Boone Health: New method reduces ER patient patient walkouts by 50%
Editor's note: The total hours a day for the Rapid Care Path method was corrected after source error was noted.
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
Boone Health says it is making strides to reduce stressors for patients waiting in the emergency department.
In mid-October, Boone Health fully implemented a new method called the Rapid Care Path to get patients into and out of the emergency department quickly and efficiently, helping staff treat about 500 to 600 more patients each month.
"We've decreased our length of stay for discharge patients by about 20 minutes or about 11-10%," said Boone Health Emergency Department Manager Nick Woods.
The average time a Missouri resident spends in an emergency department from arriving to leaving is 2 hours and 35 minutes, ranking the state 29the longest average wait time among states.
Boone Health sees around 100 patients per day in the Emergency Department. The department has 16 beds. Just last week, on Monday, the department saw more than 120 patients.
The changes have led to a drop from 3.7% of patients leaving without being seen to about 2%, said spokesman Christian Basi.
The Rapid Care Path method uses an area 24 hours a day, every day, for patients dealing with non-life-threatening conditions during busier times.
"It's a huge win for us, our community, the hospital," said Woods. "We still have some opportunities to help smooth things out, but overall it's going well."
Woods says the biggest noticeable difference with using the new care method is the reduction in the number of patients leaving before being seen or before treatment is completed.
Woods says the department has changed its staffing to help on the front end when patients are checking in, and providers have even increased their staffing numbers to help handle the volume of patients.
"We put a clinical person as the first point of contact for patients checking in, so I think that's helpful," said Woods. "And just seeing the provider that much sooner, so people feel like there's someone quickly seeing them for the concerns they're having."
Boone Health's 2026 budget allowed the department to hire more people, which they are looking to continue.
Boone has also implemented safety measures for staff and patients, such as adding panic buttons and changing door opening devices.
Woods says hospital management is always looking at feedback from staff and patients to see where they can improve.
Since 2020, the number of patients seen in the emergency department has grown nearly 50%. In 2025, the department saw a total of 36,596 patients, compared to 24,445 patients seen in 2020.
