Emergency Department

ermoving1.jpgThe Emergency Department is a specialized area of the hospital designed for the care of patients suffering from acute medical or surgical problems needing immediate attention. Specially trained physicians, nurses and hospital staff are available to provide quality care in helping you overcome your medical problem.

What to expect upon arrival

The emergency department staff sees patients in an order determined by the severity of illness. The staff meets the most critical medical needs first. You will need to register with one of the admitting representatives. We will need to know:

  • Basic information — name, telephone number, address, etc.
  • The name of your Primary Care Provider.
  • The information on your health care plan or insurance carrier. (Some health maintenance plans will not pay for Emergency Department visits unless prior authorization is given. Others may require treatment be given only at specified hospitals.)

While you are waiting, please keep in mind…

Occasionally there are unavoidable delays, and you may not be seen immediately. It’s even possible that a patient who arrived in the Emergency Department after you will receive care first. We hope that if you understand what’s happening, your wait might be more tolerable.

  • Critical patients (those with especially serious conditions) are always given top priority. Emergency department staff see patients in an order determined by the severity of illness.
  • Patients who arrive by ambulance generally are in more serious condition than patients waiting in the lobby, so those patients are seen first.
  • Some patients come to the Emergency Department to meet their private physicians. They may be brought back to the treatment area ahead of other patients because they will not require the services of the Emergency Department physician.
  • Depending on the nature of your problem, it may be necessary to wait for the availability of a special room.

Quality care takes time

There are many reasons a trip to the emergency department can take longer than a visit to the doctor’s office. Unlike a doctor’s office, where appointments are spread out, many emergency patients may arrive at once. Your emergency provider may request tests, medications, or visits with other providers.

Examination

Once you are placed in a treatment room, an emergency department doctor will examine you. The emergency department doctor may order tests (e.g., x-ray, blood, electrocardiogram). Your vital signs will be monitored. Nurses and other staff will assist you during your visit.

Once you have been seen by the Emergency Department physician, it takes time for:

  • Blood work and other test results to come back from the laboratory.
  • X-rays to be processed and the results to come back.
  • Observation. Sometimes patients are detained so the Emergency Department personnel can observe and judge the effectiveness of the treatment given.
  • If there is a possibility that you will need to be admitted to the hospital, your family physician or Primary Care Provider will be notified. If you do not have a physician, we have one on call who can be contacted. Sometimes there is a wait for your family physician or the consulting physician to arrive.
  • Preparation for admission. Once a decision for admission has been made, it takes time to prepare the hospital room to receive you.

Treatment

If you are very ill, you may have to stay in the hospital. If you do not have to stay, an emergency department doctor will talk to you about your care plan.

Follow-up instructions

All patients treated in the Emergency Department will be given written or verbal follow-up instructions specific to their conditions. We’ll go over these instructions with you: but if you have any questions, please feel free to ask us about them. We’ll also list when you’re supposed to see your family or primary care physician for a follow-up visit. If you do not have a physician, we will give you the name of a physician you may contact for follow-up care. Please call the physician as soon as possible to schedule an appointment.

You may also get information about medications, restrictions, or symptoms that could mean a return visit.

Visitors

Visitors or family members are encouraged to stay in the Emergency Department waiting room, unless Emergency Department staff instructs otherwise. This gives patients a better opportunity to rest or to have the necessary assessments and tests as quickly as possible. We ask that any visitor that is asked to accompany the patient stay in the room and not wander in the halls of the treatment area. Any visitor who leaves will have to stop at the registration desk for permission to reenter. We also ask that children stay in the waiting room and are not left unattended.

It is important that your provider know what medications you are on. Please click here and download a copy of our Medication Information Form. Fill it out and bring a copy with you when visiting any healthcare provider. It is a good idea to make copies of the form and carry one with you at all times.

Location
Main Campus - North EMERGENCY Entrance

Hours:
24 hours per day, 7 days per week

Contact Information:
503-325-4321