datetime difference between the Emergency Department facility location departure time and the Emergency Department facility location arrival time. The calculation requires the median across all ED encounter durations.
Rationale
In recent times, EDs have experienced significant overcrowding. Although once only a problem in large, urban, teaching hospitals, the phenomenon has spread to other suburban and rural healthcare organizations. According to a 2002 national U.S. survey, more than 90 percent of large hospitals report EDs operating "at" or "over" capacity. Overcrowding and heavy emergency resource demand have led to a number of problems, including ambulance refusals, prolonged patient waiting times, increased suffering for those who wait, rushed and unpleasant treatment environments, and potentially poor patient outcomes. Approximately one third of hospitals in the U.S. report increases in ambulance diversion in a given year, whereas up to half report crowded conditions in the ED. In a recent national survey, 40 percent of hospital leaders viewed ED crowding as a symptom of workforce shortages. ED crowding may result in delays in the administration of medication such as antibiotics for pneumonia and has been associated with perceptions of compromised emergency care. For patients with non-ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction, long ED stays were associated with decreased use of guideline-recommended therapies and a higher risk of recurrent myocardial infarction. When EDs are overwhelmed, their ability to respond to community emergencies and disasters may be compromised.
Clinical Recommendation Statement
Reducing the time patients remain in the emergency department (ED) can improve access to treatment and increase quality of care. Reducing this time potentially improves access to care specific to the patient condition and increases the capability to provide additional treatment.
Improvement Notation
Improvement noted as a decrease in the median value
Reference
Derlet RW, Richards JR. Emergency department overcrowding in Florida, New York, and Texas. South Med J. 2002;95:846-9.
Reference
Derlet RW, Richards JR. Overcrowding in the nation's emergency departments: complex causes and disturbing effects. Ann Emerg Med. 2000; 35:63-8.
Reference
Diercks DB, et al. Prolonged emergency department stays of non-ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction patients are associated with worse adherence to the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association guidelines for management and increased adverse events. Ann Emerg Med.2007;50:489-96.
Reference
Fatovich DM, Hirsch RL. Entry overload, emergency department overcrowding, and ambulance bypass. Emerg Med J. 2003; 20:406-9.
Reference
Hwang U, Richardson LD, Sonuyi TO, Morrison RS. The effect of emergency department crowding on the management of pain in older adults with hip fracture. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2006; 54:270-5.
Reference
Institute of Medicine of the National Academies. Future of emergency care: Hospital-based emergency care at the breaking point. The National Academies Press 2006.
Reference
Kyriacou DN, Ricketts V, Dyne PL, McCollough MD, Talan DA. A 5-year time study analysis of emergency department patient care efficiency. Ann Emerg Med. 1999;34:326-35
Reference
Pines JM, et al. ED crowding is associated with variable perceptions of care compromise. Acad Emerg Med. 2007;14:1176-81.
Reference
Pines JM, et al. Emergency department crowding is associated with poor care for patients with severe pain. Ann Emerg Med. 2008;51:6-7.
Reference
Schull MJ, et al. Emergency department crowding and thrombolysis delays in acute myocardial infarction. Ann Emerg Med. 2004;44:577-85.
Reference
Siegel B, et al. Enhancing work flow to reduce crowding. Jt Comm J Qual Patient Saf. 2007;33(11 Suppl):57-67.
Reference
Trzeciak S, Rivers EP. Emergency department overcrowding in the United States: an emerging threat to patient safety and public health. Emerg Med J. 2003;20:402-5.
Reference
Wilper AP, Woolhandler S, Lasser KE, McCormick D, Cutrona SL, Bor DH, Himmelstein DU. Waits to see an emergency department physician: U.S. trends and predictors, 1997-2004. Health Aff (Millwood). 2008;27:w84-95.
Definition
None
Guidance
This measure uses a continuous variable.  The specification provides elements from the clinical electronic record required to calculate for each ED encounter, i.e., the length of time the patient was in the Emergency Department, also stated as: the Emergency Department departure time minus the Emergency Department arrival time. The calculation requires the median of all ED encounter durations.  This measure specification defines how to determine an individual Emergency Department stay. Reporting requires the median of all patient stays ([Encounter: encounter ED].facility location departure date and time minus [Encounter: encounter ED].facility location arrival date and time).

For each population, results should be reported without stratification and then with each stratum applied. For this measure, the number of encounters that fall into the Initial Population are reported without stratification, then reported according to the defined stratification. The number of encounters that fall into the Measure Population are reported without stratification, then reported according to the defined stratification. The computed continuous variable defined by the Measure Observation is reported for the Measure Population also, then reported according to the defined stratification.
Transmission Format
TBD
Initial Population
Emergency department encounters during the measurement period
Measure Population
Initial Population and prevents null values from being included in the median calculation
Measure Population Exclusions
Emergency department encounters where the patient expired during the encounter or where the ED visit is followed within an hour by an inpatient encounter at the same physical facility
Measure Observations
Median elapsed time (in minutes) from emergency department arrival to emergency room departure or for patients placed in observation services, use the time of the order for observation for ED departure for patients discharged from the emergency department
Supplemental Data Elements
For every patient evaluated by this measure also identify payer, race, ethnicity and sex

Table of Contents


Population Criteria

Definitions

Functions

Terminology

Data Criteria (QDM Data Elements)

Supplemental Data Elements

Risk Adjustment Variables


Measure Set
Emergency Department (ED) Measure Set