Time is On Your Side at Merit Health Biloxi's ER
3/5/2017
Biloxi, MS - When you’re experiencing a healthcare emergency, the last thing you need to do is wait. Emergency medicine is about three things: compassion, skilled care and speed. Merit Health Biloxi knows the importance of prompt service – especially in the emergency room (ER). “That’s why Merit Health Biloxi is launching a 30-Minutes-or-Less ER Service Pledge – to assure patients we’re dedicated not only to offering quality care, but also providing that care as efficiently and quickly as possible,” said Rob Calhoun, Merit Health Biloxi CEO.
When a patient enters the ER at Merit Health Biloxi, the arrival time is noted. The 30-Minutes-or-Less ER Service Pledge begins the minute a patient checks in at the ER desk. “Our pledge is that a medical professional will work diligently to initially see each patient within 30 minutes or less of their arrival to begin evaluation and treatment. When the patient is seen by a medical professional -- a physician, physician assistant or nurse practitioner -- the time is logged, so we can track our performance in keeping our pledge of short ER wait times,” said Calhoun.
“While the goal of Merit Health Biloxi’s ER pledge is to work diligently to initially see every patient within 30 minutes of their arrival, the most critical health emergencies will always receive top priority,” said Dr. George Loukatos, ER Medical Director.
The hospital records and monitors many ER indicators as part of its ongoing quality improvement efforts. “One of the items we track is patient wait times in the ER to determine how efficiently we triage patients and get them to a medical professional for initial evaluation and treatment,” said Calhoun. “I’m pleased to report that the majority of patients at Merit Health Biloxi’s ER were already being seen within 30 minutes of their arrival time.”
The hospital launched the 30-Minutes-or-Less ER Service Pledge on March 1, 2017. “We believe this service pledge will underscore our commitment to provide quality emergency care to the people who live and work in the Biloxi community,” he said.
“Though we’re committed to prompt and appropriate care for our ER patients, the 30-Minutes-or-Less ER pledge should not be misinterpreted as an effort to rush patients though the ER,” he adds. “Our process improvements focus on getting ER patients into a treatment room as quickly as possible, enabling our medical professionals to see a patient and begin diagnosis and treatment in a timely manner.”
The community can view Merit Health Biloxi’s average ER wait time -- based on a one-hour rolling average, updated every 15 minutes – on the internet at www.merithealthbiloxi.com.
The emergency department (ED) average wait time is provided as an informational service to the public. It is approximate and based on a one-hour rolling average that is updated four times an hour and does not represent the actual current activity in the ED waiting room.
The ED wait time represents the time it takes from arrival until a patient is initially seen by a medical professional (physician, physician assistant or nurse practitioner). Patients are triaged upon their arrival in the ED. They are then seen by a medical professional in an order based on their complaint, condition, and the reason for their visit.
While many patients are initially seen by a medical professional within 30 minutes of their arrival, during some peak times when the number of patients and/or trauma situations exceeds the number of providers or beds, some patients are not initially seen within 30 minutes of their noted arrival.
Merit Health Biloxi is a 153 bed acute care facility with an additional 45 psychiatric beds located in Biloxi, Mississippi. Our mission is the delivery of compassionate and high quality health care services that improve the quality of life for our patients, physicians and the communities we serve.
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