For patients who receive care at the emergency department (ED) of UCHealth Pikes Peak Regional Hospital in rural Woodland Park, Colorado, finding a way home after discharge has become much easier thanks to a nurse’s advocacy.
Katy Smith, BSN, RN, CEN, CCRN, charge nurse with the ED, developed a UEXCEL Level III project to improve the discharge experience for patients and families. She had noticed how patients frequently remained in the waiting room for extended periods, sometimes more than 24 hours after discharge. In some cases, staff members paid out-of-pocket to help patients get home.
Ultimately, patients were responsible for arranging their own transportation home, typically relying on family, friends or limited local services. Options such as rideshare apps were not consistently available, leaving many patients without reliable solutions.
Through data collection and staff feedback, Smith found that most discharged patients with transportation barriers had been unable to find available transportation services or lacked a way to pay for them. She researched solutions, collaborated with case management, improved staff awareness of transportation resources and worked to standardize the discharge process.
Smith successfully advocated for and secured UCHealth funding to implement a voucher system with Front Range Rides, providing patients with reliable, 24/7 transportation home. This led to measurable improvements, including a reduction in distance-related delays from 69% to 20%.
“Overall, this project improved patient flow, reduced delays after discharge, and enhanced both patient and staff experience,” Smith said. “I’m proud to have played a major role in the process.”
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The visual companion to our 2026 Nursing Year in Review showcases the print edition’s visual storytelling with connections to all of the articles.