Large Southeastern Health System

Emergency Department Access Control at a Large Southeastern Health System

Hospital System: National hospital network operating across multiple states in the Southeastern U.S.
Facility Type: Regional trauma center with over 400 beds
Challenge: Emergency Department crowding, unregulated visitor flow, and risk of security incidents

Problem Overview

A busy regional hospital within a large multi-state system faced difficulties managing the volume of visitors entering through the Emergency Department. Key concerns included:

• Families exceeding visitation limits, causing overcrowding
• Unauthorized individuals entering trauma or behavioral health areas
• Staff unable to consistently verify visitor eligibility in real-time

FAST-PASS Implementation

The facility installed FAST-PASS7 at all high-risk units, including the Emergency Department, ICU, and Labor & Delivery, with standardized policies embedded into the system.

Key Benefits

• Controlled Visitor Access: The system enforces visitation caps automatically, ensuring that only the allowed number of visitors receive badges per patient
• HIPAA Protections: Badges use non-identifiable formatting (no patient names or room numbers), reducing exposure of PHI in public areas
• Real-Time Visitor Management: Security and clinical teams can monitor who is in each area and when they checked in or out

Regulatory Impact

• HIPAA Alignment: The hospital significantly reduced the risk of incidental disclosures, especially in chaotic ED settings
• Joint Commission Readiness: During an unannounced visit, surveyors were presented with visitor management logs and policy documentation that met Environment of Care and Information Management standards
  

Conclusion

Hospitals across the U.S.—especially those within large, multi-facility health systems—are adopting the FAST-PASS Visitor Management System to:

• Enhance patient safety by verifying, tracking, and limiting visitor access
• Ensure HIPAA compliance by safeguarding protected health information during the visitation process
• Demonstrate Joint Commission compliance by maintaining accurate visitor records and supporting controlled access to care areas

For hospitals committed to protecting patients and aligning with federal and accreditation standards, FAST-PASS provides a centralized, secure, and auditable solution for visitor management.

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