Vital improvement in the ED experience: driving outcomes through patient engagement and closing the communication gap

The emergency department (ED) presents unique challenges—escalating patient volumes, growing acuity, and resource constraints. Patients arrive scared and uncertain, seeking clarity and reassurance, while care teams face the strain of repetitive questions and limited tools. At the heart of these challenges is a gap in communication. Health systems have invested deeply in electronic health records (EHRs), yet these systems don’t always provide real-time, accessible insights to patients and staff. The result is frustration, fear, and an erosion of trust—affecting patient retention, staff morale, and overall operational efficiency. To address these challenges, we sought a solution designed to empower and engage patients with timely updates while reducing the burden on care teams; without requiring significant development, customization or additional workflows. After reviewing options including the existing EHR, building internally or partnering with an existing 3rd party product, the decision was made to pilot
Vital Emergency (formerly known as Vital ERAdvisor) with the following outcomes:

• Patient engagement rates sustained over 65%, reflecting ease of use and impactful design.

• Improved satisfaction scores of 4.5+ stars, paired with unsolicited positive feedback.

• Operational efficiency gains, including fewer repetitive front-desk interactions and calmer patient-staff exchanges.

• Enhanced patient retention, as clarity encouraged patients to stay and trust the process.

The reality of the ED experience

The emergency department is a uniquely high-stakes environment—one where emotions run high for everyone involved. Patients and families arrive scared and uncertain, while care teams grapple with the pressure of increasing volumes and shrinking resources. It’s not a passing storm but a growing, persistent challenge that defines modern emergency care.

For patients: a search for clarity in chaos

Patients enter the ED with implicit trust, hoping for guidance through a moment of crisis. But when they encounter crowded waiting rooms, vague timelines, and limited communication, that trust begins to erode.

The frustration builds. For some, it leads to leaving without the care they need. For others, it means staying but walking away with a negative impression - not just of their visit, but of the entire health system. As healthcare leaders, we’ve all experienced it firsthand—receiving texts from family or friends in the ED asking for insight or help.

What every patient truly needs is that sense of connection and reassurance: “Someone is looking out for me, guiding me, making sure I’m not lost in the chaos.”

For care teams: burnout fueled by repetition

The strain isn’t only felt by patients - it’s shared by the dedicated teams providing care. Our ED registration and triage teams often voiced the same challenge: “More than half our time is spent answering the question, ‘How much longer until I’m seen?’”

This time could have been spent advancing care, but instead, it was consumed by providing educated guesses to soothe anxious patients. The emotional toll on staff is significant, and it’s reflected in the numbers, ED registration and access roles experience turnover rates nearly triple those of other areas.

At the root: a gap in communication

This challenge isn’t due to a lack of data. Health systems have built rich ecosystems of information within their EHRs. The real issue lies in making that data accessible and actionable for patients, families, and care teams.

When people are scared or frustrated, what they need most is clarity and transparency. Something as simple as understanding what’s happening now and what’s coming next can make all the difference in rebuilding trust and easing anxiety.

The approach: seeking solutions beyond the EHR

The EHR that the health system has invested so much in for clinical record keeping, we try to use as the solution for how patients should access their information as well. Think about the amount of training that clinical & administrative staff go through for working in your electronic health record. Some EHR providers even require specific training for different modules before the care team can get access to the system they're supposed to use to house all of this information.

And yet we give it to our patients without any training - sometimes with a quick video tutorial or tip sheets – and anticipate that they should be able to figure it out, figure out how to navigate through the portal to find the information they're going to need to answer their questions. And on top of that, there are legal, compliance, and safety requirements to all of the information that sits in the health record that require us to have levels of sign in and passwords and gatekeepers. This means, even if you know the information you are looking for, it requires multiple steps to access it. It’s our way of protecting the patient’s data.

But not every piece of data or information needs that same level of security. What we heard from patients and their families repeatedly was that even the basic understanding, basic ‘breadcrumbs’ of what to expect and what's next would go a long way to creating a less stressful experience, a better level of transparency and ultimately build trust.

Why we turned to Vital

The challenge was clear: we needed a way to provide patients with the guidance they deserved, without overburdening care teams or straining resources.

When we first explored Vital and their ER Advisor product, it stood out as a potential solution. It required minimal internal customization, didn’t add extra work for staff, and focused on delivering timely, relevant updates to patients and families in an intuitive way.

Naturally, there were questions:

• From IT teams: “How will this integrate seamlessly with our EHR? Everyone says they can, but most cannot.”

• From operational leaders: “How can a third-party estimate wait times better than we can internally?”

• From frontline staff: “Will this add more work for our teams, requiring them to train patients on how to use it? or frustrate patients with inaccurate information? That will just mean more upset patients to deal with.”

These concerns were valid, shaped by years of navigating complex implementations and strained systems. Vital engaged directly with our teams, providing data and validation while addressing every “what-if” scenario. Their collaborative approach quickly turned skeptics into advocates.

Results: that spoke volumes

We piloted Vital in a handful of EDs, and the impact was immediate:

• Patient feedback: Families consistently shared how the ‘app’ answered their questions, made it easier to understand everything and made the wait seem shorter. One patient remarked, “It felt like someone was guiding us every step of the way.”

• Staff relief: Within days, we heard from clinical leaders:

  • “The team is less overwhelmed. Patients aren’t bombarding the desk as much.”

  • “It’s been a game-changer. I’ve noticed calmer interactions overall.”

  • “We’re answering fewer repetitive questions and having more meaningful conversations.”

• Improved retention: Concerns about patients leaving when shown wait times proved unfounded. Instead, clearer communication encouraged more patients to stay, knowing what to expect.

A reflection on impact

This wasn’t about introducing another app. It was about tackling one of the most emotionally charged moments in healthcare with humanity and transparency.

Vital helped us re-establish trust—giving patients and families the guidance they needed while empowering staff with fewer distractions and more meaningful interactions. It created a sense of clarity in the ED, transforming the experience for everyone involved.

As healthcare leaders, we know the importance of every interaction, every decision, and every moment in emergency care. And while technology can’t solve everything, products like this can enable the delivery of a much better experience when we focus on what matters most: connection and clarity in the moments that count.

About the author

Kristin Ebert is a senior executive whose extensive career spans over two decades of leadership across healthcare, consumer goods, and services, demonstrating deep expertise in innovation and strategic development. At Mercy, she served as the Chief Experience Officer and Vice President of Product Development, where she spearheaded transformative initiatives aimed at enhancing patient engagement and operational efficiency. Her work reflects a profound understanding of the healthcare landscape and a commitment to solving its most pressing challenges.

Kristin's professional journey is characterized by her mastery of human-centered design, lean facilitation, and process re-engineering. These skills have been pivotal in developing innovative solutions that address both patient and organizational needs. Her ability to marry technical expertise with a keen understanding of consumer behavior positions her as a thought leader in the field.