ER Service Pledge
Emergency Services in 30-Minutes-or-Less
What is the 30-Minutes-or-Less ER Service Pledge?
Our service pledge means that our emergency medical care providers are committed to see patients and begin the evaluation and treatment process within 30 minutes of their noted arrival. A patient’s arrival time is noted by an ER triage nurse when they check in to our emergency department. When either an ER physician or a nurse practitioner first sees the patient, that time is also documented. This is how we track how we are doing on our pledge. In fact, we already track our ER wait times, and can proudly say that in most cases we see our patients within 30-minute-or-less.
Why pledge 30-Minutes-or-Less ER Service if you are already exceeding the health care industry goal?
In many emergency rooms across the country, wait times have been increasing. Our community – though small and rural – is no different when it comes to the severity and complexity of trauma for which we provide care every day. Often times, the perception of waiting in the ER may seem long. Our pledge assures our patients that we are dedicated to not only offering quality care, but also to working diligently to providing that care in a timely manner.
Does this mean patients will be in and out of the ER in 30 minutes or less?
While the pledge remains our goal, the most severe cases of trauma or illnesses will receive our immediate attention. There will always be factors that are out of our control: the unpredictable number of patients seeking care at any given time, or the severity of emergencies presenting are just two examples. This means there will be occasions when the wait or duration of a visit may vary. But we pledge to work hard every day to have a medical care provider initially see each patient within 30 minutes of their noted arrival.
Will quality of care be impacted by a time pledge?
We also pledge to never sacrifice quality care for a quick turn-around. The goal of our 30-Minutes-or-Less ER Service Pledge is not to push patients through emergency services in a hurry. These are process improvements that are focused on getting patients into a room quickly, thus enabling the provider to see the patient and begin their diagnosis and treatment.