While a study shows national emergency room wait times are increasing, local hospitals are below the average and working at getting better.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released new federal statistics on Wednesday showing the average wait times before emergency room patients see a doctor is now almost an hour. That has grown from 38 minutes in just the last decade.
Dr. Stephen Pitts, lead author of the report, said more people are arriving at emergency rooms and there are fewer ERs available.
But hospitals in southeast Kansas, as well as Freeman’s Health System in Joplin, Mo., report shorter wait times.
The wait time for Girard Medical Center is near zero, said Lisa Gray, Girard director of nursing.
“Ninety-nine percent of the time, people who walk in will be seen immediately,” Gray said. “On a rare occasion, we will be busy and people may have to wait a moment, but they get in quickly. Some days are busier, some days are not. All emergency rooms vary a lot, depending on how busy the emergency situations are.”
Mt. Carmel Regional Medical Center in Pittsburg had an average wait time before seeing a physician of 47 minutes in the month of July. From entrance to exit, an average emergency room patient moves through in two hours.
Freeman’s Health System in Joplin can move a patient through from start to finish in four hours. Jeffrey Carrier, vice president of clinical operations, did not have data available for time before seeing a physician.
Both Mt. Carmel and Freeman’s have a process that allows patients to be seen by a medical worker before being seen by a physician. At both locations, patients are seen immediately by a care giver, often a nurse, and their emergency is assessed.
This provides a front line of patient assessment that could speed up or slow down wait times depending on the severity of a patient’s emergency.
Both hospitals also have a committee that looks at emergency room times and processes to increase patient efficiency and speed.
At Freeman’s Health System, the wait time has dropped by 35 minutes over three months because of the multidisciplinary committee, Carrier said.
“We’ve done that by looking at our internal processes and making them as efficient as possible,” Carrier said. “We have been changing staffing to adjust to peak times. We’ve also raised awareness with the staff to let them be aware of the wait times and make them better.”
Andrew Nash can be reached at andrew.nash@morningsun.net or by calling 231-2600 ext. 132.
PITTSBURG —
