Overcrowding is common in emergency departments (EDs) throughout the United
States. The history of ED overcrowding in Rochester, New York, is notable
due to its unique health care system that introduced the concepts of manage
d care as early as the 1950s. An effect of this system was to intentionally
restrict resources and allow the issue of access to limit utilization. Ove
rcrowding in EDs was severe in the late 1990s-2000, and became an accepted
local standard of care. Objective: To study the strategies to reduce ED ove
rcrowding in Rochester in the last decade. Methods: A descriptive analysis
of individual hospital and community efforts to decrease ED overcrowding. R
esults: Of the strategies tried, those that had little effect on ED overcro
wding were based from the ED, such as ambulance diversion. Those that were
successful were those that addressed factors external to the ED such as inc
reased flexibility of inpatient resources; float nurses who responded to ac
ute care needs; a transition team (mid-level provider along with registered
nurse (RN)/licensed practical nurse) who cared for inpatients boarded in t
he ED; integrated services across affiliated hospitals/systems; an early al
ert system that notified key personnel before "code red" criteria were met;
and a multidisciplinary team to round in the ED and analyze resource needs
. Current community-wide initiatives include precise tracking of code red h
ours; monitoring patient length of stay (LOS) in the ED and inpatient units
; education of physicians and nursing homes regarding ED alternatives; expl
oration of additional resources for subacute and long-term care; establishi
ng a regional forum to address the nursing shortage; development of an ED t
riage system to coordinate diversion activities during code red; and consid
eration of a county-wide state of emergency when needed. Conclusions: Emerg
ency department overcrowding is the end result of a variety of factors that
must be addressed system-wide.