A new national survey of frontline nurses highlights how health systems can strengthen patient access and throughput by aligning clinical expertise with system-wide insight. Conducted by Conduit Health Partners, the report, “The Connected System: Insights on Patient Access and Throughput,” finds that nurse-led coordination drives 72–76% of ED visit avoidance and is viewed by 80 percent of nurses as valuable for reducing readmissions through timely follow-up and education. Nurses also report that streamlined coordination improves overall patient outcomes. These findings show that connecting clinical judgment with coordinated processes helps health systems anticipate demand, improve throughput, and strengthen performance.

The report combines insights from a national survey conducted in October 2025 of 64 frontline nurses - half working in centralized transfer centers and half in nurse triage roles - with operational data from Conduit Health Partners’ system activity between October 2024 and September 2025. By combining quantitative data with frontline nurse insights, the report provides a clear picture of how health systems are managing demand, capacity, and patient throughput. The report’s goal was to identify real-world coordination challenges and opportunities for improvement as ED-overcrowding and patient throughput remain national priorities. 

“As health systems navigate unprecedented demand and operational complexity, frontline nurses offer essential, real-world perspectives on how changes impact patient care and daily operations,” said Cheryl Dalton-Norman, president of Conduit Health Partners. “This report highlights the value of listening to those closest to care delivery to align access and throughput, so patients begin care in the right setting and move efficiently through the system, creating predictability, balanced workloads, and fewer delays for both staff and patients.”

Notable findings from The Connected System: Insights on Patient Access and Throughput report include:

• 74% of Conduit triage cases are resolved without a recommended ED visit, and nearly 1 in 3 avoidable ED visits happen when regular clinics are closed.
• More than 60% of transfer nurses said that rural hospitals experience more transfer delays than urban hospitals.
• Approximately three-fourths of triage nurses named minor respiratory symptoms, medication refills/management, chronic disease management and follow-up care as conditions successfully managed through telephone triage.
• 80% of nurses rated nurse triage as “very valuable” or “extremely valuable” for reducing readmissions.

“Timely nurse-led coordination means patients get the right care, right when they need it,” said Jim Weidner, chief operating officer, Mercy Health Toledo. “Keeping clinical judgment at the center of the process strengthens both patient safety and operational reliability.”

The Patient Access and Throughput survey also explored perspectives from nurses on using AI-enabled tools. Upwards of 40% of respondents expressed optimism about whether AI-enabled tools could improve their work process. However, one-third of respondents express concerns about the accuracy of AI recommendations.

The full survey can be accessed here. For more information, visit www.conduithp.com.